Parents Fight To Use Dead Son?s Sperm To Create Posthumous Grandchild

[DeathWyrmNexus]

Heh, oddly enough, the only thing creeping people out is the fact that he is dead rather than some unwashed dude in a basement making money by jacking off. Same level of fucked up, really. In this case, the kid will probably be loved and raised in a caring home. If that is the case, go for it. Memories of a lost child are sacred and all that.

 

[Lucie]

There's something twisted about intentionally bringing a child into the world without parents.

There's also something twisted about using someone's sperm to create a child without their knowledge.

Well about that: the article states that in Israel it is already possible for a dead man's wife or partner to gain access to his sperm as long as he didn't leave explicit instructions to the contrary. But the ministry refused to allow a man's mother or father similar access, concluding that parents have no legal standing regarding their children's fertility, "not in their lifetime, and certainly not when they are dead."

So creating a child without someone's knowledge, or better yet consent, is already possible :/

Great now I gotta write out a long winded ass specific Will so as to make sure this crap doesn't happen. Thank you for adding this to my list of what I don't want to happen to me when I'm dead.

Well it's in Israel, it seems they are really open minded about these issues. I don't think that's the case for most countries though.

 

[Shadowtek]

"Grandma, am I a zombie baby?"

 

[GaryH]

I see no problem with this whatsoever.

 

[Lucie]

Somehow this just doesn't seem right to me. I have never lost a child so maybe I'm unfit to judge. I could imagine that you are devastated and heartbroken, but a grandchild isn't going to bring him back.
Also on the quote: "If we were entitled to donate the organs of our son why are we not entitled to make use of his sperm in order to bring offspring to the world?". I don't feel that they are the same thing, I mean organ donation is for saving lives, not creating them.

So yeah what do you think? Do parents have any saying on their children's fertility? Should they be allowed to go through with this and get a grandson?

Looking at it from the point-of-view of the culture might shed some light. In Israel, there's a high likelihood they're a Jewish family. Historically, they've put a lot of emphasis on lineage (see their scriptures). It's important for them--it's a continuation of the family name and the spirit of their son. In other cultures, it's not as big a deal, but to them it may well mean the world.

But I also disagree on the organ donor thing. The point they're making is that the law allows medicine to take the organs when it serves their purposes... but for some reason doesn't allow this non-destructive procedure? Additionally, they allow sperm donation and the creation of embryos from collected sperm... but not this? They're pointing out an internal inconsistency with the position being taken, and I think that's fair. It doesn't prove them right, it proves that it's worth discussing.

Ah okay I did not know that it was that big of a deal for them, so it's a culteral thing? But it can't be that uncontroversial, even if they are really open minded about reproductive and fertilization technologies.

 

[Xaositect]

I dunno, maybe they should just be glad that its not a dead womans reproductive rights being violated, because that would open a whole shitstorm of pissing and moaning from various oppressed women.

Speaking as someone who has lost direct family relatives, Id just say "Sorry, like thousands of people around the world every day, your son is dead. Accept it, instead of posthumously impregnating a woman with his sperm, without his permission".

 

[Lucie]

I see no problem with this whatsoever.

Why not? Why is perfectly acceptable for them to make such claims? I'm not judging, I'm just trying to understand the reasoning behind it.

 

[matt87_50]

nah, its too contrived... I assume they would look after the child... but the grandparents are probably quite old... like... too old to be worrying about bringing up a child.

the general idea of using sperm from a dead person isn't really that strange, women everyday use sperm from banks, from people they have never, and will never meet! some of whom may well be dead!

oh.. as for "the guy can't give consent!" this is stupid... he is dead he won't care that he can't give consent no more than he'd be irritated by the worms currently crawling in his nasal cavity and anus... HE. IS. DEAD!

its a pretty fucked up thing to explain to the kid too... oh and they WILL have to explain when he comes home and asks "why is it that all the other parents aren't in wheelchairs?"

so no, they shouldn't the best thing they can do is deal with it. if he HAD had a girlfriend/wife, and she was for it and capable of looking after it, then I'd say go for it!

 

[similar.squirrel]

If they are in Israel, I'm going to guess they are most likely Jewish. It means a lot to Jews for their family line to be continued, it's a legacy thing, so I guess I can see why they are doing it.

