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JOHNSON COUNTY, Kansas — Ever since she was little, Sharla knew she wanted to be a mom. Sharla has warm childhood memories of family trips and game nights, and she said she wants to recreate those memories with a child of her own.
But Sharla hasn’t found the right person to settle down with. About four years ago, she said she felt like time was running out. To protect her medical privacy, we are only identifying Sharla by her first name.
“I decided for myself that I wanted to go ahead and have children,” Sharla said while sitting in her apartment in Johnson County, Kansas.
Sharla began her fertility journey alone, with plans to conceive using sperm from a donor.
From the very beginning, Sharla knew she wanted to use sperm from someone who is Black like she is. But she had no idea how hard it would be to find that donor.
“You're basically going through banks and going through banks trying to find an African American donor,” Sharla said.
Sharla isn’t alone. Across the nation, other Black...