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BANK ON IT

New California Law Eases Restrictions on Sperm Donations

The state is making it simpler and less costly for single women, lesbian couples to conceive

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by Dain Fitzgerald

Staff Writer t

Image: fullymyelinated.wordpress.com

Bucking the state's reputation for regulatory zeal, California has loosened federal requirements surrounding sperm donation.

The Associated Press informs us of a new law in the ever-progressive state that will allow sperm-seekers to bypass federal laws mandating that sperm be either quarantined and frozen for six months or provided by a man who can submit to repeated testing for sexually transmitted diseases. The legislation, spearheaded by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), will go into effect January 1st, and is considered a victory for the LGBT community and single women hoping to conceive. Currently, only straight couples in traditional relationships can opt to "fast track" the process of artificial insemination by forgoing the costly freezing and testing process.

"The thought of paying four to five thousand additional dollars to freeze and quarantine sperm...it just didn't make sense to us," said one woman in a long-term lesbian relationship.

"The current rules discriminate against women without intimate male partners, according to the text of the law," writes AP.

Via AP.
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Comments (view in Forum)

  • hwyangel
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    LOL, I had to read it twice because I couldn't believe it. A victory to not be protected from STD's? I mean they do understand that the sperm isn't coming from their partner if they're lesbians, right?
  • Jeff_Woehrle
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    @bsking I'm just for equal rights at any cost. If that puts the gays in death's cross hairs, that's just the price to be paid for freedom and equality!

    I just long for the day when folks who want to marry furniture are afforded the same consideration. Why stop expanding marriage's 'definition' at humans? Why put limits on deviants? I say ZERO discrimination! Furniture, swine, automobiles...the list is practically endless...just like human preference and choice.

    Let's end the oppression! Marriage should mean...well, whatever people damn well want. And that definition should change. Weekly, if necessary.

    How can America be a country of freedom if we put limits on love?
  • Speedieg
    !
    @Jeff_Woehrle what a true American patriot you. How very upstanding of you to denegrate a group of people you obviously don't know anything about. You've no idea of the discrimination and hatred faced by the GLBT community in this country. To see you make jokes aboutnit is highly offensive.
  • Jeff_Woehrle
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    @Speedieg Scamper down off your high horse. This is no joke. If we are going to 'redefine' marriage, let's go all the way. There are to be no standards anymore...or morals, for that matter. Let's all marry our couch! After all, those who love furniture have RIGHTS. Make note of it.
  • View all 9 replies >
  • Neo_NtheMatrix
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    I really have no opinion on this one way or the other, and really quite don't think it's a worthy news article for discussion. I'm just a little confused as to why a woman would want to be a single mother. I'm not talking about by happenstance, I mean by explicit planning. Calm down all you rabid posters, I did not put down single women or say anything negative at all. The statement, "the state is making it simpler and less costly for single women ... to conceive," just seems a little odd to me is all.
  • o
    Sonny
    !
    Well, you do realize that we are on the edge of 2013, don't you?!?---There are lots of people (men & women) who chose to be single parents...And I'm not talking about "happenstance" either. You, and this is not a knock on you, may never know what motivates someone to do something that you would not embrace...And frankly its not really that important that anyone needs to know someones reason for wanting to be a single parent...Believe it or not---not everyone wants to be married....And since one does not have to be married to have a child...Well, there you have it......
  • dances-weebles
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    well, there are two answers to your question, i suppose.

    first of all, a lesbian who is in a permanent relationship with another woman isn't single.

    second: i've known several women who want to be a mother and raise a child without having to nail their future down with some man that hey may end up hating, anyway... if they ever loved them to begin with.

    one of my wife's aunts actually took applications when looking for a man to get her pregnant. what she ended up with was the daughter of a genius heart surgeon. the father donates nothing to the raising of the child, and kimeae never asks for anything. larissa, who is now 24 years old is her daughter, not his. which is exactly the way they both want it.
  • dances-weebles
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    @dances-weebles btw... she also had a background check done on the father and interviewed his wife, mother, father and children as well before she accepted him as the sperm donor.

