Dueling Sperm?

I occasionally listen to the Dr Dean Edell talk radio show. He seems to be a knowledgeable physician, but today I learned a little more than I wanted to.

The caller was a gay man. He is, with his partner, seeking to become a parent. Since the nature of their relationship rules out normal procreation, they have brought in a woman to be a "surrogate" and carry "their" child to term. This is weird enough, but there's more.

Apparently the surrogate mom has been visiting the two prospective daddies to be fertilized. The exact mechanics of this were thankfully not explained, but it seems conception has not yet occurred despite many attempts.

Then it emerged that the daddies have been combining BOTH their emissions, prior to the insemination ceremonies. The reason for this is so that both men can feel like they are "real" parents, not knowing which sperm actually found the target. The medical question for Dr. Dean was whether this would be harmful to the process.

Dr Dean observed that the human reproductive system actually seems to anticipate this possibility, and in prehistoric times it may have been common for a woman to be fertilized by several men in rapid succession. Sperm are therefore prepared for combat. The better sperm will prevail and reach the egg, leaving the others to die in despair. Dr Dean said he would defer to a fertility specialist but did not see any immediate problem. The caller was relieved and hung up.

I'm not sure where to begin reacting to this. First, it is simply not possible for two men to be parents, no matter how hard they try. The attempt is an inherently un-natural act. Both these men have a disorder and need to get some help.

Second, their attempt to reproduce strikes me as a very selfish decision. They "want" a child so they can be "normal" people. But they CAN'T be normal, as discussed above. Nevertheless, if they want a child so bad, why go to all this trouble to create a new one? And then, to make matters worse, deprive this child of a mother?

I'm not in favor of gay adoption. Nevertheless, there are plenty of children languishing in foster care or institutions who need parents. There is no reason for anyone, gay or straight, to take such extreme measures to create a child when they are already in plentiful supply. Adopt one. Better yet, find a young girl who is about to have an abortion, help her through the pregnancy, then adopt the child that would otherwise have been killed.

People don't do this because they want a child that is genetically "mine." Ok, I get it. This is an instinct that is hard-wired into all of us. If we think about it, though, we have to admit that WE and our desires are not the most important part of this equation. The child is. Every decision we as parents, or prospective parents, make should be directed to that end.

I suspect our gay friends just want something to love. Fine. They can get a dog or a cat - plenty of orphans there, too. They should not, however, produce a child. They cannot give it a natural, loving home with a female mother and a male father who are bound together for life. The same goes for straight people who aren't willing to make a full commitment. Parenting is serious business.

UPDATE 11/28 - My better half tells me the above post sounds unduly harsh. For the record, I think gay people should be treated with the same respect due to any human being. In turn, I hope gay people will accept that children deserve respect as well, and should be allowed to grow up with both a mother and a father. The desire to love and care for someone is laudable, and I'm sure you can find some other way to express it.

Also, my statement above that being gay is a "disorder" is easily misunderstood. I understand that many homosexuals believe they were born this way. This is quite possible. We are all born as sinners of various kinds. Some people have a propensity to steal, others to commit violent acts, etc etc. God calls ALL of us to repent and seek forgiveness for our acts. Your sins are of a different nature than mine, but we both need the same salvation. In this sense, we are all "disordered" in our own unique way.