March 28, 2024

Another heroic figure in the reproduction revolution

As the gap between love and sex grows wider and wider, peculiar new professions crop up. Der Spiegel recently featured a 42-year-old Dutch man who drifted into a career as a personal sperm donation for women who want to be single mothers or who are in lesbian relationships. Ed Houben found that anonymous sperm donation for clinics was emotionally unsatisfying, so he now advertises his services as a stud on websites. At last count, he had 82 children in countries ranging from Germany, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain. The oldest is 9 years old and the youngest  2 months. According to Der Spiegel, another 10 women are currently pregnant.

German sperm banks charge between €3,000 and €4,000 (about $4,000-5,300) for their services. Mr Houben’s are free, except for expenses, and they are implemented in the traditional way, which women find more reliable or more satisfying. He does not mind if his clients disclose his identity to the children, but he insists that they agree that he has no rights or obligations (including child support). ~ Der Spiegel, April 13

https://www.bioedge.org/images/2008images/edhouben.jpg
artificial reproduction
sperm donation