Because China limits use of assisted reproductive technology to married women, single Chinese and lesbians turn to foreign sperm donors to become pregnant. But even among locals, their semen are in demand because of the end of China’s one-child policy.
While technically, producing sperm is what a lot of single men do when alone and horny, it is one matter to release one’s semen during solo sex and another matter to donate it to a sperm bank. Several things prevent Chinese men from being sperm donors, although like other males around the world, they spill their seed when alone and need to release sexual tension.
As a result, China has called Chinese men aged between 20 and 45 to donate their male seed “for the sake of your country,” reported The New York Times. The campaign is reminiscent of compulsory military service for young males in many countries.
With more than 500 million males in China, supply of sperm, hypothetically, should not be a problem. However, the unwillingness to donate is partly explained by Chinese traditional medicine linking semen with vitality, while some believe donating sperm goes against Confucian values.
Of the few who do donate, half of them have their sperms wasted because they have sexually transmitted diseases or fail to meet national semen benchmarks.
To reach a wider audience for sperm donors, Shanghai-based Renji Hospital and a Wuhan-based sperm bank – which spearheaded the drive – used WeChat messaging service since the subscribers of the app are young males, reported Daily Mail. The incentives of an iPhone and $1,000 cash would be given if the men donate at least 17 milliliters of sperm over six months.