A controversial dating site for beautiful people is now offering couples who are subpar in the looks department the chance to have beautiful babies.

BeautifulPeople.com has already been a source of outrage and intrigue with its mission of matchmaking only the very attractive and ousting about 5,000 members in June for being too fat or too ugly.

About the same time, the site's British managing director, Greg Hodge, tells AFP that the Fertility Forum was launched to rescue would-be parents who fear having unattractive children.

Hodge calls the effort "charitable work" and "a noble cause for those going through the difficult experience of failing to conceive."

"Every parent would like their child to be blessed with many fine attributes, attractiveness being one of the most sought after," he told AFP. "For a site with members who resemble Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Angelina Jolie, you can imagine the demand."

Founded in Denmark in 2002 and launched in the United States in 2005, BeautifulPeople.com is a place where pretty singles can go to find equally striking partners. Those who want to become members have to submit a picture of themselves and get voted in or out by others in the network.

But breaking with its own tradition, the site allows unattractive people to subscribe to its Fertility Forum and search for gorgeous sperm and egg donors so they'll be able to have beautiful little ones of their own.

"Initially, we hesitated to widen the offering to nonbeautiful people," explained the company's Danish founder, Robert Hintze. "But everyone -- including ugly people -- would like to bring good-looking children in to the world, and we can't be selfish with our attractive gene pool."

Though the idea of "designer babies" has long infuriated critics, one fertility expert told AFP that even couples who set out to have a good-looking child might not be successful.

"Making a decision about one's future partner, whether it is a marriage partner or partner for reproduction, on the basis of information posted on a website would be naive at best," said Richard Paulson of the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine.

He called BeautifulPeople.com "amusing" rather than "dangerous or threatening."

New York City ob-gyn Dr. Laura Corio finds the whole concept "ludicrous."

"They're selling nothing. How are they going to guarantee that?" said Corio, the women's health expert on AOL's Medical Advisory Board. "I think it's crazy. But maybe people are really unhappy about their looks and want their child to be better looking."

One of the site's egg donors, 30-year-old Lisa Bluemel, said her decision to get involved had nothing to do with narcissism or money.

"I have given it much thought," Bluemel told AFP. "Giving a couple the gift of a new life and helping in the creation of a loving family is perhaps the most special gift of all. It's not about just seeking beautiful babies. But why can't you try to secure all the best attributes? Who would not do that for their child?"

More on Looks, Fertility:
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IVF Success Stories
Jurors May Judge Attractive Defendants More Favorably in Court