Conference quark::mennotes-v1

>    as a donor, but it seems that there's more to this program than meets the 
>    eye. What happens *after* the donation? The place requires a nine month 
>    minimum committment from a donor, and I was just wondering if anyone else 
    
    Huh??  Committment to what??
    
    I'm glad you opened this topic, because I've often thought that it
    might not be a bad idea to make a deposit, just in case something
    happens.  I know I wish my ex (premature menopause) could have had the
    same option...  And these days, having some 'safe' sperm sounds like a
    pretty good investment for the future...
    
    Anybody have some details on the cost?
    
    Dave

    RE:"-.1
    
    "Committment to what??"
    
    No no no...not *that* kind of nine month committment ;') The program
    I'm involved with requires donors to provide samples twice a week for a 
    minimum of nine months, and to undergo some periodic blood testing.
    You can stay with the prgram longer if you like. Donors are financially
    compensated for each healthy sample provided.

How do sperm banks handle the problem of releasing the donor from any 
liability from paternity suits?  What about privacy; it is currently
a "big thing" for an adopted child to go searching for their biological
parents, what's to stop a child born of artificial insemination from
trying to look up their biological father?

			Steve

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				Steve






Several years ago, I participated in an artificial insemination
program as an anonymous donor.  All I can tell you about is my own
experiences and some observations on how the program was run.

My motivations:
	1) Primarily money, I was a poor starving student and this was
	an easy way to make some money under the table.  It did help
	me.

	2) A desire to help others.  I have known several people who
	considered and/or turned to AI as a method of last resort to
	fulfill a strong desire to have children.  I saw their anguish
	and I wished to help.  But, I could not help them directly.

	3) I've got this massive ego which causes me to believe that
	my genes could be worth passing on.  I am smarter than the
	average bear, physically healthy, of good stock (no genetic or
	potentially negative heritable traits appear on either side of
	my family.  Both sides tend to be long lived and healthy), and
	the children I have also display these traits.

What was involved:
	1) A very thorough physical and family history.  The medical
	exam spent extra time checking for STDs as did the personal
	history.
	2) Regular re-exams.  Follow up blood work which ended 6
	months after my last donation.
	3) I would get a call 2-3 days before a donation.  I was then
	required to abstain from ejaculation until the appointed day.
	On the appointed day, I would masturbate (that was not always
	easy or fun, and I did NOT have/want any help) into a specimen
	cup at home and deliver it to the emergency room of the hospital
	running the program.  Followed by a second donation, 2 days
	later (They were trying to bracket peak fertility).
	4) Within a day or two I would get a check made out to cash
	for (if I remember correctly) $35.00 per donation.

What did I know about the recipients:
	1) Nothing specific.
	2) That they wanted a child bad enough to go through the
	expense and difficulty of trying to conceive a child via AI.
	3) That they were encouraged to abstain from sex for 2 days
	prior to the procedure (this insures the best possible sperm
	count and motility) and then to have sex the evening of the
	day that the AI was performed.
	4) I also believe that the male was matched against me for
	blood type and phenotypic characterisitics (looks).

What did they know about me:
	1) I am given to believe that they had a general description
	with respect to size, hair color, eye color, and blood type
	(though with my recessive blood type, any match would do).
	2) A number.  I was donor #xx .

Am I ever curious about these offspring?
	Well, a little.  I hope they are well and happy.  Sometimes my
	ego would like to know  "how many there are".  I have no
	desire to meet them or be involved in their lives.  In a
	sense, I helped give them a gift of life, and now I hope it is
	a good one.  It feels selfish whenever I think the "what if"
	that might allow me to know any of them.

Would I do it again, under the right conditions.  Would I do it in
person, I sorta doubt it, That changes the entire situation.  If I
know who and where, I would be obligated to participate in their lives
as fully as possible (or desired by their birth parents).  I was once
approached by two gay women with whom I was very close.  They did not
make a decision before I moved 1000+ miles away and since then we have
lost contact with each other.  Would I have?  Probably.  They would
have been good loving parents.  The child would have had as good an
opportunity at a decent life as any child, in fact, better than most.

If you have any other questions, send them to me via the open forum of
the notes file or through the moderators.  Send flames to /dev/null
;-)  .