THE REPOSITORY FOR GERMINAL CHOICE A.k.a .a: : The e Nobe obel Sperm rm Bank nk Found nded ed by Rober bert t Graham am Es Escon ondido dido, , California ornia Opene ned d in 1980, 0, closed sed in 1999 99 Radical, cal, cont ntrover ersia sial l experime periment nt
GOALS OF THE NOBEL SPERM BANK Creat ate e new w generati neration ons s of health althy, , intel elligent ligent hum umans ans Reduce duce si signif ificance cance of gene netic tic diseases eases Track the children’s lives Solve e the e nature ure v.s nur urtu ture re deba ebate Save e hum umanit anity
DAVID PLOTZ “The Genius Babies and How They Grew” article - Sl Slate 2001 Published “The Genius Factory” in 2005 Inter ervi viewed d over er 24 fa families ilies Self-procla oclaime imed d seme men n det etectiv ective
HISTORY OF EUGENICS Eu Eugenics= nics= well ll born rn th centur Late e 19 th ntury y in U.S S and Britian an Overpopula opulati tion on, Darwini winism sm, , and d racial parano noia Nega gati tive e Eu Eugenics nics Positiv sitive e Eu Eugeni enics cs
SOCIAL DARWINISM Sur urviv ival al of the e fittest est applied ed to mank nkind ind Thomas omas Mathus Franc ncis s Galton on- Fath ther of Eu Eugeni nics cs “Hereditary Genius” - 18 1869
U.S RACIAL TENSION & PARANOIA Threa reats ts of immi migra grati tion on Sup uppor orters: up upper/m /midd iddle le class ss white e Am Americ ricans ans German rmany y and d Am American rican Eu Eugenic nics
EUGENIC STERILIZATION 1910: 0: Charl rles es Davenpor port Eugenics Record Office in Cold Springs Harbor, Long Island Laws put in place against ‘mental defectives’ Eu Eugenic nic steriliza rilizati tion on of the un unfit By 1917, 7, fiftee een n states es legalized alized steri rili liza zati tion on of the un unfit By the 1930s, 0s, over r 35,00 ,000 0 Am Ameri ricans cans were ere ster erilized ilized An Anoth ther 25,000 000 were re steri riliz lized d before ore the e 1960s 0s
POSITIVE EUGENICS TAKE OVER- MAYBE? “Daedalus” written by J.B.S Haldane, 1923. Dr. Addis ison on David Ha Hard & W & William am Pan Pancoat oat The e first t artificia cial insem eminati nation on: 1909
AID: ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION BY DONOR Out utrage ge, , disbelief sbelief Immoral, mmoral, against nst god d and nature ure Silent ent tolerance erance Qui uiet et spread ead of AI AID
FROZEN SPERM! 194 949: 9: scientis entists s disco cover er how w to freeze eeze sperm rm 1950’s and 1960s: scientists perfect the freezing process AI AID trend nd & bus usiness iness AI AID at home me
HOUSING THE SPERM Herma rmann nn Mul uller er One of america’s first outstanding geneticists Nobel Prize in medicine Herma rmann nn Mul uller er & Rober bert t Graha ham Future ture of Man Plan the e first t sperm rm bank nk Differenc erence in idea eals Herma rmann nn Mul uller er dies s in 1967
ROBERT K. GRAHAM Born rn Jun une e 9 th th , , 1906 06 in Harbor bor Springs, ngs, Michigan gan Studied udied optome ometr try y at Oh Ohio o State Had 8 childr ldren en, , from om 3 differe erent nt wives, es, and 1 out ut of wedlock edlock
ROBERT GRAHAM’S INSPIRATION Makes es $100 00 million ion by inventing enting shatt tter erproof of glasses ses “The Future of Man” - 1971
ROBERT GRAHAM’S (RACIST?) INSPIRATION Disgust ust for r the e lower class Blamed med so social ial welf lfare re progr gram ams for so soci cieta tal decli line ne Em Emoti tion onal al raci cism sm v.s Scientif entific c racism? sm? “ save mankind nkind from om a gene enetic ic catastr tastrophe phe, , retr etrograde ograde huma mans ns are e swam ampin ing g out t the e intelligent elligent minorit nority ” – Rober obert Gr Graham aham
OPEN FOR BUSINESS Goal: : find d don onor ors s with th a Nobe bel Prize e in scienc ence 3 Nobe obel sp sperm rm dono nors by 1980 80 Al All donor nors s kept t conf nfiden idential tial Robert Graham in his Repository
