The fact that I have autism should not bar me from donating my sperm

I'm a multilingual university graduate with a good CV... but I'm still not suitable?

(Rex)

A story made the rounds recently about how the London Sperm Bank is not accepting donations from people who have a neurological condition. This includes individuals who have dyslexia (which affects about 10 per cent of the whole population, and is not always considered a neurological condition) but also people who have autism or Asperger Syndrome.

This ban is strange. I have autism - but I am a multilingual university degree holder, I have a good CV and lots of other qualities (and weaknesses) just like everybody else. How does my condition make me an unsuitable donor, when there will be many out there who do not have a given neurological condition, but neither share the qualities I have? Would they also ban someone who is blind, or has a hearing condition? Shocking though it is to say, would they ban people who are not heterosexual, under this black and white logic?

Am I feeling angry about this? You bet. A lot of lobbying in the last few years had made people more aware about neurological conditions, but seeing policies like this makes me wonder if at the end, people with neurological conditions are seen as inferior beings. Second class citizens who are unworthy of reproducing.

The other problem is the whole concept of eugenics behind this. It's indeed true that autism is a complex and umbrella-like condition which may seems scary at first glance. Many with autism face massive challenges - but others who have dyslexia, autism (or any other neurological disorder) are able to have great, fulfilling lives and possess a sense of responsibility, loyalty and precision that lots of people would do anything to have. To label people with dyslexia or Asperger Syndrome as impure makes this look like a dodgy remake of an era not so long ago, when some governments wanted a ''purer'' race and sought to sterilize people against their will, or even ''euthanize'' them .

Which leads us to one important question. We emphasise valuing difference and diversity. But do we really empathise with those who think differently? We must be very careful about wanting the perfect baby - because at the end, the world will be a worse place if everybody have the same capacities, the same hair or eye colour or the same Herculean physical capacities.