Monday, December 29, 2003

Free market eugenics

Reuters: Through the Danish transnational sperm firm Cryos the 5.3 million Danes have contributed to more than a 100 pregnancies abroad. "Childless couples can browse through about 250 successful donors on Cryos' U.S. web, under Viking aliases such as Birk, Gorm, Olaf and Thor alongside a curriculum vitae which lists hair and eye color, height, education and professional details." But fret not, ye of eugenics angst! Although currently only accepts Danish sperm, "within a year or two, Indian, Asian and African men will also be able to donate to Cryos." Northern Europeans don't have many of the taboos that inhibit sperm donation, but the article points out that new laws in Sweden and Norway that forbid anonymous donation - presumably to protect children's rights to know their parents identities - have put a crimp in the sperm industry.