Single women are frequently denied artificial insemination with donor sperm (AID) by U.S. physicians. Reasons include the fear that any child lacking married parents will suffer psychological damage, the belief that an unmarried woman's motivation is probably purely selfish, and the concern that single women will be unable to cope with the stresses of parenthood. Psychiatric interviews with 12 single applicants for AID were conducted to examine the validity of the latter two objections. The findings were then compared to Merritt and Steiner's recent non-psychiatric descriptive study of 100 single mothers, almost all of whom either became pregnant by intercourse or adopted children.

With AID, applicants sought to eliminate paternal obligations, emotional entanglements, and custody questions. All had given careful considerations to the demands of childrearing, social supports, finances, babysitting, and health insurance. They were unconcerned about social stigma associated with unwed pregnancy and motherhood.

Merritt and Steiner's results indicate that such attitudes should lead to comfortable, effective parenting. Thus, these interviews suggest that AID should not be categorically denied to single women.