Saturday, February 23, 2008

#2488

So, what’s the story with anonymous donors? Since the local cryogenics program was discontinued at a nearby university, we were forced to look at cryobanks in other states which automatically adds about $100 to each procedure for shipment of “supplies.” We figured that all reputable cryobanks would essentially follow the same screening procedures, so the donor pool would be similar. We chose the cryobank closest to us (700 miles away) knowing that the gene pool choices would likely reflect our family heritages the best. Having extremely similar family trees spared us much agony of trying to find the right “match.”

We went with donor #2488. He’s smart, fairly athletic, and likes animals. Unfortunately, he’s not artistically inclined. Well, nobody’s perfect. He seems like a nice enough guy. Besides, we’ll never know.

Why go anonymous? Well, legally, it’s the way to do things. As a couple in a same-sex relationship, the non-biological parent has very few rights. Just by virtue of being an anonymous donor, #2488 relinquished any and all rights to any offspring conceived by AI. This makes it easier for the non-biological parent to legally adopt if allowed by the state of residence. Hmmmm….. See post on being a blue family in a red state. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that our ultra-conservative, red-as-oxygenated-blood state has made it impossible for non-biological same-sex parents to make their relationship legal. Not surprising considering the fact that our life and love commitments aren’t even legal. Make no mistake, though, it is legal for non-biological opposite-sex parents to do exactly what we’re wishing for.

So, back to #2488. After choosing him, we anxiously awaited pending ovulation. This is an exciting time full of temperature taking, cervical mucus self-analysis, and peeing on a stick. After a couple of months of charting, we had a good feel for my body’s ovulation schedule. So, a couple of days before ovulation, we place an order for “the goods” to be delivered on Monday.

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