Channel 4 show will see women find sperm donors to 'co-parent' child
Family campaigners blast ‘grossly irresponsible’ Channel 4 show which will see women find a sperm donor to ‘co-parent’ their child
- Series, provisionally called Parents To Be, will involve women choosing a father
- There are two public figures among the women being considered for the series
- But the programme, which is set to air next year, has sparked anger from critics
A controversial Channel 4 show which will see women chose a sperm donor to ‘co-parent’ their child has been branded a ‘grossly irresponsible experiment’ by a campaign group.
The series, provisionally called Parents To Be, will see three women looking into the backgrounds of different men before selecting one to father their child.
It is understood there are two public figures among the women being considered for the series. The show is still currently looking for men to take part.
The series, provisionally called Parents To Be, will see three women looking into the backgrounds of different men before selecting one to father their child
But the programme, set to air next year, has sparked anger from critics, who fear it is turning the child’s conception ‘into a game’.
They say it is unlikely any child born from the process would enjoy a ‘normal family life’.
The show will run its own version of a sperm donor agency in which experts assemble a group of potential fathers before helping the female participants decide on which of the men to meet.
The potential mothers will then get to know the chosen men before trying to conceive with one of them.
The aim is for both parents to then play an active part in the child’s upbringing.
As part of the series, produced by Naked Television, the women and men will get to meet each other’s friends and family before making a final decision.
Piers Shepherd, a spokesman for the Family Education Trust campaign group, hit out at the programme.
He said: ‘Having a child is a life-changing event for any couple and should be the fruit of a loving and committed relationship between a husband and wife.
‘This Channel 4 show commodifies children by turning their conception into a game in which a woman weighs up the desirable traits of multiple fathers. It also separates conception and childbirth from the context of a loving relationship.
‘This is a grossly irresponsible experiment which will result in the birth of vulnerable children who are unlikely to enjoy the benefit of having a normal family life with a committed father and mother.’
Piers Shepherd, a spokesman for the Family Education Trust campaign group, hit out at the programme
It is understood that some of the women involved in the process are not interested in any romantic attachment with the father, while others would prefer to find love.
Experts on the show will help the women look at the ‘heritable traits’ of the men, along with their fathering skills and the potential bond they would have with the mother.
Producers do not intend to film any baby born as a result of the introductions, but could show participants finding out the results of a pregnancy test, or getting a 12-week scan, if the parents agree.
A Channel 4 spokesman said: ‘The series reflects the high number of single women in the UK who are trying to find someone to conceive and parent a child with using experts to take the guesswork out of finding the perfect parenting partner.’
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