This is probably the crux of the whole issue. I think they should adopt, though. There are more than enough humans on the planet as it is, although it is understandable that the Jewish people would want to increase their numbers after all they've been through. If anything, they're more entitled to do so than any other ethnic group in existence. At the same time, I don't know how much of Jewish culture is based around your genes, as opposed to your cultural background. I have toyed with the idea of entering the Jewish faith, but I'm strongly antitheistic and the idea of joining for cultural reasons seems both dishonest and disrespectful.
My feeling is that, unless he gave permission for them to do so, they should not be entitled to use his sperm. Which is strange, because I believe that the organs of the deceased should be used to help other regardless of whether they have a donor card. This is not a matter of life and death, though. It seems more like a luxury than anything else.
I still feel terrible for his parents. Cannot begin to imagine what it would be like to lose a child, especially if the continuation of bloodlines plays such a huge role in your life.

 

[Zhukov]

Ick.

Apparently anything, and they do mean anything, goes when in comes to passing on your genes, eh?

 

[jtesauro]

Who is going to raise the child, and, when he's older, he's gonna find out about this. I mean, its online. He'll probably be covered in the news. It isn't like they'll be able to hide the fact that he was conceived after his[her] father's death.

Think of how he would feel knowing that.

THIS! Honestly how will the kid feel when he grow's up knowing that he's literally the son of a dead man? Seems a bit weird, but honestly the emotional impact it could have on a kid.

Secondly, I know I shouldn't judge, but doesn't it seem a bit selfish that the parents are urging for grandkids even after the son is dead? I know they're probably stricken by his death, but it seems like a lot of pressure to put on someone.

"Well here ya go, you're now pregnant with our dead son"

I mean...it's just weird. The whole consenting mother thing is going to definitely be a problem.

A grandkid isn't going to bring him back and whatever memories they're hoping to revive within him won't do them any good as well.

I'm sorry people but this is a job for the WTF LLAMA:

He/She'd hardly be the first person to grow up not knowing or even having birth parents. Happens all the time.

Is it ideal? Perhaps not, but life isn't always.

The only part that bothers me vaguely is the lack of consent on behalf of the son, the 'donor' in this case. Though as previously stated, he is dead, so that would give implied consent according to some.

 

[Lucie]

If they are in Israel, I'm going to guess they are most likely Jewish. It means a lot to Jews for their family line to be continued, it's a legacy thing, so I guess I can see why they are doing it.

This is probably the crux of the whole issue. I think they should adopt, though. There are more than enough humans on the planet as it is, although it is understandable that the Jewish people would want to increase their numbers after all they've been through. If anything, they're more entitled to do so than any other ethnic group in existence. At the same time, I don't know how much of Jewish culture is based around your genes, as opposed to your cultural background. I have toyed with the idea of entering the Jewish faith, but I'm strongly antitheistic and the idea of joining for cultural reasons seems both dishonest and disrespectful.
My feeling is that, unless he gave permission for them to do so, they should not be entitled to use his sperm. Which is strange, because I believe that the organs of the deceased should be used to help other regardless of whether they have a donor card. This is not a matter of life and death, though. It seems more like a luxury than anything else.
I still feel terrible for his parents. Cannot begin to imagine what it would be like to lose a child, especially if the continuation of bloodlines plays such a huge role in your life.

I don't think adoption is a choice for them, because to them it is more about passing on genes. I don't think they want a child, they want to continue their bloodline, like you said. That doesn't make it less sad though.

 

[A Curious Fellow]

That is 20 different kinds of monumentally fucked up.

 

[AbstractStream]

Um...wow. I honestly see it as unnatural, but it's their choice.

 

[Riobux]

This is a bit on the uncomfortable side of things. I can't think of a way this could be considered, well, not creepy.

 

[TheGuiggleMonster]

If they don't have his consent than as far as I can see they shouldn't be able to do it. If he gave one consent saying that all his organs could be taken than it might be more complicated.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

If we were entitled to donate the organs of our son...

Starts and finishes right there. No.

 

[LawlessSquirrel]

Very creepy, but I wouldn't say they can't do it. Hell, if it were me, I'd want my parents to do the same thing.

And now it's creepier...