From the desk of: Stuart

Britain: “We Need A Hot Beef Injection.”

Health
Shortage of Sperm Donors in Britain Prompts Calls for Change
By DENISE GRADY
Published: November 12, 2008
The donor shortage may be due in part to a change in the law in 2005, which took away donors’ anonymity.

Among the gems in this article are:

He said sperm were also being imported, mostly from Scandinavia.

Dr. Mark Hamilton, chairman of the fertility society and an obstetrician at the University of Aberdeen, said, “Really, we should be getting our own house in order rather than relying on importing sperm from other countries.”

…

The editorial also suggests that the nation consider “sperm sharing,” in which fertile men whose partners needed in vitro fertilization could become sperm donors for other women, and the donation would help pay for the fertilization.

I may be wrong, but “sperm sharing” doesn’t sound like something that is normally discussed in the New York Times, or any other mainstream news outlet. This is a great example of a news article that bring up more questions than it answers. Is there a huge international sperm trade? The Swedes must have truckloads of sperm just sitting around, waiting for export. Can it be harvested and sold on the black market like kidneys and livers?

Must. stop. thinking. about. this.