(Photo: My eye, Chris (c) openphoto.net)
Sperm banks are offering photos of celebrities as examples of what babies might look like when choosing a specific sperm donor vs. another, since it is not legally possible to provide photos of the actual donors themselves.
The first thing I thought was that it would be a cool job to search through hundreds of photos of handsome guys -safely assuming that sperm banks will not use photos of unattractive guys to promote their sperm supply- to portray the features and traits of the array of genetic possibilities available in the human genetic pool.
Once that thought passed, rather quickly, I was saddened. The worst way to choose a child must be this one - so shallow. Besides, how will they convey all the other things that are transmitted by DNA? Gestures, personality traits, health concerns, artistic talent- all of these are, at least in part, also included in our genes.
Not only is this search of physical features and traits, such as height or eye color, limited as compared with other physical attributes, such as auditory sensibility and muscular strength, but it is also a very 'unloving' way to produce offspring. Though it is true that some people pretend to love while unintentionally conceiving, at least they make an attempt that is somewhat similar to the 'real thing,' even if they entirely miss the point of self-giving to another.
This act has no redemption. In some strange way, the same people who argue that the world is too overpopulated, when arguing for abortion, agree with artificial insemination. I guess the world is not overpopulated in terms of people 'ordered by catalog,' just in terms of children conceived naturally. Someone please explain this one to me!
Maybe we could save babies from abortion and catalog them to be adopted. If this were not such an inhuman way of looking at children, it might at least provide for some -otherwise aborted babies- a means to live.
I guess the best way to get back at these people is to know that there is nothing like the wonder of gazing into a newborn right after birth to marvel at the miracle of their unique identity.
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For more information:
On sperm banks by catalogue:
http://tinyurl.com/ksltra
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