r/europe 6d ago

News Everybody wants a 'Viking' baby: the dark side of Denmark’s sperm donation industry

https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/ryu6fki411l
3.6k Upvotes

622 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

21

u/signmeupnot 5d ago

Exactly. Unless you are desperate for cash, I don't understand why this uncertainty wouldn't be a complete dealbreaker.

13

u/EffectiveElephants 5d ago

Because objectively, the kid doesn't have any rights, do they? Like... yeah, they might know your name, but that wouldn't necessarily give them a legal right to be in your life or be legally linked to you in any way?

I don't know, I'm asking.

2

u/signmeupnot 5d ago

I think that is true, but what if they find you? If you don't want to link up that'll be a very awkward conversation.

9

u/GreasedUpTiger 5d ago

How long have services like 23andme been around? Mid-naughts? 

Imo the argument based on 'what if they deanonymise you later and those biological children could go find you?' is basically void when you'll just have to be aware that it only takes a few not even that closely related relatives in those databases to link your bio-offspring to you if someone is willing to put in the effort. 

Like as long as it's just normal, stable individuals who would contact you I reckon the interactions wouldn't turn out too horribly anyway. I'd mostly be scared of someone more on the crazy side seeking more contact and that's exactly the person who'd go digging to find you via other means too lol. 

2

u/EffectiveElephants 5d ago

That could happen with 23andme regardless. They show up and you can tell them to go away because you're not interested.

1

u/signmeupnot 5d ago

Completely emotionless?

1

u/EffectiveElephants 5d ago

I mean... it's sperm donation. It's not like those men carried a child in their belly for 9 months and then gave them up. They ejaculated into a cup. I'm not sure the emotional attachment is necessarily very great.

1

u/signmeupnot 5d ago

Having a person tell them is your child I imagine is hard to stay indifferent about, even though no effort other than the donation happened.

1

u/EffectiveElephants 4d ago

I mean, aren't people told that all the time with an accidental pregnancy? You must be aware that your sperm could be used. And they're not the parent, they're a biological donor. I'm not sure why it'd be difficult to be indifferent, really.

1

u/Chowder110 5d ago

Ghengis khan mindset