Designer Babies

Purchase 5 vials and receive 1-year of 
FREE storage

With this slogan the California Cryobank, one of the leading fertility clinics in the US, presents some of their various ‘special offers’ to the public. The clinic, famous for its wide range of donor choices, has recently raised the argument about artificial insemination. While some might consider ‘custom-making’ your baby an aberration, others question whether liberty of will overcomes the naturally adverse attitude towards this practice.

“Donor 11885 is highly intelligent, creative, and self-expressive - the perfect mix for a successful future in film making”. Through descriptions like this the California Cryobank, a trendy fertilization clinic in the US claimed to be the “Nation's Leading Sperm Bank” by the CBS, parents are able to read about the donors and make their perfect choice. For the sake of simplicity, their webpage enables an intelligent filter to perform more precise searches using several screens about the donors, such as hair colour, level of studies or similarity to celebrities. To accompany their excellent and varied choice of donor vials, special offers are moreover presented: Premium ICI, Premium IUI or simply Web Full-Access to view the full donor profiles.

When I first visited the web page, an obvious display of their rich image to the public, I was taken aback: how can somebody have a child based on criteria such as ‘Hair Texture’ or ‘Religion’ of the donor? What would the parents answer if their kid asked about his or her birth? Absolutely cold, I thought.

Or at least at first glance.

From a rational point of view, artificial insemination is a risky choice. Being guaranteed the donor’s impeccable health state or even intelligence cannot be enough at times. Nonetheless, the decision of having a baby is, for many, too important to let it fade away. So, if a couple decides to have a child: why not be completely certain about their donor? Although it sounds heartless, it is categorically the most secure option to take, even for the baby itself. Artificial insemination is not a matter to be ashamed of, and it is reasonable that the parents’ choice is the one they consider more appropriate.

However, considering the fact that having a baby is an important decision and that every detail must be taken care of, I consider Cryobank’s aggressive advertising rather brusque and lacking tact. Filters such as “Celebrity Look-A-Like” are definitely intended to act as a light-hearted factor for the parents to base such an critical decision on. If a sperm bank wants to disclose certain information about their donors, I believe it should be consistent (real data, not mere opinions) and, above all, relevant. Information such as IQ, personal and family clinical history, physical condition and probably even level of studies would be on the other hand good factors for the parents to choose their ideal donor.

Are you in agreement with Cryobank’s essential goals?

What is your opinion about artificial insemination?

Would you prefer to rely on nature or to make an informed choice if you were in that situation?