British aristocrat with daughter seeks 'breeder' to give him male heir

A British aristocrat is raising eyebrows for seeking a "breeder" to provide him with a male heir and a second son, using his cache of frozen sperm.

Key Takeaways:

• Baronet Benjamin Slade is offering $65,000 to a woman willing to carry his children with the hope of gaining two sons.

• Slade is not a member of the House of Lords, as the rank of baronet is below baron, the lowest in the British peerage system.

• Slade himself is struggling financially, though his estate is worth millions. He also already has one daughter, and there is no longer any requirement to leave one's estate to a male heir.

• The request dehumanizes women and children alike.

The Details:

Slade's request has gone viral due to the odd request and exacting list of demands.

Claiming to be descended from Charles II, the 79-year-old Slade wants a younger wife to carry on his family line. He has created Tinder accounts, taken out newspaper ads, and is even looking to create a reality television show. And apparently, he's been looking for a candidate for at least eight years:

Baron Wants 'Castle-Trained' Wife to Give Him a Male Heir | This Morning

In his request, he succeeded in insulting a decently-sized section of the global population:

“The candidate would be paid £50,000 plus a bonus per year and this includes a car, house, expenses, food and holidays. Guardian readers, Scorpios, drug users, alcoholics, Scots, [those] under 5ft 6in, people from countries beginning with ‘I’ who have green in their flag and people from countries where they don’t wear overcoats in the winter need not apply!

I don’t mind Canadians, Americans, Germans and northern Europeans — what I like to call similar people. I don’t think marrying an Eskimo is for me. What I just need is a nice, ordinary country girl who knows and understands things.”

He also wants someone to manage his estate for him — a job he believes is meant for women, not men. The selected applicant also has to be at least 20 years younger than he is, and have an impressive resume. And yes, he actually used the term "breed":

“You must have a shotgun licence, a driving licence (also a helicopter licence would be beneficial), armorial bearings [a coat of arms], be able to run two castles, an estate and a grouse moor. Legal and accountancy training would be useful. Must be able to breed two sons (don’t mind if she has bred before and is proven). A little private capital and income would be helpful. A large fortune would be more helpful!”

Disturbingly, Slade already has a child: a daughter named Violet whom he fathered with a previous partner. She is a toddler, and reportedly, Slade refuses to see her.

Why It Matters:

This is the ultimate dehumanization of women and children. Rather than treating them as actual human beings, Slade acts as if they are nothing more than objects to provide a service for him. And sadly, he is far from alone.

Thanks to the fertility industry, children are routinely commodified and dehumanized. The same happens to women through surrogacy, a real-life "Handmaid's Tale" in which hopeful purchasing parents have been known to buy insurance in case the woman’s body doesn’t perform on demand; others have coerced women into abortions if a prenatal disability is diagnosed, if she is carrying multiples, or even if the baby is the “wrong” gender from what the buyers expect to receive.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive technologies likewise often commodify children, with eugenics-based screening practices ensuring only the "best" children get to be born. Humans in their embryonic state have been turned into jewelry,  fought over and abandoned in divorce/custody agreements, and even traded among would-be parents with the goal of getting a baby possessing the exact characteristics they want.

The Bottom Line:

Women and children do not exist as products to be used by the wealthy for their own satisfaction. And yet, it seems many are willing to be exploited (or to exploit themselves) for the right dollar amount.