A biography of the sperm bank by Tinne Claes
In her new book Zaad zonder naam, Een biografie van de spermabank (‘Semen with no name, A biography of the sperm bank’), Tinne Claes tells the story of the Belgian sperm bank, from the birth of the first donor children in the late 19th century up until today. This period was one of big changes in society, like the diminishing authority of doctors and the commercialization of medicine, but also of the downfall of taboos, women’s emancipation and the start of the identity debate. The first fertility doctors only treated heterosexual married couples, and they forced them to stay silent. From the 1980s onwards, lesbian and single mothers did tell their children the truth, as their was no man in their lives who could pass as the father. Today, donor children look for their fathers using DNA. Through the personal stories of donor children, their parents and the fertility doctors, Tinne brings this history to life.
Tinne Claes, Zaad zonder naam. Een biografie van de spermabank.
Uitgeverij Lannoo, 22.99