Sperm Donors now asking for Brahmin and Sunni/Shia Sperms

We had talked about designer babies and how some parents had come out with an ad for IIT-ians’ sperm.

In this market, of sperm donors things keep getting stranger and stranger. Now we see parents asking for Brahmin sperms and Sunni or Shia sperms. Amongst the Hindus, caste of the sperm donor has become important, and in the Muslims whether one is Shia or Sunni is important.

According to Dilip Patil, founding president of Trivector, an infertility solutions firm, there is a sure preference for Brahmin donors in Mumbai. He says, ‘’Even among Muslims, couples want to know whether the donor is Sunni or Shiite.’’ He further added that, ‘’However, going by Indian Council of Medical Research guidelines, we reveal only the religion of the donor, not the caste.”

One can understand the Brahmin request – since by process of selective breeding, Brahmins had over the centuries acquired certain traits. They were fairer and since the insistence was on education and excellence in studies – the IQ levels over the centuries may have been higher in the offpsrings. Although I am not sure if evolutionary selection process works that way. But one can still understand the basis of that logic.

However, the belief system – Shia vs Sunni is something I cannot fathom giving any value to one over the other.

One admits the caste system is not something to be proud about and this useless differentiation – generation after generation – on basis of one’s lineage should end. It doesn’t do the Sanatana Dharma any good and neither does it reflect the basics of it. But given the social practice over generations – brutal and discriminatory as it was – it has resulted in a certain gene selection. That can be used by people in sperm donation scenario.

Meanwhile a movie based on sperm donation – Vicky Donor – which had no stars in it has done remarkably well. And, in fact it might be remade in Hollywood!