Today there are 150 children, all conceived with sperm from one donor, in this group of half siblings, and more are on the way. “It’s wild when we see them all together — they all look alike,” said Ms. Daily, 48, a social worker in the Washington area who sometimes vacations with other families in her son’s group.
As more women choose to have babies on their own, and the number of children born through artificial insemination increases, outsize groups of donor siblings are starting to appear. While Ms. Daily’s group is among the largest, many others comprising 50 or more half siblings are cropping up on Web sites and in chat groups, where sperm donors are tagged with unique identifying numbers.
Now, there is growing concern among parents, donors and medical experts about potential negative consequences of having so many children fathered by the same donors, including the possibility that genes for rare diseases could be spread more widely through the population. Some experts are even calling attention to the increased odds of accidental incest between half sisters and half brothers, who often live close to one another.
[…]
Critics say that fertility clinics and sperm banks are earning huge profits by allowing too many children to be conceived with sperm from popular donors, and that families should be given more information on the health of donors and the children conceived with their sperm.
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@#2 “The prohibition on incest is really just a safeguard against passing on bad genes.” – Just?! For many dangerous genetic traits there is no way to know if the donor passed it along or not. It takes generation or two to see consequences and once widespread in population these can bring whole human kind in danger.
There is practically learned wisdom in “old fashioned morality”. Bans on incest, cannibalism,… are there because of bad effects seen, not because someone with power didn’t like them.
Solution is not to have fewer donor uses. Solution is to say, yes Science can do this but it is not good for society, anyone doing it should be severely morally ostracized. It is not a matter of their choice but of consequences. This worked to stop us from eating each other, it can work for this purpose. And if you can’t naturally procreate – too bad, there is that thing called Evolution and you have your place in it’s rules.
You mean, there’s a downside to all this fake baby-making?
I’d love to help expand the gene pool–in person of course–but I just had my nuts cut. Oh well.
I also will give this a big “so what.” In vitro/artificially inseminated/selected donor kiddies have NOTHING TO DO with their kiddies having healthy kiddies.
IT IS ALL ABOUT the original parents having the kiddies THEY WANT.
When it comes to telling shit from shinola, all you gotta do is keep your eye on the ball. No body gets upset if I spend my money on the same car that someone else has also bought. Buying kiddies is the same deal.
What do you creeps have against a nice Bentley or Mercedes?
Heh, heh: Silly Hoomans.
In #5, bobbo said: IT IS ALL ABOUT the original parents having the kiddies THEY WANT.
While I’m all for people getting what they deserve, which may or may not quite be what they want, there are some area where some randomization is good; generics is one such place where variation is usually for the better (as long as we can do some genetic screening for gross abnormalities leading to congenital birth defects.)
It would be creepy otherwise.
If every girl looked just like the girl that married dear ol’ dad we’re all be mother fuckers and Freud would have to be reincarnated to handle the overflow into the mental health clinics, (or he’d become an ophthalmologist specializing in replacement of torn out eyes. 🙂 )
Hmm, lately Uncle Dave seems to be backing down on his pro-Obama propaganda posts and sticking with the fluff.
– artificial insemination
– flight simulators
– taco arrests
– caption this photo
– German hookers
– teachers’ union
– AT&T merger
– surfing with flares
Even the media is starting to turn on Obama.
Headline: Washington Post gives Obama a four Pinocchios rating.
http://goo.gl/esm2Z
Headline: Democrats fear it’s too late
http://goo.gl/nXEPW
#7: No, just bored to tears with politics and the idiots on all sides.
And I’ve never been “pro-Obama.” I’m just anti- a lot of the others and some of their policies, especially the social engineering those on the conservative right want to do. They’re all morans on all sides, more interested in getting elected and getting rich rather than caring about us.
#6–msbpodcast==what you say is 100% correct except for the typo, that btw is perfectly done, but it only magnifies the truth of what I posted to.
I post because normally you post to criticize me, what I post, how many times I post, etc. Posting to support me is quite unusual. What are you celebrating, or are you only supporting me because you know I was conceived in a test tube from cloned Elvis hair?
