Women all over face difficulty finding a Black sperm donor
In 2012, Kevin Ortiz Jr., was paralyzed from the waist down. He married his high school sweetheart, Kassandra in 2020 and was diagnosed with infertility due to his injury this year.
“As a couple, we want someone who looks like Kevin, but there’s nobody,” Kassandra Ortiz said.
In August, they got an email alert that a new Black donor was listed at California Cryobank. Kassandra called 20 minutes later to buy vials but was told the donor’s supply had sold out.
“It literally is sold out as soon as it’s posted,” she said. The couple are undergoing their second IUI cycle using sperm from a Latino donor.
Angela Stepancic, 40, Washington, D.C.
Angela Stepancic was so frustrated by the shortage of Black sperm donors that she plans to open her own cryobank.
Reproductive Village, expected to open in late 2023 in D.C., will target Black men and other men of color to donate their sperm. Stepancic said traditional cryobanks aren’t doing enough to recruit donors of color.
Crystal King, 41, Orlando
Small-business owner Crystal King had a son and daughter using sperm from a White donor. “I reviewed close to 200 profiles, and probably five or less were from Black donors,” she said. “Ultimately, I was faced with Black men with some kind of genetic abnormalities or ones with incomplete profiles.”
Sandra Wiley, 49, Chicago
Sandra Wiley was already a mother of four but wanted more kids after her divorce. She used an international cryobank that specialized in donors who are doctors and lawyers. Wiley said none of the donors on the website were Black. She conceived her three daughters using sperm from an Indian donor.
Kyesha James, 30, Brooklyn
Master’s student and content creator Kyesha James wanted a tall Black donor without genetic abnormalities but couldn’t find one. She had her 2-year-old son using sperm from a Latino donor. She receives regular backlash on social media. “It’s infuriating. People leave comments like, ‘You stole that baby’ and ‘You chose a White baby.’ They pick apart my son,’ ” James said.
Mardochee Julien-West, 29, Ft. Eustis, Va.
Behavior therapist Mardochee Julien-West and her wife, Yevette, spent $36,000 on IVF and four rounds of IUI to conceive their 3-month-old son using donor sperm from a man of color who is not Black.
“The whole process was medically discouraging,” Julien-West said. “We were so optimistic in the beginning. Then literally there were only two Black people.”
In 2012, Kevin Ortiz Jr., was paralyzed from the waist down. He married his high school sweetheart, Kassandra in 2020 and was diagnosed with infertility due to his injury this year.
“As a couple, we want someone who looks like Kevin, but there’s nobody,” Kassandra Ortiz said.
In August, they got an email alert that a new Black donor was listed at California Cryobank. Kassandra called 20 minutes later to buy vials but was told the donor’s supply had sold out.
“It literally is sold out as soon as it’s posted,” she said. The couple are undergoing their second IUI cycle using sperm from a Latino donor.
Angela Stepancic, 40, Washington, D.C.
Angela Stepancic was so frustrated by the shortage of Black sperm donors that she plans to open her own cryobank.
Reproductive Village, expected to open in late 2023 in D.C., will target Black men and other men of color to donate their sperm. Stepancic said traditional cryobanks aren’t doing enough to recruit donors of color.
Crystal King, 41, Orlando
Small-business owner Crystal King had a son and daughter using sperm from a White donor. “I reviewed close to 200 profiles, and probably five or less were from Black donors,” she said. “Ultimately, I was faced with Black men with some kind of genetic abnormalities or ones with incomplete profiles.”
Sandra Wiley, 49, Chicago
Sandra Wiley was already a mother of four but wanted more kids after her divorce. She used an international cryobank that specialized in donors who are doctors and lawyers. Wiley said none of the donors on the website were Black. She conceived her three daughters using sperm from an Indian donor.
Kyesha James, 30, Brooklyn
Master’s student and content creator Kyesha James wanted a tall Black donor without genetic abnormalities but couldn’t find one. She had her 2-year-old son using sperm from a Latino donor. She receives regular backlash on social media. “It’s infuriating. People leave comments like, ‘You stole that baby’ and ‘You chose a White baby.’ They pick apart my son,’ ” James said.
Mardochee Julien-West, 29, Ft. Eustis, Va.
Behavior therapist Mardochee Julien-West and her wife, Yevette, spent $36,000 on IVF and four rounds of IUI to conceive their 3-month-old son using donor sperm from a man of color who is not Black.
“The whole process was medically discouraging,” Julien-West said. “We were so optimistic in the beginning. Then literally there were only two Black people.”
