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While the rest of the world has plenty to say about American foreign policy, our stalling exports, and our ugly tourists, the United States still has something that everyone wants. Spoiler: it's sperm.

"Demand for American sperm is surging — up by as much as 40 percent in the last five years" according to The Daily's Alex Dickinson, who also helped himself to a smirk-inducing lead sentence: "America's hottest new export is made by hand."

So, is it our good looks that the world wants? Or our smarts? Or maybe it's our relentless work ethic? Well not exactly. As Dickinson explains (this is guaranteed to take you American studs down a peg), it's actually none of those qualities. It's because, well, our sperm is just easier to get:

In contrast to the U.S., donors in Canada, Australia and much of Western Europe are not allowed to remain anonymous, which can lead to local donations drying up and long waiting periods for sperm.



In Australia, where 90 percent of sperm used in IVF treatments is imported, it’s also against the law to pay large sums for donations.



By contrast, in the U.S. men are compensated up to $500 per donation, depending on their education, height and family history.



“People are lined up virtually for years when they try to get a donor in their own country, so importing sperm is actually a really good solution for them,” Leonard said.



“Imagine wanting to start a family and having someone say, ‘Well, just wait a couple of years.’”

Go on and read the whole thing at The Daily.

Photo by: Josh Resnick via Shutterstock.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.