In college, most people just get a part-time job at Star-bucks to make some extra cash. But, University of Utah student Chase Kimball, known as 007, consistently donated his sperm at a price of $20 to infertile couples. At one point the clinic told him, “You’ve got too many kids locally and we can only use your sperm if someone orders it from outside the state.” He deduced that during 1970-1980, it is likely that he fathered “hundreds of children.”
This story along with movies like “The Switch” and “The Kids are Alright” may seem funny, but they actually bring light to the shaded nature of the sperm donation industry. Up until now, donation has mainly been a secret and often unsafe practice. In fact, some studies have shown that the children of sperm donation were more troubled and depression-prone that most young adults.
There have been calls to regulate the industry by ensuring that there are no more than 10 kids from the same donor in one area, testing donors, and monitoring both donor’s and children’s medical records. Kimball is now a 56-year old lawyer in New York City.
He has reunited with some of his children, and received mixed results. While he identified with one of his teenage off-springs, the other one called him a “scam artist” and a “sleazoid.” Remembering his younger days, Kimball said; "For a long time, whenever I'd see crowds of children, I would look intently and wonder if one of these children was mine."
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