Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

DNA and Online Search Finds Birth Parent

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the anonymity-is-dead dept.

stuyman writes "NewScientist is reporting that anonymous sperm donation is not so anonymous anymore. An enterprising 15 year old tracked down his biological father, an anonymous sperm donor, using an online genealogy service and an online information service."

14 of 198 comments (clear)

  1. A potentially ugly situation by treff89 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This would be quite creepy if the (father) had never actually formally donated sperm. (ie. someone has picked up a condom or tissue, and impregnated themselves with the sperm.)

    1. Re:A potentially ugly situation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      You know what would be creepier? Having the following conversation with the doctor from the fertility clinic and then noticing that he has the same nose as you...

      Boy: Doctor, you told my mother that my father was an Astrophysics major at MIT and was born on July 16, 1968. But I tracked down the only man who fits that description and he's oriental which, as you can see, I am not.

      Doctor: Uh, er, yes, I see... That is a problem, isn't it? There must have been some sort of mixup. Uh, what was your name again?

      Boy: Luke.

      Doctor: Well I suppose I have something I should tell you. And actually you might find this rather funny if you are a Star Wars fan. You see Luke...

  2. He didn't need DNA to narrow the search down by old7 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Though his donor had been anonymous, his mother had been told the man's date and place of birth and his college degree. Using another online service, Omnitrace.com, he purchased the names of everyone that had been born in the same place on the same day. Only one man had the surname he was looking for, and within 10 days he had made contact.
    Knowing the place and date of birth of the father would narrow the search considerably. Even in a large city it could narrow the search to a few dozen. -Old7
    1. Re:He didn't need DNA to narrow the search down by Buran · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Not necessarily. I'm adopted and I haven't had much luck using my birth parents' names. I'm now going to have to ponder whether I want to do somemthing like this, or whether I should. I don't know yet because I have no idea whether they would want to be contacted. (They were high-school students, though, so they may wonder what happened to the baby they gave up because they couldn't raise her... so I have a chance that they'd be interested).

      --
      i am a soviet space shuttle
  3. At long last.... by Altec+at+LM · · Score: 5, Funny

    ..an answer to the proverbial question, "Who's your daddy?"

  4. Could lead to trouble by Rethcir · · Score: 4, Interesting

    18 years, 18 years,
    She got one of yo kids got you for 18 years

    I can just picture someone tracking down an anonymous sperm donor and trying to get child support out of them. Or is this subject covered in the contract you sign at the clinic?

  5. I wonder by masterpenguin · · Score: 5, Funny

    I wonder now that Anonymous Sperm Donors can be tracked down, if Anonymous Cowards can also be tracked down?

  6. Re:People deserve all they get by Mornelithe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Uh...

    What exactly is wrong with donating to a sperm bank? It allows people to have kids that might otherwise not be able to.

    And what exactly is wrong with using the money for beer? Beer is good.

    And how exactly could the child become emotionally scarred? By finding out at least one of his genetic parents is not part of his family? Why exactly does that matter? He has (presumably) two parents who love him and wanted him enough to go to extraordinary measures to have him. Isn't that good enough?

    And if he didn't know that he was a sperm bank baby, and it does scar him, isn't it the fault of his parents that actually take care of him, for not telling him before he found it out on the internet?

    Could you please expound on what, exactly, is wrong with this situation in your view? I can't figure it out beyond the possibility that you want to whine about 'them damn college students!'

    --

    I've come for the woman, and your head.

  7. Not Anymore by Kawahee · · Score: 4, Interesting
    "NewScientist is reporting that anonymous sperm donation is not so anonymous anymore. An enterprising 15 year old..."

    What I'm noticing here is that these records have had to be held since around 1980... which suggests that it never really was that anonymous. I mean, back in 1990 you could still get DNA testing done (for a price).
    --
    I'll subscribe to Slashdot when I see a month without a dupe, a typo, or an article the "editors" didn't read.
  8. Informational Awareness by headkase · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You know, and I'm only speaking for myself here, if my biological offspring were with it enough to do this by themselve(s) then I would actually love to hear from them and see where it went from there. Seriously, the best complement a child can pay to a parent is being exceptionally competent within the age they live in. This kid is definately an Information Age personality. Cool kid.

    --
    Shh.
    1. Re:Informational Awareness by QuantumG · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yep, and I'm sure you'd feel really proud considering that you've had nothing to do with their upbringing and just supplied less than half of their genetic material which was mostly random anyway. But hey, don't let that stop you from taking credit from the people who did the real work of actually raising the kid.

      --
      How we know is more important than what we know.
  9. Re:I don't think you've thought it through. by Mornelithe · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How can someone donating to a sperm bank ever give his offspring a second thought? He never knows if or when or how many kids will be the result of that donation. At most he could perhaps claim to have been thinking about the potential parents and their plight of not being able to have children.

    These kids aren't adopted. These people aren't selling babies for beer money. They're selling people the opportunity to have 'their own' children, merely with someone else's genetic material. These kids weren't abandoned by some 'original' parents. Their parents are the people who went to the sperm bank, and got pregnant, and so on, specifically because they wanted a child. These children are living with their real parents. The fact that the semen came from some other guy's penis, whatever the motivation, seems like an infinitesimal part of the equation, unless you're worried about genetic diseases or something.

    --

    I've come for the woman, and your head.

  10. Oh shit, restrictions on being born! by mysticwhiskey · · Score: 5, Funny
    I took the submission title to be "DNA and Online Search Finds Birth Patent".

    A case of too much Slashdot reading, methinks.

    --

    Stuck down a hole! In the middle of the night! With an owl!

  11. Re:Bullshit by RITMaloney · · Score: 4, Funny
    Why is it so important to you that your submission is the one that gets accepted?
    That's one of the questions on the sign-up form at the sperm bank.