How Sperm Became One Of America’s Most Popular Exports

April 11, 2013 in Daily Bulletin

Brooke Jarvis took a look at the international demand for American sperm:

  • American sperm is popular in part because of the ethnic diversity of its population. Hopeful mothers around the world can find a sperm donor of similar ethnicity in the United States.
  • America’s regulations governing the testing of donated sperm is also among the most stringent in the world – giving future mothers the confidence that their child will be healthy.
  • America’s supply of sperm is reliable. Men are allowed to donate anonymously and be paid to do so. In the many countries where this is not true, there is a dearth in supply.
  • One sperm bank sees 60% of its produce end up outside the United States.
  • Denmark, the UK, Canada and Australia are top destinations for these American goods.

Read more about the sense of distance that donors feel from the offspring, the difference between male and female donors, and the activists that think America’s sperm market needs to change over here.

Source: The Verge