50 years ago, freezing sperm faced scientific skepticism
Excerpt from the February 26, 1972 issue of Science News
In 1972, scientists debated the long-term viability of frozen sperm. Fifty years later, children have been conceived with sperm frozen for decades.
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The uncertainty of banking sperm – Science News, February 26, 1972
Many men contemplating vasectomies have been depositing a quantity of their semen with sperm banks where, for a fee, it is frozen and stored.… There is wide disagreement on the length of time that sperm may be frozen and then thawed and used successfully to impregnate a woman, with estimates ranging from only 16 months to as much as 10 years.
Update
The ability to freeze sperm has helped make parenthood possible for millions of people, including infertile