Sperm Donor’s Teen Daughter Finds Him on Myspace

JeanneSager

Something tells me the creators of Myspace didn't have this kind of social networking in mind when they set up the site. A California teenager plugged in all the information she had about the man whose sperm her mum used to conceive.

The computer spit back seven possibles – including one photo that looked an awful like her. So Virginia gave Dr. Todd Whitehurst a call. 

"I just want to know basic information that most people have access too," the girl said. As a physician, her "dad" could appreciate the importance of a medical history. He was even open to meeting her . . . and eventually nine other children born using his sperm banked at the San Francisco Bay area clinic. 

Virginia found her nine half-siblings on the Donor Sperm Registry Website, which she shared with Whitehurst. He then went on and posted information about the two kids he has from more traditional methods. He's since met several of his "kids," including a Gavin from Pennsylvania and Tyler from New York. Like Virginia's mom, the boy's mothers were involved in the process – they were there when their kids met Whitehurst. 

It's nice to see a sperm donor who cares about the kids. I've often wondered if the ease of "donation" makes it easier for men to forget about what can come out of the process. Egg donation is much more rare – and a more arduous process – but I can't honestly say that women care more for their progeny than men. We treat them differently, definitely, but I wouldn't say we "love them more." 

So why aren't there more donors like Whitehurst out there?

Image: KSV