Boston Lawyer Fathered 75 Children, Might Soon Hit 140
Ben Seisler is an attorney from Boston. He's also the father of about 75 children.
And surprisingly, the 33-year-old lawyer expects his child count to explode to upwards of 120 to 140. He made this startling discovery after he signed up on an online registry that matches children conceived by sperm donors with their biological father and half-siblings.
How did this begin? Chalk it up to law school. It's all because Seisler wanted to make some part-time cash when he was a law student at George Mason University. And what's easier than a part-time job donating some of your genes to the sperm bank?
Seisler received about $150 per donation, and said he made visits to the sperm bank regularly during his law school years.
It's really not that much of a surprise that law students might turn to sperm donation as a quick method to earn some extra money.
Law schools like George Mason may set you back an average of more than $38,000 per year for tuition alone. Factor in the cost of housing, food and textbooks and you're spending a veritable fortune on your legal education.
Think about it this way: one law school textbook can run you more than $200. Not even one sperm donation (valued at around $150) can cover the cost of one book.
Of course, Seisler's vast number of children does draw in some serious issues about medical ethics. And it sparks a debate about sperm donators possibly narrowing the gene pool. Maybe sperm donation does need more regulation.
The easiest way to regulate might be to induce a heavy dose of common sense to potential donors, though. Informing donors that they may end up inadvertently siring hundreds of children is likely a strong deterrent.
In fact, Seisler's own debacle aired on television screens on Tuesday in a Style Network documentary called "Style Exposed: Sperm Donor."
So maybe Ben Seisler's documentary should be required viewing for potential sperm donors everywhere. Let's just hope Seisler's kids don't follow in their dad's footsteps - do we really need more lawyers out there?
Related Resources:
- Who's your daddy? (Boston Globe)
- Sperm Donor Law Needed? Why 150 Siblings Could Be Bad (FindLaw's Law & Daily Life)
- Sperm Donor Child Support: Is He Legally Liable? (FindLaw's Law & Daily Life)
