Sperm: America's Most Renewable Resource?
By CBS This Morning,
CBS This Morning
| 04. 05. 2012
A new report in Time magazine reveals the U.S. is the world's top exporter of sperm.
But why? It's largely due to America's reputation as the gold standard in sperm, Time magazine senior editor Jeffrey Kluger said Thursday on "CBS This Morning."
"As with any other good product, the two keys are quality control and versatility, variety of product. We have very, very strict (Food and Drug Administration) controls on who can donate and how heavily they have to be screened. We also have a multi-ethnic population, which means we're very appealing to the world because people can come in from Japan, from Brazil, anywhere else and find a genetically, ethnically matching baby."
There are now nearly 700 sperm banks in the U.S., according to the Food and Drug Administration. The fertility industry in the U.S. has grown from $979 million in 1988 to a projected $4.3 billion in 2013, according to Marketdata, an industry analysis and market studies publisher.
Men are paid based on quality standards, such as their level of health, height and education. A man can make...
Related Articles
By Dr. Coco Newton, Progress Educational Trust | 03.30.2026
Have you ever wondered what it means to have dozens of half-siblings across the world – or to never know where half of your genetic identity comes from? A recent episode of Zembla explores the human consequences of the global...
By Marcelo Jauregui-Volpe, Wired | 04.24.2026
Two companies that launched last year with plans to create gene-edited babies have already shut down, citing money issues and internal conflict.
One of them, Manhattan Genomics of New York, closed abruptly shortly after announcing a team of scientific advisers...
By Alexandre Piquard, Le Monde [cites Katie Hasson] | 04.27.2026
"Si on en prouve la sûreté, nous croyons que l’édition préventive du génome pourrait être l’une des technologies de santé les plus importantes du siècle. » Lucas Harrington explique ainsi le but de son entreprise Preventive : créer des bébés génétiquement modifiés...
By Abby Vesoulis, Mother Jones | 04.18.2026
Two years ago, we devoted an entire issue to the rise of the American oligarchy. Since then, our oligarchic system has become more entrenched and pervasive, revolving around a small crew of tech titans whose quest for wealth and...