Yes, my mother loved Elvis and I am his clone.
I am the baby my mother wanted.
Same as it always is. Reproducing is hubris.
Silly, non-Elvis, People.
I’ve been donating sperm for years. I’m very popular at the clinics because I’m in very good shape, very intelligent, good looking, and I guess you could say I have good genes etc. Considering the amount of sperm I’ve donated over the years, the number of children I’ve fathered could be very high, possibly extremely high. I’ve never really thought much of it, but there is a very good chance a couple of my off-spring could meet and procreate in the future. Considering how attractive and healthy I am, there is even a chance I could date my own daughter in the future.
” And if you can’t naturally procreate – too bad, there is that thing called Evolution and you have your place in it’s rules.”
Sorry but you should know that evolution also applies to behavior not just phenotype. Apparently some donors have discovered a very successful evolutionary strategy for the world they find themselves in. You’re upset that evolution isn’t picking the successful traits you think are most valuable but evolution doesn’t care. Don’t worry though. If it turns out this is not advantageous evolution has no loyalty and will pick other traits.
Also I think I just rehashed the main plot device of Idiocracy.
# 3 dusanmal said, “For many dangerous genetic traits there is no way to know if the donor passed it along or not. ”
Oh, my. You got some heat for this one, don’t you? Finding your sister a little too attractive these days?
The problem with incest is with recessive traits. It takes two genes, one from each parent, to manifest. All reputable sperm banks test the little critters for all sorts of genetic errors. You know, we’re pretty good at that sort of things these days. They also do a pretty thorough family medical history. When half-siblings meet, it is entirely possible they won’t even share blood types, let alone nasty recessive genes. But, let’s say they do each have a recessive gene for, say, albinism. Each parent has two genes for the production of melanin. One codes for albinism. (If both coded for albinism, the parent would have been an albino.) So, there is only a one in four chance that the two recessive genes will hook up. The odds of anything bad happening are astronomical. It’s not the same thing as when the royal families limit the depth of the gene pool. When you have several generations inbreeding, the chances of the two recessives meeting up are very good. But the occasional tryst in the shallow end of the pool is generally a safe bet. So go ahead. Ask your sister to dinner and ply her with wine. You know you want to.
Why hasn’t Jeebus weighed in on this subject yet
Yeah, and you know that the majority of those donors were medical students. Future male doctors. Getting paid for it, to help fund their education. And so their IDs were kept off the books, or secret. And nothing has been made about such genetic concentration. But courts still fuss over close relatives, even adopted siblings, getting married. What about the damn doctors fathering half the town’s babies?! Oh, that’s Ok! Hypocrisy.
Whats really scary about the picture is it’s a girl after her first hair cut. They also trimed off the unibrow.
Uncle Dave do you still have the with unibrow, before hair cut picture?
I challenge you to find it.
Unless the best donors have thousands of children it is barely a ripply in the total population. They do need some way of letting the kids know who their biological father is even if its just a code name like Jason XX
I would not think they could send the bill to person searched even if they had found drugs. The people that authorized the search pay for the search.
Mr. Twelve Inches…. HAH. No way this is passing the censors. HAH! You’re probably a regular contributor to lpsg.org. ss section.
HAH!
Bobbo so your fat out of shape and wear tassled rhinestone jumpsuits with capes while eating fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches? OK you don’t need to share quite that much.
#2 obviously flunked genetics 101.
# 21 The Commodore Oh No you didn’t!
Speak man trash about my hub, Mr Twelve Inches.
I ain’t going let yews talk bad and make my honey out bad. He’s not like you, some limp dick punk! He’s slammin salmon is long and strong. That man makes me feel like a natural woman.
I’d like to see you try.
mr bean?
Why do I envision a Pedro and Alphie love child here?
#27 What a nasty attitude and so close to the rapture!
That’s gonna cost you when it’s a tie between letting you in or getting bumped by some other tool.
All I have to say is that I’m glad that I’m attracted to women of different races than myself. No chance of inbreeding or bad banjo playing for me thank you.
Genetic diversity is good.. the imperial clone factory… is not so good…