European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 30, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A  sperm Bank for super babies stirs criticism Robert k. Graham standing with the sperm repository which contains specimens from Nobel prize donors. By Sharon l. Jones associated press he Walls of or. Robert k. Graham s relatively Ordinary looking office in Escondido calif., Are lined with the pictures of dozens of babies he says Are far from Ordinary. They Are the products of the so called Nobel prize sperm Bank. This is our Pride and Joy and by god every one is a Gem said Graham of the children born to mothers inseminated with Superior sperm provided by his repository for germinal Choice. Graham 81, a multimillionaire who developed the shatterproof eyeglass Lens is on a Mission to save the human species. Superior genes Are being lost he says because society s smartest Don t have enough children while the masses proliferate with Zeal. Graham founded the Bank in Early 1980 and began collecting the sperm of a select few outstanding intellects and giving it to qualified couples with the goal of bringing into the world potential leaders or great scientists. The Bank claims responsibility for 55 babies and 18 women Are pregnant. Graham says his program , that most of the children develop at a much faster rate than their Peers and Are judged gifted. Geneticists however still find fault saying the program minimizes women s role in reproduction and exaggerates the likelihood children will inherit All their parents Good genes. But the proud parents cheer Graham for bringing them Bright children they deserved but could t have usually because the father was infertile. I just wanted to have a child said Adrienne Ramm a dancer from new York City whose daughter Leandra has just turned 4. I believe that the donor sperm was from a Man that seemed to be a great human being. We were increasing our chances of having a Bright and healthy  i can t imagine anyone would go there because they want a super baby said a Riverside Mother who asked that her name not be used. It s just the Best Choice available for those who choose artificial  when Graham opened his repository critics ranging from feminists to communists and the roman Catholic Church denounced it As a master race plan reminiscent of Adolf Hitler. The controversy was fuelled by Nobel prize Winner William Shockley s revelation that he was a donor and by Graham s own views. Shockley a physicist who invented the Junction transistor believed that certain races Blacks for example were genetically disposed to be intellectually inferior. Graham in his Book the future of Man called Man an evolutionary derelict because huge masses of those with Ordinary minds have been allowed to come into being and then  Over time artificial insemination became common and More Radical techniques like in Vitro insemination and Gene mapping took the spotlight in the reproductive Industry. To Graham s Delight protestors disappeared from outside his office about 30 Miles North of downtown san Diego. Alexander Capron a scholar at the University of Southern California and former member of president Reagan s commission on Bio ethics has concerns with the repository but gratefully notes it has t become a major Force in  i continue to think of it As a rather silly misguided Effort Capron said. The whole notion of individuality and of uniqueness is what amounts to a genetic Accident. The idea that you re going to get an olympian could Lead to parents frustrations when expectations Aren t  Capron also has ethical concerns. What does it say about a Mother s contribution in reproduction in it is the potential for a More eugenic society with somebody deciding what genes get passed  Graham counters that he neither promises nor expects the children to reach their fathers Levels of Success or intellect but says we can with considerable Assurance say we Are contributing to the next generation by bringing a number of capable constructive individuals including leaders who would t otherwise have been born or. Would t be As  the identities of donors described by Graham As tops in their Field and outstanding intellects Are withheld from the parents and the Public. The list includes two novelists and an olympian. All Are of european descent or jewish and most Are California scientists. Graham says he s invited Blacks and asians to donate but that they be refused. Donors Are declared of Good health and genetic ancestry which Means their families Are free of such diseases As alcoholism and mental illness and the donated sperm is screened for the acquired immune deficiency syndrome virus. Part of the aids screening includes a 180-Day sperm quarantine. The sperm stored in tanks of liquid nitrogen that keep it Frozen has been sent around the country and As far away As Egypt. Applicant parents must show they Are married Intel ent emotionally and financially stable with a clean physical and mental health history. The Mother must be under age 38. About half the applicants Are rejected. Parents choose a donor from such information As intelligence test score ancestry hair and Eye color athletic ability hobbies and personality traits. Graham still provides most of the operating costs and the repository does not charge its clients although lab fees and another expenses have prompted it to Start accepting donations in the last year or so said spokeswoman Dora Vaux. Contributions generally Range from about $500 to $1,000, she said. When they had Leandra Adrienne and David Ramm chose a fair haired science professor of european roots described As Loving gardening skiing and children for their second child due next month they chose the olympic athlete. At first i did feel inadequate and weird about the idea of using a donor said Ramm a computer systems manager who is infertile. But Adrienne really wanted a baby and that was Fine by me. The Only Tough part is that since Leandra is so incredibly Bright she s constantly exploring and challenging and into everything which can be exhausting. But it s the Price you pay for having such a Bright  most sperm Banks provide limited screening and Don t allow parents to choose among donors and the repository parents say it is the thorough medical Check and Quality of donors that draw them not a desire for super children. Repository parents also acknowledge they promote their child s intellectual development and have High expectations but say they Are not unreasonable. Tuesday August 30, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 13