America has a Black sperm donor shortage

Published: Oct. 21, 2022, 9:39 p.m.

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Only 2 percent of sperm donors in the United States are Black. This, in turn, leaves many aspiring Black parents with an agonizing choice: choose a donor of another race or try to buy sperm from unregulated apps and online groups. 


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Post reporter Amber Ferguson has spent months reporting on why so few Black men donate sperm. She found that the reasons for the shortage are myriad: failure of sperm banks to recruit Black donors; a selection process that demands a three-generation medical history and excludes donors with felony convictions; mistrust of the medical profession by Black men because of a legacy of historical discrimination. The result is a severe shortage, and intense competition for Black men\\u2019s sperm.


\\u201cIf it\'s a White woman, she could just so easily get a sperm donor,\\u201d Ferguson says. \\u201cAnd if it doesn\'t work, she can get another one. She can get another one. For a Black woman, if she is lucky enough to find a Black donor, it\'s really maybe one of her only chances.\\u201d


For Black gay men who want to donate sperm, there are even more restrictions.

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