    of course, things are getting much easier now, as a through stem cell work either a woman can produce her own sperm and use it to impregnate herself, or her female partner can have her bone marrow stem cells used to produce the sperm. one way or another it eliminates the need of her hanging around in bars and wait around until closing time to get some dumb red neck biker freak to knock her up.
  • View all 16 replies >
  • mudpike
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    This is the most extreme case of biased, sexist discrimination so far. Why should a woman involved in a lesbian relationship be afforded the oppurtunity to be a mother when a gay man can't receive the female egg & a chance to conceive ? I don't get it , it just ain't fair. Just think - how many liberal pundits , gay or not , would love the chance to carry BO's baby - like Chris Matthews , for example. LOL
  • Rocker
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    @mimi57 - LOL, pity those devoid of humor. You know, I remember a talk show some time ago that was discussing this single mother choice subject. The females were lamenting the lack of 'quality males' in relationships but were highly particular with their qualifications in the anonymous male sperm donors physical / mental make up and looks. I got the subliminal message that they thought the 'good ones' had already been taken off the market or the competition for them was not worth the trouble. - just a discussion point there-. I was dismayed that they were so frank about the whole thing.
  • View all 29 replies >
  • jessejaymes
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    I don't know. Maybe because almost no one in America today takes any personal responsibility for their own actions despite demanding that everyone else does?
  • dances-weebles
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    @jessejaymes there are a lot of things written into our laws which are based upon myth-conceptions. this had nothing to do with gays. it was a general law effecting all but married couples, who until recently, would mean that they were heterosexual, would it not?
  • jessejaymes
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    @dances-weebles Well you know in Africa the spread of HIV is among married men who go to prostitutes and then take the disease home to their wives. Now I understand the liars of the Medical world who say HIV is transmitted by "bodily fluids" but not the fluid involved with ejaculation. I don't want an HIV child. Most would not. I support the testing of sperm for all concerned.
  • View all 25 replies >
  • Dan_Tien
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    ""The current rules discriminate against women without intimate male partners, according to the text of the law," No, it discriminates against sperm donors who are infected with HIV. Sometimes, discrimination is a good thing, and not just when choosing wine.
  • u
    Polusalo
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    @Dan_Tien
    But now that you mentioned wine... what is a good kind? I was at the store earlier looking for some New Years stuff and even though I very very rarely drink, I picked up a thing or two for me and my girlfriend and got her a bottle of wine that I'm sure is going to be awful.
  • Dan_Tien
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    @Polusalo Ha! Is this for a break-up dinner then?

    I like French wine, German beer and Irish whiskey. You would have better luck Googling good wine than asking me.:)
  • u
    Polusalo
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    @Dan_Tien

    I WISH it was for a break-up dinner. Then I'd have a legit excuse. Sadly, I'm just ignorant when it comes to wine.
  • Vance1
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    @dances-weebles

