SINGLE WOMEN AND LGBTQ+ COUPLES are increasingly pursuing pregnancy via known donors-people they find on the internet, in Facebook groups and through dating-like apps. In her own quest to become a solo mother by choice, investigative journalist Valerie Bauman has spent the past four years embedded in the world of freelance sperm donation, attempting to get pregnant. Along the way, she interviewed dozens of donors, recipients, donor-conceived people and relevant experts. She learned that freelance sperm donation thrives in a corner of the online world where women's dreams come true: Many find decent men who will get them pregnant for little-to-no-cost. It's also a place where men go for easy sex.
Either way, more Americans are turning to this world to build their own unconventional families, whether driven by cost, fear of assisted-fertility institutions or a desire to know the biological other half of their child. Nearly 171,000 American women used sperm from a bank to get pregnant in 1995. By 2016 that number had risen to more than 440,000. As more U.S. women wait longer to marry and have a child, the demand for donor sperm has grown. Rosanna Hertz, author of SINGLE BY CHANCE, MOTHERS BY CHOICE, estimated that approximately 2.7 million American women are single mothers by choice. This excerpt from NEWSWEEK reporter Bauman's new book, INCONCEIVABLE, provides a window into how exactly the world of unregulated sperm donations work.
THEY INSEMINATE THEMSELVES IN CARS, PUBLIC restrooms and cheap motel rooms. They pray over urine-drenched sticks, guzzle supplements by the dozen and sometimes have unprotected sex with men they've only just met on the internet, Facebook groups or dating-like apps-whatever it takes to make their baby dreams come true.
This story is from the March 29 - April 05, 2024 (Double Issue) edition of Newsweek US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 29 - April 05, 2024 (Double Issue) edition of Newsweek US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The States Keeping Their Children Hungry
The Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer could help feed millions of children in households experiencing food insecurity, yet 13 states have declined to participate in the program
The Secret to Being an ADHD Whisperer
Loosening up and ceding control are some of the most important strategies for making life easier for a neurodiverse loved one
Fertility Clinics 2024
FOR THOSE LOOKING TO EXPAN D THEIR FAMILIES, FERTILITY CLINICS CAN BE A VITAL OPTION
'I AM ALWAYS IN THE MOMENT'
India's prime minister on his goals, his critics and his 'god-gifted' ability to listen
MODI'S MOMENT
INDIA'S LEADER is SHAPING the COUNTRY in his OWN ASSERTIVE IMAGE
Resurgence of Global Mayhem
While the world watches Gaza, ISIS is gaining strength and momentum, building networks and preparing for strikes worldwide
Is It Time to Leave Syria?
The U.S. is reportedly considering withdrawing from the country, with pressure from Damascus amid deepening unrest in the region. Is this the right move? Two experts weigh in
Chris Perfetti
IF YOU'RE ONE OF THE MILLIONS OF AMERICANS SINGING THE PRAISES of ABC's Abbott Elementary, fear not, they've heard you. \"We love to hear it,\" says Chris Perfetti, who plays Jacob Hill on the Emmy-winning sitcom about teachers at a Philadelphia public school.
Divine Intervention
POPE FRANCIS' PROGRESSIVE REPOSITIONING OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAS CREATED BATTLE LINES BETWEEN ITS 1.3 BILLION FOLLOWERS, NO MORE SO THAN IN THE UNITED STATES
Who Rules Gaza When the Fighting Stops?
With no clear leader coming to the fore, questions remain about how the devastated territory will be managed