One Sperm Donor, 150 Offspring

[Pam]

Cynthia Daily and her partner used a sperm donor to conceive a baby seven years ago, and they hoped that one day their son would get to know some of his half siblings — an extended family of sorts for modern times.

So Ms. Daily searched a Web-based registry for other children fathered by the same donor and helped to create an online group to track them. Over the years, she watched the number of children in her son’s group grow.

And grow.

Today there are 150 children, all conceived with sperm from one donor, in this group of half siblings, and more are on the way. “It’s wild when we see them all together — they all look alike,” said Ms. Daily, 48, a social worker in the Washington area who sometimes vacations with other families in her son’s group.

Rest of the story here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/06/healt ... .html?_r=1

This is not good at all, the odds of two siblings hooking up is far to great! Unknown incest! I find this disturbing!

[Egg]

I thought about doing this last year but you only get $100 in NY if you won't disclose your identity. Bummer.

[Pam]

This is one type of donation where the donor can have a little bit of fun making his donation

[Egg]

I do it for free now. HAHAHA!!!

I have destroyed whole universes over and over in my pursuit of enjoyment.

[Pam]

You are saving the world from unsuspecting siblings hooking up!

[MrPenny]

This is not good at all, the odds of two siblings hooking up is far to great! Unknown incest! I find this disturbing!

Think about it and try to avoid the cultural "instinct".

Geneticists have determined that random, by chance conception between two complete siblings (not even considering the watering down of "half" siblings) has no more statistical chance of causing genetic problems than unrelated conception. The problems arise when the "inbreeding" is consistent and repeated. Much like the royal families of Europe used to (?) practice. So from a purely biological standpoint, the issue tends to be more of a moral, ethical one.

Yeah, it's creepy to consider a hookup between a brother and sister that have been raised in the same home or family unit and share the same parents. I agree, that's kinda' creepy. But just how sibling-like is the relationship when the persons have different mothers, are raised in much different households, and in very different circumstances?

[Egg]

You are saving the world from unsuspecting siblings hooking up!

I'm always thinking of others, Pam

[Egg]

This is not good at all, the odds of two siblings hooking up is far to great! Unknown incest! I find this disturbing!

Think about it and try to avoid the cultural "instinct".

Geneticists have determined that random, by chance conception between two complete siblings (not even considering the watering down of "half" siblings) has no more statistical chance of causing genetic problems than unrelated conception. The problems arise when the "inbreeding" is consistent and repeated. Much like the royal families of Europe used to (?) practice. So from a purely biological standpoint, the issue tends to be more of a moral, ethical one.

Yeah, it's creepy to consider a hookup between a brother and sister that have been raised in the same home or family unit and share the same parents. I agree, that's kinda' creepy. But just how sibling-like is the relationship when the persons have different mothers, are raised in much different households, and in very different circumstances?

A lot of truth in that and there was, apparently, far more breeding from the same stock worldwide at one time.
If you believe in the bible in a historical context, Abraham married his sister. If you don't believe in it historically, the story just proves that it wasn't taboo.

[Pam]

I guess it is how we have been taught over the years..... but I would be devastated to find out that I shared the same father with someone that I hooked up with.

It isn't the chance of potential genetic problems in offspring that bothers me so much as it is of what I consider right and wrong.

[Egg]

No argument. It's nasty.