The Internet of things has disruptively changed the dynamics of many industries that consequently it has also dramatically altered every aspect of our life associating with computer technology. Communication becomes boundless; study and work become more flexible; shopping is a matter of “click”.Furthermore, it feels like you can get everything with a smartphone: food delivery, car service, banking service, or even a date.
Guess what, now it is even possible to select a potential sperm done through the new application of the biggest sperm bank in U.K. — The London Sperm Bank.The rapid development of reproductive technology allows more and more couples are able to have a child they dreamed to have. With more than 10000 vials in storage in any given time, The London Sperm Bank is leading the market in U.K. Currently, it has even evolved its business further by coming up with the new application.
Customers are able to use the filter to pick a sperm donor by different features such as eye colour, hair colour, height, skin tone, nationality, qualifications,etc. They can even set an alert (a function of “wish list”) to a potential ideal donor and get a “match” notification from the application when it is available.
Even with the approval of the government’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and many other medical associations, it is still not a surprise that such application would receive some criticism about ethical issues as the process of choosing a child (biological gene) now seems like no difference than shopping for any other items in life such as clothes, shoes and so on. However, it is also very logical to argue when a couple wants to find a sperm donor, they already know very well how the donor should be for them.
What is undoubted is that the new application is a result of the normalization for reproductive technology that it simplifies the process, create more opportunities and offers more options to the market.
What is your opinion on it?
Reference:
Pearce, S. (2016). About the London Sperm Bank | London Sperm Bank. [online] Londonspermbank.com. Available at: http://www.londonspermbank.com/about-london-sperm-bank [Accessed 2 Oct. 2016].
Sklar, J. (2016). You can now order on-demand donor sperm through your phone. [online] MIT Technology Review. Available at: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/602505/the-uks-largest-sperm-bank-is-now-an-app/ [Accessed 2 Oct. 2016].
mogaz news en. (2016). The London Sperm Bank’s new mobile app is designed to make it easier to pick a …. [online] Available at: http://mogaznews.com/en/World-News/187265.html [Accessed 2 Oct. 2016].
Dear Hao Yue,
First of all, as this is the first time i read about this subject i really liked reading your interesting blogpost. After reading your blogpost i started to do some research and found that at this moment there is a problem, namely a global sperm shortage. The main cause for this problem is that in many countries donating sperm is very regulated. These regulations make it very difficult to simply donate sperm and therefore not much people do so. For example, the regulations in New Zealand made donating sperm less attractive and this resulted in a two-year wait for sperm.
As there is a global sperm shortage which is mainly caused by making sperm donation to hard for people, i think making the process easier is the right solution. This application is is exactly doing that and therefore i think it’s great.
As addition, There is an application just like the one from the UK in Denmark. This application (Cryos International) even serves people from outside Denmark (69% of their operations are international). This is possible because it is easier for men in Denmark to donate sperm. By operating international they really contribute in the global sperm shortage. Maybe this is the next step for the application from the UK?
Sources:
– http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/28/technology/london-sperm-bank-donor-app/
– https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/15/new-zealands-serious-sperm-shortage-it-has-become-a-continuous-drought
Thanks for your post Hao Yue!
In my believe all markets tend to switch to the mobile environment, so it is only logical that the London Sperm Bank joins this movement. The critics on the application therefor are not directed to the app itself, but more on the business. As sperm donors exist already for a long time, people who decide to use the sperm bank, already choose “their” sperm donor. The only difference is that within such an app, the information is more publicly available than before. But since the information and the options are available why not let people choose what they prefer?
Dear Hoa Yue, thank you for your post. To be fair, I believe making it possible to buy sperm online is taken it a bit too far. While I believe it is great to have clothes, laptops, phones, products at your convenience when shopping online, having a child is a little more serious than simply shopping for a new bag for example. Eventough the clinics have to comply with strict regulations (NHS.uk, 2016), it seems rather odd to me that when you want to have a child, you would just ”order” the sperm needed online.
While I agree with you that it might offer opportunities for the market, I truly hope that the governments makes regulations to ensure the safety and ethical issues regarding ordering sperm.