am New York: For Sale Sperm $100

As soon as I saw the front page of today's "am New York" newspaper I wondered what my children will think when they see images like this? The article discusses how in these hard economic times the number of individuals interested in donating for money has risen.

Back to my kids I wonder whether my kids will think, their donor, their biological father, simply donated to make a buck? How will that thought affect them.

Haaretz.com: USA Limits Donor Offspring to 10 ?

no. 370

Re: Serious Failures Found at [Israeli] Hospital Sperm Banks

Dear Ran Reznick:

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/857746.html

In your article, published online 5/10/2007, regarding serious failures at Israeli sperm banks you state that "In the United States, donors are limited to 10 births to decrease the chance of incest among offspring. "

I'd like to know where you got that "fact". I know of no regulation or law that requires sperm banks to monitor live births much less pregnancies achieved. As a parent to two donor conceived children here in the USA we would love to see reform that would limit the donor conceived offspring born to a single donor but as of yet we have no legislation.

Thank you,

Eric Schwartzman

http://di-dad.blogspot.com

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I sent the above inquiry today to the reporter who wrote the article linked above. I would have posted my inquiry as a comment to the article but no option was provided.

Did I sleep through some major legislative pacakge here in the United States? I will give the reporter the benefit of the doubt but I don't believe we have any such legislation either at the federal or state level in the United States. But if anyone reading this knows on what basis the reporter got this info I'd love to hear it.

Needs of Sperm Donors, Offspring at Odds

no. 332

Needs of Sperm Donors, Offspring at Odds

By Kay Miller

Star Tribune

Minneapolis – St. Paul

Last Updated: February 2, 2007

- The sperm bank industry is being challenged to catch up with growing demands for detailed information about donors as thousands of their offspring come of age.

- The article includes the following paragraph:

"Morrissette collected evocative essays from DI children, a sperm donor, even an infertile father in her 2006 book, " Behind Closed Doors: Moving Beyond Secrecy and Shame," (Be-Mondo Publishing, $12.95)"

The infertile father is me!

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A Sperm Donor has Waited for More than a Year to Become Part of His Kids Lives

WIBW.com

Topeka, Kansas

Posted: 4:48pm Feb. 2, 2007

- An update of the Kansas Supreme Court case. In short this was the first day the Court could have issued its opinion. It did not do so and the next possible date a decision can be issued is March 16.

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Donor Offspring Find One Another

Star Tribune

Minneapolis - St. Paul

by Kay Miller

Last Updated: February 02, 2007 – 5:13 PM

- The mothers know that Donor 1047 has at least 23 offspring, possibly as many as 100.

Are Heterosexual Couples Using DI? Not According to the Press

no. 313

My nightly online ritual not only includes visiting the Donor Sibling Registry to check for any new half siblings but to check Google for any new news articles regarding donor conception. Sometimes it feels like opposite sex couples (let me use that retro term Heterosexual) must not be using donor insemination.

Rarely a day goes by that I don't see a story or two addressing DI through a story about lesbian couples using DI (articles re gay men and surrogacy and DE are less frequent). Not that there's anything wrong with that (sorry could not resist a bit of Seinfeld).... as this segment of society for too long has had their rights curtailed unfairly.

What bothers me is that the story should be addressed from our point of view as well. Maybe this should not bother me.

Some would say that the lack of stories would indicate that DI among heterosexuals has become more accepted. But I don't think this is the case and if it was we'd have an easier time getting the next level of discussion out in respect to better regulation and reform within the industry.

Putting this aside the stories of the day are:

"US Experiences Lesbian Baby Boom"
Easier Lifestyle
December 15,2006

"Nation's Only Lesbian Sperm Bank Records 2,000th Birth"
eMediaWire
December 15, 2006

"Full parental rights for gay couples"
TimesOnline.co.uk
December 15, 2006

Mary Cheney's DI Baby - Who's the Father ?

no. 307

I was recently asked if anyone knew of celebrities who have used DI to create their families. The only male celebrity I knew of that publicly acknowledged his infertility was Tom Arnold. I have no idea if he has kids to be honest much less if they were donor conceived.

Apparently the newest political jokes involve Vice President Cheney's daughter becomming pregnant via donor insemination and the shame (in the eyes of others) it has brought her parents. Reportedly the VP and his wife are looking forward to the birth of this grandchild. For those of you who care and are not aware Mary Cheney is a lesbian and in a commited relationship with her partner who under VA law will have no legal relationship to the child.

Back to the joke reference. Up until now celebrity news re DI focused on David Crosby being the biological father to Melissa Etheridge's child. But now people are joking who the bio father could be of Mary Cheney's child. No news has come out yet whether they selected a known donor or an anonymous one but I am sure the press will soon dig up this personal fact and let us all know in the interests of national security.

In all seriousness congratulations to the parents to be.

Donor Conception Among The Ten Trends That Will Shape Our World in 2007

no. 306

"NEW YORK, Dec. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- JWT, the largest advertising agency in the U.S. and the fourth largest in the world, announces the top 10 trends for 2007, in conjunction with the release of Next Now: Trends for the Future, co- written by Marian Salzman, executive vice president and chief marketing officer. The book is due out December 26 from Palgrave Macmillan.

Including

(2) New Ties That Bind - Watch as our definition of family continues to broaden and evolve while dating takes a turn toward the traditional. Today, the family circle may include a child born from donor insemination and his/her half- siblings scattered across the country, found through online registries....."

Simply amazing.....