Story about a man who creates a virus which implants his cloned child in millions of women

A scientist creates a virus (bacteria?) which, when encountering a woman, implants a fetal clone of him, which the woman is pregnant with. Millions of his clones have already been born, and society is having a hard time accommodating them.

The man is in hiding, working as a teacher in a special class for his clones. He is evaluating one particular young clone, who apparently suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome, which was detected based on his unexpectedly low test scores.

It's a short story, read in the 2000s or earlier.

Answer

This is The Cuckoo's Boy by Robert Reed.

In the near-future title story, a lonely genius clones himself -- not once, but millions of times -- by creating a virus that affects pregnant women. Throughout the world, women give birth to baby boys with the genetics of Phillip Stevens. Then a few years later, a man with a mysterious past becomes a mentor to three of these clones -- and as their teacher, he tests and challenges them. Are these boys little more than genetic copies of Stevens? Or are they distinct individuals, with unique personalities and coming-of-age problems?

Comments

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