Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Sperm donors 'to lose anonymity'

I

iGav

macrumors G3
Original poster
Mar 9, 2002
9,025
1
I know a few people who'll be heading for the hills if this becomes law... :eek: :p :p

So then, 18 years down the road, some spotty teenager knocks on your door and tells you you're his 'biological father'... what the hell do you reply to that??

"Errr, let's not romanticise this situation fella.... I had one off the wrist 18 years ago for some beer money down the NUS Bar!!" :eek: :p :p yep, that'll probably do it.... heheheh

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3407031.stm

NB. I for the record have never 'donated'... ;) :p
 
Apparently (in the current proposals), the donors will not have any legal financial responsibilty to the child.

I can see why this might be a good idea as many diseases have a genetic basis and in the future knowing about your parents may help you know what awaits you. On the other hand I don't see why the child needs to know WHO his father is. Why can't they know information about their father.

I mean, imagine you're in your late thirties and you have a family of your own. One day some kid tries to get in contact. It's quite embarrasing - either your wife believes you were screwing around in your youth and how many more 'surprises' are there. OR you try to explain you used to wank for cash...:rolleyes: :rolleyes:
 
Originally posted by caveman_uk
either your wife believes you were screwing around in your youth and how many more 'surprises' are there. OR you try to explain you used to wank for cash...:rolleyes: :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

or both.... heheheheh
 
Originally posted by caveman_uk
Apparently (in the current proposals), the donors will not have any legal financial responsibilty to the child.

I can see why this might be a good idea as many diseases have a genetic basis and in the future knowing about your parents may help you know what awaits you.
Click to expand...

I thought they tested for stuff like that...

I know I've heard of such a thing.


Wanking for cash... I'm sure the U.K's sperm donations are gonna be 25% after they implement this...
 
This is such a questionable argument.

While I feel the need for privacy in the matter is paramount, I can also see how someone who is a product from this would feel. It's much like the situation for an adopted child.

It's a catch-22.
 
Say you donate when you're 18. flash forward 18 years to a midlife crisis..you meet this hot 18 year old chick who into you (maybe for money or something..whatever) you bring her home...have some wine.. one thing leads to another...then the law is passed and you find out she's your daughter! :eek: :eek:
 
Usual Suspects

Anonimity? For I second there I was imagining a sperm donation clinic on a high street, all glass fronted like a hair dressers. Instead of women under hair dryers you'd see a line of skint but happy students browsing the top shelf with their trousers around their ankles. :D

Let's hope it pays better than the police identity parade.:)
 
Originally posted by teabgs
Say you donate when you're 18. flash forward 18 years to a midlife crisis..you meet this hot 18 year old chick who into you (maybe for money or something..whatever) you bring her home...have some wine.. one thing leads to another...then the law is passed and you find out she's your daughter! :eek: :eek:
Click to expand...

that's messed up man...

now I'll never donate my seed... :eek:
 
Originally posted by eyelikeart
that's messed up man...

now I'll never donate my seed... :eek:
Click to expand...

that's why I'd never donate...you never know if you'll end up with your kid...or your "real" kid could end up shacking up with the donation kid...

:eek:



you know it's gotta have happened at least once by now... maybe even to you!

:eek: :eek: :p
 
It is certainly a great dilema for both sides. I also have never donated, so no worries here.

Knowing your past medical history is important, it should never be kept private. I think that is there is no legal or financial responsibility that should ease the situation. In that case, if I fathered a child and they wanted to meet me then would be willing to consider the situation.
 
Originally posted by Stelliform
But I imagine (since I have never done it) that you are doing it only for a quick buck, and I know for me, the possibility of one or several kids hunting me down 20 years later would make me not do it. I mean what if one donation can father 5 kids? after a few donations you might get tired of kids hunting you down. :D
Click to expand...

yeah...but by that time they'd grown up so you might still have 20+ years of kids showing up !!! :eek:
 
Re: Sperm donors 'to lose anonymity'

Originally posted by iGAV
I know a few people who'll be heading for the hills if this becomes law... :eek: :p :p

So then, 18 years down the road, some spotty teenager knocks on your door and tells you you're his 'biological father'... what the hell do you reply to that??
Click to expand...

"Kid, go to the fridge and get me another beer. And get a job!"

:D
 
I used to be an ovum donor, and these donations are often non-anonymous, since the recipient couple wants to meet you before making their decision. Frankly, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I believe if you don't feel comfortable with the idea of fathering a child, you shouldn't be a donor in the first place. If and when you decide to father a child, this is a meaningful and important decision, and one you should feel comfortable with, and should be willing to openly disclose to your friends or significant other, IMHO.

When my own son was a little over a year, he developed a rare and devastating form of epilepsy that might have been genetic, but was too rare to be tested for by routing genetic testing (which only tests for the 50 or so most common genetic defects, while in fact there are tens of thousands of genetic diseases). In my son's case, the doctors were racing against time to find the right treatment for him before the hundreds of seizures he had everyday would permanently damage his brain or possibly kill him (they did find treatment in time, thank god). But in a case like this, it would be of paramount importace to have the biological father's contact information. Same goes for a child who needs e.g., a bone marrow transplant, which in some cases can only come from a biological parent (of course, the biological father could not be pressured into donating, but he could then decide for himself whether or not he wants to).
 
Originally posted by true777
I believe if you don't feel comfortable with the idea of fathering a child, you shouldn't be a donor in the first place. If and when you decide to father a child, this is a meaningful and important decision, and one you should feel comfortable with, and should be willing to openly disclose to your friends or significant other, IMHO.
Click to expand...
Fathering a child and sperm donation aren't really the same thing. Although the outcome maybe the same. Fathering a child in my mind means making a commitment to raising that child and being there for it as it grows up. It's a rather more demanding lifestyle choice than providing a sample so some couple can have a kid. They want the child, you don't. You are only helping them have what they can't have otherwise.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back