Procreative compounds: popular eugenics, artificial insemination and the rise of the American sperm banking industry

Journal of Social History, Fall, 2004

Abstract: Cynthia R. Daniels, Janet Golden, "Procreative Compounds: Popular Eugenics, Artificial Insemination and the Rise of the American Sperm Banking Industry"

This article traces the origins of arrangements for artificial insemination in the United States and their evolution into the current array of sperm banks. The article simultaneously analyzes the assumptions about donor selection, that developed initially in relation to popular eugenic concepts and that have displayed strong continuities in more recent decades. By the end of the 20th century consumer beliefs, initially stimulated by physicians but now operating as an independent factor, strongly shaped sperm bank practices on the basis of misguided but deeply-rooted beliefs about heredity.