Pair guilty over illegal internet sperm company

[Turborama]

Source: BBC

Two men have been found guilty of illegally making sperm available over the internet.

Ricky Gage, 49, and Nigel Woodforth, 43, from Reading, operated Fertility 1st which made sperm available from anonymous donors without a licence.

The men had denied three counts of procuring sperm illegally under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act.

They were granted conditional bail but the judge warned them she was considering a prison sentence and fine.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-11344762

---

Pair convicted of running illegal fertility company

Press Association
guardian.co.uk, Friday 17 September 2010 21.27 BST

Two men who have been convicted of running an illegal online fertility company, providing women with access to sperm donors, were warned yesterday they could face imprisonment.

Ricky Gage, 49, and Nigel Woodforth, 43, operated Fertility First which made sperm available from anonymous donors without a licence.

The men had denied procuring sperm illegally, arguing they had acted only as an introduction database. But yesterday the pair were told they could be jailed after a jury at Southwark crown court convicted them of providing sperm without a licence or third-party agreement.

The pair, both from Reading, earned around £250,000 from the enterprise. They will be sentenced next Friday.

The court heard how nearly 800 women signed up to use the service, operating under various names including Sperm Direct Limited and First4Fertility. Their website introduced would-be donors to women trying to conceive.

Full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/sep/17/pair-convicted-illegal-fertility-company

[valerief]

1. People buy sperm over the internet? Really? Really, really?

WTF are bars for?

:rofl:

[drm604]

2. I'm guessing

that Ricky Gage and Nigel Woodforth now have nearly 800 children between them. Why pay donors for something you can manufacture yourself?

[RavensChick]

3. Ew!!!

They should be jailed just for being downright stupid!!

[Historic NY]

4. Sperm cocktails?

[jtuck004]

5. I wanted to wait until you were old enough...this is your father

[RandomThoughts]

7. That is a doctrine, although it really is a metaphor

Tron or matrix doctrine, it has flaws as an explanation for reality.

Most notably, if someone as a user does wrong, there is a creator a level above that, that can get them in line.

Mostly it is a metaphor for power structures in existence.


Although there are lots of metaphors that fit the 'computer' as existence model, most are to create despair and those doctrines forget about the levels above that. The reason for those doctrine is to make 'users' seem to have power, in truth the people in that doctrine have more control then 'the users' hence why that doctrine is told in so many places.



You can fit most text into that metaphor though, since it is close to so many concepts, since really a computer running a program, and people in existence fit as metaphors. The problem is when people are made to think it is a game, or a war simulation. And that is a deception. Another problem is to think it is a mmo where people can make you do things.

If you think on that metaphor, think of rules that are set such as free will. Nobody can be made to do anything, although within quantum pockets, environments can be changed to make it seem that way.


I have found that the code in that metaphor changes to best serve society, but that is based on what society thinks is best, since society is part of the metaphorical machine.

When you hear the concept 'not being in the machin', that is a subset of that doctrine it is about not being under the rule of a part of the machine. Like a system directed by an ideology or worse.

Not being in the machine, is really not being in a controlled set by some 'user' commonly said to be fallen angels. The thing is they are limited and have to hide, since justice is part of the programming of the machine, and why the world bends towards justice.

But people have to do it, although I think there are plenty of injections of better thoughts making reality better.


And I am still due beer and travel money, and many good experiences.

[jtuck004]

8. We might run into trouble when we try to project our values

onto Tron. As a program I am not sure he has a worldview that can encompass what a user has in their head. Makes the metaphore tricky. Like I am not sure dogs watch, or even see, stars. If you say to a dog, "Look over there at Joe", he or she may look, but if Joe is as motionless as a star, he or she will likely think you have completely lost your mind. I think we fall down when we try to do more than explain the structure of the eye and how it works based on our research. And I can't imagine a metaphor built on the machine as life that wouldn't lead to despair. As soon as they pull the plug.

But I did like your line:

"Most notably, if someone as a user does wrong, there is a creator a
level above that, that can get them in line"

That is true. They are known as the "sys admin". ;)

And I wish you lots of beer and travel money.

[RandomThoughts]

10. You try to seperate people from 'tron'

Assuming you mean tron as the computer system.

The problem with the metaphor is it puts the users outside the bounds of the system, the knowledge that there is another system above them, that they are inside of also, removes the concept of no rules for them, or anarchy.

If you believe in users and system administrators, then those things would be outside 'the system' and from that lack of accountability is created.

The same thoughts people have when they think the rules do not apply to them, or two tier justice, it is actually a class metaphor also.

So you bring the users and system administrators back into the bounds of existence to be part of the same equal justice and compassion of all existence, by knowing their is another level above them.


Does that make sense. It is why the supernatural should be known to exist in the world also.

[jtuck004]

12. I think it distorts things too much to say that everyone is accountable

for all rules. There are lots of little universes around us, and within their system we don't really influence it. We do shape their environment somewhat, and we manipulate things, but the actual functioning isn't really part of our world. So when one tries to say it is a metaphor for life or existence, I think it would be too much work for me to see that.

And I don't really believe there is a "supernatural" taken as a life outside of the world we live in.

But I can see your point. I think. Now I have to go get some tomatoes off the vine. Durn things didn't ripen very well this year, summer too cool.

Thank you.

[RandomThoughts]

13. You make a point.

Not everyone is accountable for all rules, if it is due to lack of education, not willful ignorance, or if due to them being deceived, justice would not hold them accountable, unless it is within what a person would be able to reasonably assume should be done.


The many universe concept is based on how information moves. Within many thoughts, someone has to say, and then be heard for something to have an effect, that can be a limited view, although I understand it is the normal view.


There is no way to deny the supernatural if you have seen it, but I understand many people do not see it, and seeing it or not does not define better or worse, since there are ways to view it either way.



Is the tomato comment a Kerry/Heinz comment?

[jtuck004]

14. No, Early Girl and 4th of July. Non-metaphorical tomatoes ;)

[Adsos Letter]

6. "...procuring sperm illegally..."

I'm not really sure I wanna know any more about that.

[jtuck004]

9. Pawn 1 will give you more for your gold than... n/t

[Vidar]

11. Don't they know that "Every sperm is sacred"?