A Texas company marketing its “at home insemination kit” on social media is encouraging women to use the semen from a partner’s used condom to become pregnant without his permission. 

According to a report in the New York Post, the company, MakeAMom, advertised its US$250 “semen stealing” kit as a way to circumvent laws in the US that make it illegal to poke holes in condoms without the knowledge of both participants.

One of its ads on X notes that while poking holes in condoms without the knowledge of both sexual partners is illegal in most states, “stealing the condom without his knowledge” is “not illegal in any state.”

Advertising for the product on X borders on the lewd. 

“Woman quietly sneaks condom from trash to perform home insemination while her partner sleeps in the other room. What do you think about this? Is this legal? Will he still owe child support?” says one post on X. Other read: “Should I tell him it’s his kid?” and “You don’t need his permission to get pregnant.” 

The ads were picked up by investigative journalist Samantha Cole, of the journalist-owned tech news co-op 404Media. She found that MakeAMom’s credentials were highly suspicious. When queried about its ethics, the apparent CEO of the company responded: 

“It appears there has been a significant misunderstanding regarding our marketing content and the ethos of our company. We take full responsibility for this and are currently reviewing our advertising strategies to ensure they reflect our commitment to ethical practices.’ 

“Our intention has always been to empower individuals in their journey towards parenthood, but not at the expense of consent and moral integrity.”

The FDA has approved a couple of other home insemination kits, but not MakeAMom’s.