Should it be legal to request donors by race for artificial insemination?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Might I point out that whether or not you approve of this is a completely different question.

[Indy Texas]

How is it any different from knowing the race of an already-born child you're going to adopt?

[Associate Justice PiT]

How is it any different from knowing the race of an already-born child you're going to adopt?

     Or considering race in selecting a mate?

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Sure it should be legal to request it, but it shouldn't be grounds for a suit if you don't end up with a donor of the race you wanted.  There shouldn't be any guarantee of the genetic characteristics beyond being healthy.  Otherwise it places too much of a burden on the child.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Of course, yes.  No question about it, yes.

[DemPGH]

Certainly. Why not? And they should be completely forthright about the ethnicity or race of the donor and so on.

[ingemann]

I'm not sure why this is even something people want to discuss. Yes people like that their children look like themselves, that's not wrong and it's not racist.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Yes.  Reproductive autonomy is important, and liberals who oppose this should check their values at the door.

[Person Man]

Yes.  Reproductive autonomy is important, and liberals who oppose this should check their values at the door.

This. Being pro-choice isn't just about abortion or some hillbillies in Colorado Springs or Greeley making fun of "Mark Uterus".

Reproductive Rights includes not only when you don't want to have children, but when you do want to have them. Provided that you can take of them afterwards lest they are taken into foster care. 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Yes.  Reproductive autonomy is important, and liberals who oppose this should check their values at the door.

This. Being pro-choice isn't just about abortion or some hillbillies in Colorado Springs or Greeley making fun of "Mark Uterus".

Reproductive Rights includes not only when you don't want to have children, but when you do want to have them. Provided that you can take of them afterwards lest they are taken into foster care. 

That, and the fact that a lot of these receivers of sperm are women whose husbands are impotent or something.  If the husband is Irish, what's wrong with requesting an Irish donor just to "get it close", so to speak.  Who is anyone to tell a woman to not care what her offspring look like?

[ElectionsGuy]

Well sure, its quite disrespectful to care about someone's race for raising a child, but it doesn't hurt anybody else.

[Person Man]

Well sure, its quite disrespectful to care about someone's race for raising a child, but it doesn't hurt anybody else.

For the most part...

[AggregateDemand]

How is it any different from knowing the race of an already-born child you're going to adopt?

Because adoption has nothing to do with genetic science

[AggregateDemand]

Technically, I guess the answer is "yes" because no one should be incarcerated for asking for a particular type of gamete. However, in the context of our discussion, which was about vending gametes, it should not be a legally enforceable aspect of the contract; therefore "no".

Nothing beyond viability, species, and male/female is suitable for contract enforcement. We are speaking about genetic science, not Sky Mall catalog shopping. You are not entitled to your own version of the rules, based upon your existential orientation. The government has limited power in this arena (for good measure), but using the commerce clause to put the kibosh on eugenics should be a foregone conclusion.

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

I'm not sure why this is even something people want to discuss. Yes people like that their children look like themselves, that's not wrong and it's not racist.

I agree with you, but the reason it's being brought up is that a white woman requested artificial insemination and the donor was a black man, so now she's suing for not being informed. It's weird.

[TJ in Oregon]

I don't believe in artificial insemination but what race they are makes no difference.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Is there any rational arguments against this? How can one be for reproductive freedom and also be against this?

[Deus Naturae]

I don't believe in artificial insemination but what race they are makes no difference.

Why not? Even if you disapprove of extramarital sex what difference does it make if two cells get mixed around in a jar?

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

Of course. And of course it should be actionable if the wrong donor is given.

The sperm bank is hired to provide a service, nothing more. If they give the wrong donor, they've failed to provide that service and breached their contract.

Someone who didn't want to raise a child of a different race is an HP, of course, but that's not the case in the case being discussed.

[AggregateDemand]

Is there any rational arguments against this? How can one be for reproductive freedom and also be against this?

because this is commerce, not reproductive freedom

[SteveRogers]

Is there any rational arguments against this? How can one be for reproductive freedom and also be against this?

because this is commerce, not reproductive freedom

It's both. It's both things. Sometimes something can be two things.

[angus]

I don't believe in artificial insemination but what race they are makes no difference.

I'm all about that bass, and maybe I like having musical children as well. 




Actually, I prefer children with good study habits.



I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but I do admire your post-racial position.  I am curious, though, regarding your objection to artificial insemination.  I understand that it's not as much fun as procreating the old-fashioned way, but what if you married a woman with the plan of producing a brood of little TJs and discovered later that either you or she had some physical problem with making a baby? 

[DC Al Fine]

I don't believe in artificial insemination but what race they are makes no difference.

Why not? Even if you disapprove of extramarital sex what difference does it make if two cells get mixed around in a jar?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholicism

[Mechaman]

Technically, I guess the answer is "yes" because no one should be incarcerated for asking for a particular type of gamete. However, in the context of our discussion, which was about vending gametes, it should not be a legally enforceable aspect of the contract; therefore "no".

Nothing beyond viability, species, and male/female is suitable for contract enforcement. We are speaking about genetic science, not Sky Mall catalog shopping. You are not entitled to your own version of the rules, based upon your existential orientation. The government has limited power in this arena (for good measure), but using the commerce clause to put the kibosh on eugenics should be a foregone conclusion.

That is like saying that if you go to a local restaurant and ask for a burger without onions and get onions anyway you have no right to complain.

[Deus Naturae]

I don't believe in artificial insemination but what race they are makes no difference.

Why not? Even if you disapprove of extramarital sex what difference does it make if two cells get mixed around in a jar?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholicism

I'm actually interested in his (or rather, his Church's) reasoning.