    because it isnt normal.
    When a child from a normal straight family goes to the house of a gay family and they see 2 mothers or two dads its weird for them.
    I would never allow my children to ever go to a home like that.
    I have taught my children and grand children, when you see gay, step away.
    I am sure you believe its ok, I do not.
    Isnt America great!!!!!!
  • dances-weebles
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    @Vance1 oh, i get it... you're teaching your children and grandchildren to be bigots, is that it... or are you simply teaching them to be paranoid? you know, if left alone to sort things like that out for themselves they see nothing weird at all about same sex relations. the only way that they might possibly do so is if someone has filled their heads with lies.
  • dances-weebles
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    @Vance1 oh yeah... and if one happens to be either gay or lesbian, it's perfectly normal. you do realise, don't you that one out of ten men that you know is gay; and you don't even know who they are... and that doesn't even cover the lesbians that you know. in fact, it may be y our barber, the guy who delivers your milk or your mail, the cop on the corner, your neighbor, the school principal or a favorite teacher. it may even be a close family member like a brother, sister, aunt or uncle... i'm sure that, with your attitude, they probably wouldn't tell you about it, would they? shit, now that i think about it, it might even be one of your kids. hmmm.
  • Vance1
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    @dances-weebles
    My children and grand children know that God says its wrong.
    and It is wrong.
    You know its wrong also. So cut out the BS!
  • View all 24 replies >
  • Fishbone345
    !
    @mimi57 Careful Mimi, the last time we commented on the picture of a story of Dain's the picture was quickly taken away and the story mysteriously wasn't showing up in the list of stories anymore. I liken it to the statement "if you won't play my way, fine I'll take my ball and go home".
  • View all 9 replies >
  • kathyparsell
    !
    Being a mother of four, I can understand why everyone would want at least one. That being said, even though I had made a point of knowing my husband's family tree, and wouldn't have considered marraige if we hadn't shared moral,ethical and social values; once pregnant the fear of genetic inheritance was terrifying. If Californians are willing to take their chances with fewer restrictions, who am I to question their desire to inhance their lives by conceiving by whatever means necessary.
  • Denizen_Kate
    !
    Which values would those be? The value of being free to live life as each of us sees fit? Or do you mean we should all live as you and YOUR deity see fit?
  • u
    KyleMFb
    !
    I didn't know the gov regulated D-milk so heavily...I guess that's good but its stupid how single ladies are discriminated against
  • Denizen_Kate
    !
    @Romney_Rube - I don't understand what rape has to do with this article. If it's a reference to the idiotic words of Todd Akin, it isn't very clever and certainly not amusing. Is that what you were going for?
  • u
    Belin
    !
    LGBT and single women are not the only ones that need sperm donations. I know currently it is easier for a married couple, but is still too expensive. The male could be carrying a genetic disease that necessitates the need for sperm donations. Also you never hear the press speaking about egg donation. Some women, including myself carry a mutated gene on one of their X chromosomes. I was adopted and had no idea I carried anything. It turns out I carry a very rare genetic mutation that causes me to carry the disease x-linked lymphoproliferative disease. The chances are 1 and 4 of my passing this disease to my children. As it happened with me, both of my sons were born with the disease that only affects male offspring. It is a fatal disease. It is so rare that it is not something they check your babies for. Most of the sons die by the age of four. My younger son was diagnosed with stage 4 Burkitt's lymphoma when he had just turned 3. He survived, but was sick a lot. Then he was diagnosed with stage 4 Burkitt's lymphoma again right after he turned seven. He again survived. But was much sicker after that. When he was 8 we found out he had XLP. It is genetic, so we also had to test my son that was 19 months older. He had it too. He was just getting sick. He had no titers to any of his immunizations. They were both started on IVIG monthly and had to take antibiotics and antiviral medications every day. This time span, though short was the most well my younger son had ever been. We had to take precautions, but it was worth it! XLP had caused my younger son's cancers and his illnesses due to a failing immune system. That was not the worst part. If they caught the virus EBV(the virus that causes mono though most people who catch the virus do not develop mono, 98% of the population carries this virus, it's as common as a cold) they would die. There is nothing modern medicine could do to save them. If I had carried EBV, I would have killed them as babies through breast feeding. Before the diagnosis, I would take them to the movies and buy 1 refillable popcorn and soda combo for us to share. If I had caught EBV by then, sharing the drink with them would have killed them. That is why most boys with the disease died by the age of four. Either by cancer or contracting EBV when the families usually didn't know they carried XLP. The only way to try to save them was a bone marrow transplant. My younger son died 7 months after his BMT on Christmas Eve at the age of 10. My older son survived his BMT, but not without major complications. He never fully recovered from his transplant and is now dealing with chronic graft-verses-host disease.
    If he were to father a daughter, she would carry the disease. If he has only sons then they would be fine. The mutation is only on his X chromosome. That is why girls are not affected. Their other x chromosome would protect them. Using a sperm donor would be good for my son for two reasons, the first I stated before, his daughter would have to worry about having children, the other is that the chemo he went through may have made him sterile. We don't know that yet. I also have a daughter. She tested negative, but is going to get retested to make absolutely sure she does not carry XLP. I give you my long story to let you know that sperm and egg donation doesn't always mean LGBT or that a person is single. People do not need to oppose a law that makes this easier for a lot more people. I am not against single motherhood or gays raising children.
  • u
    Belin
    !
    @Denizen_Kate
    Thankyou. I think you may have said that to me before. I put my story on this post to show close minded people that this program does not just help the LGBT community members and women who wish to be single parents. I really have nothing against single mothers, but need to know how hard it is to be a single parent. I was for a long time. We were very happy! I supported my 2 sons and myself just fine until they got sick. I was still married the first time my younger son went through very intensive chemo. While I was gone with my younger son, my older son was not with his father, but at my parents while he was having an affair. You know how you picture the other person interloping into your family as being much better looking than you, we'll this party girl didn't hold a candle to me. Due to that and a couple of worse things, I gave him the boot. People called us a broken home, I made sure to correct them. "No, our home was broken! I fixed it!" As I said, the three of us were very happy together. My younger had beaten cancer twice. We had moved into a new house that I got to completely re decorate. I picked everything! Paint, paper, tile, carpet ect... My ex did not just walk into our house anymore. i guess he thought the house he had lived in a very short amount of time, that he still had the right to just walk in the door. He did not do this at our new homr. The children were noticeably happier. I coached baseball with the dad's. When we found out about XLP, it was like someone knocking the breath out of you. The only good thing were the temporary medicines to keep them well. They felt really good! I took full advantage by taking them on 2 separate vacations. The first to Destin Florida a condo/ cottage on the beach in the beautiful white sands. The next one to Disney World! It was wonderful seeing how happy they were. I wish that had not been my younger sons last times at home, but at least we were happy and the three of us loved each other immensely! Other families need that happiness with out a fatal disease looming over their heads. Making sperm and eggs donation easier, therefore making it less expensive is an exciting thing! Those families will not know the death of a child if they took their chances the old fashion way knowing that they do carry a mutated gene of some sort. This way is safer without the worry! That is if a person can get past the donated egg or spern. No one needs about it except you and your spouse! And of course the doctor.
    I have nothing against gay parents either. One of my good friends and her sister we raised by a single gay father. You couldn't have asked for a more kind compassionate father. Also, a friend I've had since we were toddlers is a gay man that is in a long term exclusive relationship for nearly 20 years. Had my pregnancy and birth of my daughter not been so bad resulting in a pre-mature c-section and having my uterus removed to save my life, I would have seriously considered carrying a child for them using a donated egg through invetro fertilization.
  • u
    norezen
    !
    Sorry about profanity. My point is, you can go ahead and put whatever materials u want in your body and its no body's business. That there were even restrictions in the first place is bizarre to me.
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