Sperm donation continues in the news in Australia. Writing in the Australian Rationalist, Michael Linden tells of his disgust with the reproductive medicine industry which fosters “a profound cynicism with regard to our most fundamental biological relationships.”

Mr Linden says that he donated sperm in 1977 and five births resulted. He recently contacted two of the children, but has resigned himself to never meeting the other three. Iit is a bitter pill for him to swallow. He writes:

“To the parents, whether they would wish it or not, and whether they disclose to their child or not, the child will always be the donor’s child. He is the father of that child. This is an inescapable biological fact and the fundamental reason why the continuing practice of donor insemination is a tragic if not a criminal mistake.”

He also rejects the notion that donating sperm is as altruistic as donating any other organ. “It is not. It is to the contrary: male irresponsibility with regard to procreation conveniently elevated by the medical profession to the level of a praised social institution.”

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Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

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