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Should 18 Year-Old Men Bank Their Sperm?
While some experts say it will help preserve the health of a country’s population, others call it unethical.

Many young, career-minded women today, who still want to have a family in the future, are freezing their eggs. Peak fertility for women is between the ages of 23 and 31. After age 35, it begins to decline. But due to the fact that Millennials are delaying children to focus on their career, today many more women are freezing their eggs, in hopes that it will give them the option when they are ready. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ARSM) approved the procedure in 2012. Some 5,000 babies have been born from frozen eggs, since.
Freezing one’s eggs is not a guarantee of future fertility. The procedure currently has a two to 12% success rate. That hasn’t stopped companies, like EggBanxx and the Shady Grove Fertility Center, from hosting "egg freezing parties,” where wine is served, mingling occurs, and questions are answered.
This procedure is becoming more and more commonplace for women, despite the expense. So much so that Apple and Facebook recently announced kicking in $10,000 for female employees who wanted to undergo it. Now, a bioethicist in the UK is suggesting that young men bank their sperm in order to ensure a better chance at healthy offspring, should they decide to start a family later in life. Not only that, he proposes that the National Health Service (NHS) pay for it.
Past age 35 sperm degrades. More mutations are present and the chances of disorders increase.
It was once thought that the age of the father was inconsequential. In the last five years, more and more research lends to the idea that men have a biological clock, and that male fertility drops significantly after age 35. Older sperm are more likely to carry mutations. This can lead to miscarriage and a higher chance of the child developing schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism, obesity, and more. Yet, the reasons why sperm declines with age are not well known.
Dr. Kevin Smith of Abertay University in Dundee, Scotland believes that someday, young men banking sperm will be considered normal. Though on a personal level, an older father has a small chance of causing complications to his offspring, statistically over an entire population, such as the UK, such issues become more likely, Dr. Smith argues in the Journal of Medical Ethics.
In his plan, 18 year-old men would bank their sperm en masse, to be used during in vitro fertilization (IVF) later on in life. The service comes at a cost of £150-200 ($187-249) annually. In America, the same service is around $400 per year. Say a man in America banks his sperm at 18 and makes a “withdrawal” at age 32. Over those 14 years, he’s spent $5,600 for something he may never use.
The plan has other criticisms beyond cost. Andrology professor Allan Pacey at the University of Sheffield called the suggestion ridiculous. Among the reasons, sperm doesn’t do well once frozen, which is why sperm banks are in constant need of donors. Another thing is that for each individual, the risks are statistically too small to make much of a difference.
Will humanity begin to rely on IVF for reproduction? If so, what are the repercussions?
Chairman of the British Fertility Society, Professor Adam Balen said the plan gave young men a false sense of security. “Technology does not guarantee a baby,” he said. While embryologist Stephen Harbottle at Cambridge University called the idea, “unnecessary scaremongering.” After all, no specific evidence points to a need for such a program. He also called it ethically and morally unacceptable. Dystopian sci-fi works, such as The Matrix and Brave new World, have long warned that artificial means of human reproduction can be used as a way to exercise control.
These concerns haven’t stemmed an increase in young men banking their sperm, however. In fact, the option is gaining. Scott Brown is the director of communications for the California Cryobank. He told the website Fusion that they’ve seen a slight uptick in younger men banking their sperm. Grace Centola of the New England Cryogenic Center told the Boston Globe that she has seen an increase among men in their 20s and early to mid-30s.
Medical ethicists, reproductive specialists, and others will continue to debate whether young men banking their sperm is a good idea. Meanwhile, a growing number of fertility experts today are calling for people who desire to have a family to consider fertility when planning out their life goals. Others are calling for systemic change in the worksphere and policies pertaining to it, and more resources and programs for family leave and childcare, to support new parents and allow those who want to have a family better support.
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Archaeologists identify contents of ancient Mayan drug containers
Scientists use new methods to discover what's inside drug containers used by ancient Mayan people.
A Muna-type paneled flask with distinctive serrated-edge decoration from AD 750-900.
- Archaeologists used new methods to identify contents of Mayan drug containers.
- They were able to discover a non-tobacco plant that was mixed in by the smoking Mayans.
- The approach promises to open up new frontiers in the knowledge of substances ancient people consumed.
PARME staff archaeologists excavating a burial site at the Tamanache site, Mérida, Yucatan.
Credit: WSU
Why cities are critical to achieving a carbon-neutral world
In May 2018, the city of Paris set an ambition to be carbon-neutral by 2050.
- Countries, governments and companies are aligning on a need for net-zero - and this is an opportunity to rethink decarbonizing our cities.
- There is no "one-size-fits-all" solution – each city's needs must be at the heart of developing integrated energy solutions.
- A city can only decarbonize through collaboration between government, the private sector, and local communities.
Japanese government appoints new "Minister of Loneliness"
While not the first such minister, the loneliness epidemic in Japan will make this one the hardest working.
Minister Tetsushi Sakamoto
- The Japanese government has appointed a Minister of Loneliness to implement policies designed to fight isolation and lower suicide rates.
- They are the second country, after the U.K., to dedicate a cabinet member to the task.
