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process of finding a sperm donor or co-parent
Dear CoParents.co.uk-user,
My name is Sabine Tilborghs and I am a master student at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Part of the curriculum is the Master Thesis, an empirical research that runs throughout the entire year. The topic that I will be researching is the (online) market in sperm and parenthood. I am interested in exploring how both the virtual and the physical market manifest themselves, as well as the motives to participate on that market. Not only are there more possibilities for infertile heterosexual couples to have a baby, it has also become more attainable for homosexual couples and single mothers to fulfil their child wish. I am particularly interested in sperm donations that are arranged by the recipients themselves, by obtaining the donor sperm via the internet and/or with the use of at-home inseminations. This market of sperm donations that can be arranged by the recipients themselves, instead of medical professionals, is relatively underexposed in academic literature. My study will thus be very explorative in nature, characterised by the investigation of a social phenomena without explicit expectations.
I found coparents.co.uk to be highly interesting in the context of this research. It is a platform where individuals can come to find information as well as their perfect sperm-donor or co-parent, a mission that could be very difficult without a website like coparents.co.uk. From all elements of the website — the posts, the forum, the success stories — I have noted that the website has been very valuable to its users. More so, sharing experiences and giving advice can be crucial when one wants to fulfil a child wish without the help of medical professionals, but information on the matter is limited.
On the basis of the above mentioned, I hope to get in contact with users of coparents.co.uk. I would like to learn more about how the site works and who participates on it. By in-depth interviews, I would like to discuss motives, experiences and feelings during the process of finding a sperm donor or co-parent and while using the website.
The setting of these interviews would preferably be face to face. Depending on the response rate, I would want to come to the UK to conduct the interview at your home or any other place that you feel comfortable at. Otherwise, the interviews can be conducted via Skype or email. In either way, interviews would be held according to the preferences of respondents, also regarding for example the topics that will and will not be discussed, and anonymity.
If you are interested in participating in this research, or know somebody who might be interested in participating, please get in touch with me. It can either be by phone on (31)6 46591601 or by email via s.tilborghs@students.uu.nl. Also, should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Sabine Tilborghs
(31)6 46591601
sabinetilborghs@gmail.com -
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