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institution1977–present

California Cryobank

Disciplines:
business

Summary

California Cryobank is one of the largest commercial sperm banks in the United States, known for its stringent donor selection criteria and market-based matching services.

Core Contribution

California Cryobank's business model — screening donors by height, education, and SAT scores and charging premium prices for 'exceptional' genetic material — is used in the lecture to question whether commodifying reproductive capacity degrades human dignity or simply allows parental choice.

Key Spikes & Highlights

  • Eugenic screening concern (selecting donors by IQ, height, and Ivy League education raises the specter of commercial eugenics)
  • Premium pricing for traits (charges higher prices for donors with elite credentials — directly commodifying human qualities)
  • Donor anonymity vs. identity-release (offers both anonymous and identity-release donors, navigating children's right-to-know arguments)
  • Market in reproduction case study (used alongside the egg donor advertisement to question whether reproductive capacity belongs in the market)

Historical Influences

No recorded historical influences.

Intellectual Lineage

American reproductive medicine industryFor-profit healthcare sector

Contemporaries & Peers

Cecil Jacobson Harvard Crimson

Minds Influenced

No recorded minds influenced.

Intellectual Posterity

Commercial sperm banking model

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California Cryobank

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