Sperm Of Dead Soldiers Make Pregnant Widows
There is even a Texas connection in this story. Apparently there are forward thinking military families and sperm banks starting a discounted business relationship. The legal issues abound. The moral issues are yet to be addressed. There are a lot of great arguments from all sides.
Two years after US soldier’s death, widow has his son
AUSTIN, United States (AFP) - Fifteen-month-old Benton is the spitting image of his father, a US soldier who died in Iraq two years before his son was born.
US soldiers have semen frozen and held at a sperm bank before deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan.
Many have done so not because they fear they will be killed but because of the risk they would be injured or exposed to chemicals during deployment which could affect their fertility.
SLATE: Arguments for using the sperm: 1) It’s part of the life my husband and I could have had. 2) “When he died, I was 40 and it’s not like I had time to look for another person.” 3) The sperm bank offered servicemen the discount explicitly “to help ensure the future of their families.” 4) The child can be “something good that came out of the war.” Objections: 1) Maybe “the guy hadn’t planned to die, so he didn’t say you could use his sperm.” 2) Even if he did, the widow might regret bearing his child when she later “meets someone else.” Related: 1) The first court-approved production of a baby between a corpse and a stranger. 2) Human Nature’s take on making and selling embryos from strangers.
BossKitty thinks this an ingenius approach to an age old problem for soldiers. As this trend catches on, there will be debate and controversy. Will Veterans benefits recognize these children? DNA is required of deployed soldiers … there’s big business in DNA Labs and Sperm Banks. Will these widows be scrutinized? BossKitty hopes there will be a lot of grateful grandparents …
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