- While Japan is famous for how its loneliness epidemic manifests, it isn't alone in having one.
The Ministry of Loneliness
<iframe width="730" height="430" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I5FIohjZT8o" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe><p><a href="https://www.jimin.jp/english/profile/members/114749.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tetsushi Sakamoto</a>, already in the government as the minister in charge of raising Japan's low birthrate and revitalizing regional economies, was appointed this <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/02/21/national/japan-tackles-loneliness/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">month</a> to the additional role. He has already announced plans for an emergency national forum to discuss the issue and share the testimony of lonely <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/02/12/national/loneliness-isolation-minister/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">individuals</a>.</p><p>Given the complexity of the problem, the minister will primarily oversee the coordination of efforts between different <a href="https://www.insider.com/japan-minister-of-loneliness-suicides-rise-pandemic-2021-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ministries</a> that hope to address the issue alongside a task <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/02/21/national/japan-tackles-loneliness/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">force</a>. He steps into his role not a moment too soon. The loneliness epidemic in Japan is uniquely well known around the world.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Hikikomori</em></a><em>,</em> often translated as "acute social withdrawal," is the phenomenon of people completely withdrawing from society for months or years at a time and living as modern-day hermits. While cases exist in many <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00247/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">countries</a>, the problem is better known and more prevalent in Japan. Estimates vary, but some suggest that one million Japanese live like this and that 1.5 million more are at <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/article/japan-hikikomori-isolation-society" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">risk</a> of developing the condition. Individuals practicing this hermitage often express contentment with their isolation at first before encountering severe symptoms of loneliness and <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200110155241.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">distress</a>.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodokushi" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Kodokushi</em></a>, the phenomenon of the elderly dying alone and remaining undiscovered for some time due to their isolation, is also a widespread issue in Japan that has attracted national attention for decades.</p><p>These are just the most shocking elements of the loneliness crisis. As we've discussed before, loneliness can cause health issues akin to <a href="https://www.inc.com/amy-morin/americas-loneliness-epidemic-is-more-lethal-than-smoking-heres-what-you-can-do-to-combat-isolation.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">smoking</a>. A lack of interaction within a community can cause social <a href="https://bigthink.com/in-their-own-words/how-religious-neighbors-are-better-neighbors" target="_self">problems</a>. It is even associated with changes in the <a href="https://bigthink.com/mind-brain/loneliness-brain" target="_self">brain</a>. While there is nothing wrong with wanting a little time to yourself, the inability to get the socialization that many people need is a real problem with real <a href="https://bigthink.com/mind-brain/brain-loneliness-hunger" target="_self">consequences</a>.</p>The virus that broke the camel's back
<iframe width="730" height="430" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hp-L844-5k8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe><p> A global loneliness pandemic existed before COVID-19, and the two working in tandem has been catastrophic. </p><p>Japanese society has always placed a value on solitude, often associating it with self-reliance, which makes dealing with the problem of excessive solitude more difficult. Before the pandemic, 16.1 percent of Japanese seniors reported having nobody to turn to in a time of need, the highest rate of any nation <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/02/21/national/japan-tackles-loneliness/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">considered</a>. Seventeen percent of Japanese men surveyed in 2005 said that they "rarely or never spend time with friends, colleagues, or others in social groups." This was three times the average rate of other <a href="http://www.oecd.org/sdd/37964677.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">countries</a>. </p><p>American individualism also creates a fertile environment for isolation to grow. About a month before the pandemic started, nearly<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/01/23/798676465/most-americans-are-lonely-and-our-workplace-culture-may-not-be-helping" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> 3 in 5</a> Americans reported being lonely in a <a href="https://www.cigna.com/about-us/newsroom/studies-and-reports/combatting-loneliness/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">report</a> issued by Cigna. This is a slight increase over previous studies, which had been pointing in the same direction for years. </p><p>In the United Kingdom, the problem prompted the creation of the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness. The commission's <a href="https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/reports-and-publications/reports-and-briefings/active-communities/rb_dec17_jocox_commission_finalreport.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">final report </a>paints a stark picture of the U.K.'s situation in 2017, with millions of people from all parts of British society reporting feeling regular loneliness at a tremendous cost to personal health, society, and the economy.</p><p>The report called for a lead minister to address the problem at the national level, incorporating government action with the insights provided by volunteer organizations, businesses, the NHS, and other organizations on the crisis's front lines. Her Majesty's Government acted on the report and appointed the first Minister for Loneliness in <a href="https://time.com/5248016/tracey-crouch-uk-loneliness-minister/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2018</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracey_Crouch" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tracey Crouch</a>, and dedicated millions of pounds to battling the problem. </p><p>The distancing procedures necessitated by the COVID-19 epidemic saved many lives but exacerbated an existing problem of loneliness in many parts of the world. While the issue had received attention before, Japan's steps to address the situation suggest that people are now willing to treat it with the seriousness it deserves.</p><p>--</p><p><em>If you or a loved one are having suicidal thoughts, help is available. The suicide prevention hotline can be reached at 1-800-273-8255.</em></p>How art and design can rebuild a community
MIT professor Azra Akšamija creates works of cultural resilience in the face of social conflict.
