Anyone who has had fertility struggles knows how grueling the experience can be. It's deeply emotional, often physically invasive, and very, very expensive. That last factor alone is enough to deter some from even trying. Two Instagram influencers are hoping to help with an inventive giveaway idea. Above all, they hope it will help someone start the family of their dreams.
Sam Kwiatkowski and Allie Conway are the self-proclaimed "LGBT Travel Couple." The couple, hailing from Nova Scotia, has over 200,000 followers on their account. The wives took a break from their usual travel content and wedded bliss to offer the opportunity of a lifetime to one of their followers.
Allie and Sam are offering a lucky winner a vial of the donor sperm of their choice. The giveaway is a partnership with Fairfax Cryobank, a sperm bank headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia. Some people find the idea completely absurd. For others, it's an opportunity too good to pass up. It's started a larger conversation on the financial barriers some face in starting a family.
Two Instagram influencers have sparked a conversation about the cost of fertility treatments and how inaccessible they can be to some hoping to start a family. Sam Kwiatkowski and Allie Conway are a married couple from Nova Scotia. The two have over 200,000 followers on their "LGBT Travel Couple" Instagram, Allie+Sam.
The two wives also have a YouTube channel with another 24,000 followers. They decided on an inventive giveaway for their followers that shocked many. A photo last week shows the two holding a letter board that reads "Donor Sperm Giveaway."
"We are so, so excited to be partnering with @fairfaxcryobank to (hopefully!) help one of you grow your family! ," the two wrote.
In partnership with Fairfax Cryobank, a sperm bank headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, they are giving away a vial of donor sperm of the winner's choosing. To enter, people had to follow the sperm bank, as well as the couple's account. They then had to like the post and tag friends in the comments.
The giveaway is now closed to further entries, and the comments have been taken down. That hasn't stopped people all over the internet from talking about the unusual offering. Some believe that it commodifies children in an uncomfortable way.
Many people are surprisingly onboard with the idea. Fertility treatments are incredibly expensive and, for many, inaccessible. If this makes it easier for one family, many argue, why should it bother anyone else?
The Fairfax Cryobank website states that a customer can expect fees between $650 and $1,050 when purchasing a vial of sperm. Shipping costs an additional $250. There are, of course, no guarantees that the vial of sperm will result in a pregnancy, but for some couples, it's another chance they take in their journey to have children.
Allie and Sam describe themselves as being "on a journey to motherhood." Many wondered if the partnership with the sperm bank meant that the winner would get a vial of sperm that would make them biologically related to a donor Allie and Sam chose for themselves. Some admitted this made it all the more intriguing.
Many believe that the giveaway also opens up an important conversation about the road to parenthood for LGBTQ couples.
"From the experience of friends I am aware that the journey to sperm donation is fraught and weirdly hard to find information about," Amy Peterson, a teacher from Liverpool, told Grazia Daily.
"Even in this day and age, I've heard it is a bit of a secret society of finding fertility clinics that know how to deal specifically with the needs of same-sex couples."
"So I'm all for a company putting themselves out there — in an albeit unusual fashion — to broadcast that they are a fertility clinic for lesbian women, because I couldn't name a clinic, could you?" Amy continued.
"Plus, for low-income women or those lacking access or resources to trawl the world of fertility, the fact they're actually being given an opportunity to access it is great. It's all usually so expensive and generally caters to those who are not low income, disabled, or people of color."
Now that the giveaway is closed to entries, the post has been updated to say the winner will be contacted. Many are curious as to whether or not the winner's story will be shared. It's a deeply personal journey that some see a benefit in sharing, while others prefer to hold it close.
Some people will always be cynical about what they don't understand. There are countless tweets and comments all over the internet about how the winner of the giveaway will explain the story to their donor child.
In a larger sense, how many of us have thought to explain our child's conception to them? Or when asked, how many people have provided an honest answer? It hardly seems like something to worry about in the grander scheme of bringing a child into the world. Whoever wins the giveaway will be happy to have the opportunity to start a family, and that's a joy that too many people take for granted.
