Abstract

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.

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