According to the New York Post, a company called MakeAMom is selling at-home insemination kits that it claims are designed to help couples who are having trouble becoming pregnant. However, ads on Twitter/X tell a different story — one that involves ‘sperm stealing.’
MakeAMom advertises a $250 “semen stealing” kit, reports BioEdge, as a way to circumvent laws in the United States that prohibit poking holes in condoms without the knowledge of either person. In one of the ads, MakeAMom states that though it is “illegal” in most states to poke holes in condoms without the other person’s knowledge, “stealing the condom without his knowledge” is “not illegal in any state.” That video is accompanied by the song lyrics, “Oh she’s sweet but a psycho.”
Screenshot MakeaMom video ad on X.
Screenshot MakeaMom video ad on X.
404media reporter Samantha Cole first discovered the ads at the end of 2023. She wrote that the company seems to have originally begun making DIY artificial insemination kits to help couples, appearing to focus on LGBTQ couples, but switched gears in 2023 when it began advertising its products as means to getting pregnant through trickery.
“You don’t need his permission to get pregnant,” says one ad.
Another ad is a video that teaches women to take a used condom out of a trashcan to collect the semen. Captions on the video state, “Making him a dad without his permission,” “Should I tell him it’s his kid?” and “Woman quietly sneaks condom from trash to perform home insemination while her partner sleeps in the other room. What do you think about this? Is this legal? Will he still owe child support?”
Screenshot MakeaMom video ad on X.
Screenshot MakeaMom video ad on X.
Screenshot MakeaMom video ad on X.
The ads are going for shock value, and it’s working, but MakeAMom was right in one ad when it spoke about the idea of sperm stealing as “unethical but not illegal.”
Cole reported that nearly a decade ago, a court ruled that a man could not claim sperm theft after a former partner stole his sperm to have a baby because his sperm could be considered a “gift.”
The CEO of MakeAMom, Anthony, told Cole that “it appears there has been a significant misunderstanding regarding our marketing content and the ethos of our company.” He added, “We firmly believe in and advocate for the responsible use of our products. Any portrayal or suggestion of using our kits for inseminating without explicit consent is not only against our company policy but also contrary to our core values and the message we wish to convey to our customers and the public. It is possible that our marketing materials may have been misinterpreted or misrepresented. We take full responsibilty for this and are currenty reviewing our advertising strategies to ensure they reflect our commitment to ethical practices.”
— At home insemination kit (@MakeAmom) March 21, 2024
“It’s difficult to imagine how ‘collect sperm without him knowing’ could be misinterpreted,” wrote Cole. And, four months later, the company’s official X account has not removed the controversial and lewd ads. The account even shared screenshots of the New York Post’s article that called it “shady” with a link to the article.
In a December 2023 blog post, MakeaMom writes, “On one hand, there’s the question of a man’s right to decide where and how his genetic material is used. On the other, there’s the woman’s autonomy over her body and reproductive choices. This situation challenges conventional views on reproductive consent and control.”