WILLIAM SHOCKLEY Born rn in 1910 0 On Only y child ld of a wealth althy y enginee gineer r & am & ambit itious ious moth ther Physicist sicist Recei ceived ed the e highe hest st civilia ian n award d from om the e Navy Silicon con Valley 1956: 56: Awarde ded d a N Nobel obel Prize e in Physics sics for inventing enting the e transi nsist stor or William Shockley
SHOCKLEY’S REPUTATION Graham am admired ired Shock ockle ley, fun unde ded d his resear search ch Resear earch ch became came racially ly based ed Reputation utation decl cline ine 1960s 60s-1970s 70s “I would think that it would be quite likely that there was some me sign gnif ifica icant nt amount unt of elimin imination ation of gene netic tic diseases eases [in n Nazi i German many]. y]. Just st as the autob obahns ahns were a good thin ing, g, mayb ybe e there ere were e some e other er good things ings about ut Hitler tler .” – Willia liam Shockle kley
WILLIAM SHOCKLEY & THE NOBEL SPERM BANK st to don 1 st onate e a samp mple le in 1977, 7, and d again in 1978 Februar ebruary y 29 th th ,1980: 80: Pub ublic c debu but t of the e Repos ositor ory y for Germi rmina nal l Choice oice William am Shock ockle ley y in the e pub ublic c eye Graham’s biggest liability
CHANGES TO THE REPOSITORY En End all associ ociat ation ion with th Willia iam m Shockle ockley No Nobe bel sp sperm rm, , no Nobe bel babies bies Search ch for tall, hands dsome me, , intel elligent ligent men en 1982: 82: Good od sperm, rm, but ut no pregnan gnancies ies
1 ST BABY IS BORN! – VICTORIA KOWALSKI Born rn Ap April 1982 2 to Joyce ce and Jack k Kowalsk alski Destined stined to be a genius ius Kowalsk alski parents ents contr ntrover ersy sy
2 ND BABY IS BORN! – DORON BLAKE Born rn in Aug ugus ust t of 1982 2 to moth other er Af Afton on Blake “Genius baby”: using computers, playing chess, learning algebra and Einstein’s theory of relativity Robert Graham’s shining star Doron & Afton Blake Doron Blake
MORE BABIES! Women omen want t geni nius s sperm rm Mid 1980s 0s: Dozen zen of babies bies were re born rn each ch year ar Rober bert t Graham am dies es 2 yea ears s before ore Reposi ositor ory y close ses Over r 200 childre dren n born rn by the e time me the e Reposit ositor ory y closed sed in 1999. 99. Myster ery y of the e genius ius babies bies
INVESTIGATING “THE GENIUS FACTORY”: DONORS David d Plotz otz : lead ‘detective’, author of “The Genius Factory” Donor nor Coral: al: Je Jerem emy y Sampson Father of Tom Legare & Alton Grant Fathered an estimated 30 children Michael ael: : Donor nor & natura ural-bo born rn son n of Nobeli obelist st Ex Extreme reme narcis issism sism in donor nors? s?
INVESTIGATING “THE GENIUS FACTORY”: DONORS Rationali onalist sts s v.s Egoti otist sts Donor nor Whit ite: e: Roger er
FLAWS OF THE REPOSITORY FOR GERMINAL CHOICE Donor Records & tracking the children’s lives Ol Older er donor onors=hi =highe gher risk sks Geni nius us sperm rm is a rip off Gene netic tic Ex Expectation ctations Nature ure vs. s. Nu Nurtu ture, re, the forever un unsol solved ed myster ery Fami mily ly Disparit ities ies, , absent sent fa fathe her
IMPACTS OF THE REPOSITORY FOR GERMINAL CHOICE Brought ght over er 200 childre dren n into o the e worl rld! d! Trans nsforme rmed d how w we think nk about out babies ies Tur urned ed sperm rm bank nks s into o a bus usine ness ss
SPERM BANKS TODAY Basica cally lly all sperm rm bank nks s are geni nius s sperm rm bank nks s today Lesbians ans
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Do you u think nk Robe bert t Graham, am, foun under er of the e Nobe obel Sperm erm Bank nk, , was s trul uly y a racist, t, or jus ust a product duct of his s time me in hist stor ory? y? Do you u think nk the e out utcom come/reputat e/reputation ion of the e Nobe obel Sperm rm Bank nk would d be differe erent nt if William am Shockle ockley, , and d the e ot othe her r controversies, weren’t associated with it? If you u were ere un unable ble to have childre dren, n, would uld you u consider nsider applying ng to the e Nobe bel Sperm rm bank nk? ? (assu sumi ming ng it is the e 1980s, 80s, not ot today) y)
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