eugenics-and-genetics
The sperm bank’s use of Nobel laureates’ genetic material introduces themes of eugenics and the desire to improve the human gene pool through scientific intervention.
1 chapter across 1 book
Only Begotten Daughter (1989)James Morrow
The chapter introduces Murray Jacob Katz, a celibate Jewish recluse living in an obsolete lighthouse near Atlantic City who participates in a sperm bank research project. After receiving a telegram that his last sperm donation was contaminated, Murray visits the Preservation Institute amid protests against artificial insemination, where he meets Georgina Sparks, a lesbian prospective mother selecting a sperm donor. The chapter explores Murray's intellectual pursuits, his sense of obsolescence, and the social tensions surrounding reproductive technology in 1970s America.