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U.S. Constitution Title: Blue-eyed, musical US physicist: sperm for sale, $500 a shot One is a blue-eyed, violin-playing space physicist who enjoys karate; another is a blond 6ft 3in business graduate who earns a living as a financial consultant; a third is a diplomat with a doctorate in law whose hobbies include voluntary work. These are just three of the donors whose 'super' sperm are now being increasingly sought by infertile British couples, single women and lesbians who want a child. Since the change in the law removing anonymity from donors last April, sperm banks in the UK have run dry. Documents obtained by The Observer under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that a growing number of Britons are opting for sperm from two US clinics: Xytex Corporation in Atlanta and Fairfax Cryo Bank in Virginia. One clinic said it was receiving up to four calls a day from prospective British patients. US donors must waive their right to anonymity before the sperm can be imported because of the British law change but, perhaps for cultural reasons, this appears to be less of a problem in America. Xytex, whose slogan is 'Creating families through innovation', currently lists more than 30 sperm donors who are happy to reveal their identities. Donors are paid $100 (£54) per sample. These giant sperm banks offer customers the opportunity to pick and mix physical characteristics, ethnic history, personality traits and educational qualifications to create their perfect genetic father. Patients can see photographs of the donor as a baby, an adolescent and in adulthood. They can watch a video or listen to audioclips online and even read an essay he has written about his life that gives an insight into his personal philosophy. The frozen sperm costs around $450 per dose, although experts recommend importing four ampoules at a time. Sperm from donors with doctorates is more expensive. Under UK law, only licensed fertility clinics can import and store sperm. They require a special permit from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) for each individual patient. According to the details obtained under the Freedom of Information Act from the HFEA last year, it issued permits for more than 270 vials of sperm to be imported from these two American banks in 2005. The sperm were used by patients at eight of the 21 fertility centres in Britain, including the London Women's Clinic, Essex Fertility Centre and The Bridge Centre. In most cases, the patient will buy sperm through the clinic after choosing their preferred donor online. The frozen sperm will then be sent to the British clinic which will use it in the patient's fertility treatment. A spokesman for the Lister Hospital, which has imported sperm from both US banks, said: 'We thought the situation was bad last year, now it is critical. Supplies at British sperm banks have dried up completely and the situation is getting desperate.' His view was echoed by Dr Tim Child, consultant gynaecologist at the Oxford Fertility Unit, which has imported sperm from Fairfax Cryo Bank. 'There is now a chronic shortage. We have one sperm donor for the whole of Oxfordshire. We used to be able to buy sperm from other British clinics but now they are so short they are keeping it for their own patients,' he said. 'It is true that some of our patients like to know as many details about the donor as they can, such as their education.' A spokeswoman for Fairfax said: 'We have had a number of inquiries from British women ordering sperm online and we are happy to help out. Our prices range from $175 to $525 per ampoule. It depends on a number of factors, but ones with doctorates are more expensive.' Sheridan Rivers, sales director of Xytex, said business was booming. 'We are getting three to four inquiries a day from British patients.' Both banks sell the sperm online and their websites operate like any mail-order catalogue. A patient types in the preferred characteristics of the donor, such as blood type, height, eye colour and ethnic background. They then choose the desired level of education and are offered a selection of matching donors. After paying between $8 and $150, women can view detailed profiles of potential donors, including photographs as a child. Donor 0767, for example, is a space physicist who describes his most memorable childhood occasion as the applause he received when, aged 15, he performed Dvorak's Humoresque solo on the violin. Donor 0342 is a strapping 6ft 3in journalist with hazel eyes who would like to 'retrace the motorcycle route that Che Guevara travelled during the Fifties before he became a Cuban revolutionary'. For those of a Republican persuasion, donor 0415 describes his most memorable childhood occasion as 'seeing President Nixon at a political rally before the '72 election'. Rivers said: 'Our donors are great guys with great minds. It is not that they want any relationship with the patient but they recognise the need for giving information to an adult who wants to know details about his genetic father.' According to the latest figures released by the HFEA, in May last year, one month after the new law removing anonymity was passed, just 12 British men donated sperm to the banks that supply the country's 21 fertility clinics. In June this was down to only 10. Waiting lists for sperm have grown enormously and in some areas, the wait is as long as eight years. In the past 15 years, about 25,000 babies have been born to women using the donor-sperm method of insemination. To keep pace with demand, about 500 sperm donations are needed each year.
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