Your thoughts being?
Should egg and sperm donors be allowed anonymity?
13 Replies and 1458 Views in Total.
Ermm just posting a url by itself though is a tad lazy though
LOL
But also probably interesting, well argued and useful to hear.
by Demona
...unnecessary for other people to respond to the question.
My take on this is as an adopted child - not the result of donations, but still someone who grew up with questions about parentage. I've traced my birth mother and had those questions answered.
You'd maybe expect me to be against anonymity for that reason. Here's a quote from the article:
But in fact I'm completely for anonymity. To be blunt, donating sperm or eggs has not nothing to do with parenting. The donor is not trying to do anything that involves children for themselves. It's an act (either altruistic or for money) that allows someone else to have a child. And hurrah to the donor for doing it, but that's where their obligations and responsibilities should end. They should not be thought of in any way as being the parent of the resulting child.
by The Guardian
The BMA council decided in May to support disclosure. It said: "People born following donation have a strong interest in knowing the identity of the donor and this can be very important for some individuals."
And if the child has questions that need answering in later life well, I'm afraid they're out of luck. And I'm allowed to say that, 'cause I've been there...
Oh, and:
I can just see it... "Now get in line to be given your names... Nigel? Where's Nigel? Oh, there. How many Tarquins do we have? 25,459 of them? Good Lord."
by The Guardian
Named sperm means no sperm, doctors warn government
I agree with this - they donated to help others become parents, not to be parents themselves.
by Random
... in fact I'm completely for anonymity. To be blunt, donating sperm or eggs has not nothing to do with parenting. The donor is not trying to do anything that involves children for themselves. It's an act (either altruistic or for money) that allows someone else to have a child. And hurrah to the donor for doing it, but that's where their obligations and responsibilities should end. They should not be thought of in any way as being the parent of the resulting child ...
The only time it could be an issue would be if the child discovered that they may have a inherited medical condition. In that case, the doctors involved could contact the donor to find out or pass on information without necessarily revealing the donor's identity to the child.
Oh, and:
ROFL!
by Random"Now get in line to be given your names... Nigel? Where's Nigel? Oh, there. How many Tarquins do we have? 25,459 of them? Good Lord."
I think the points are very valid, indeed as RW says a donor does it purely to help someone - at the end of the day they aren't even to know if a baby has been successfully born from a donation they make. How strange would it to be if you suddenly had 5 different kids from different backgrounds all turn up on your doorstep at once demanding answers
The only other time I could see anything like this being a problem is if children of donors accidentally form relationships (I'm not intending for this to sound sick in anyway shape of form) but I'm thinking back to an episode of eastenders many moons ago (and I know that wasn't donation) where Bianca had to be told who her father was because she was *making eyes at him*. But there would be no correct way to avoid anything like that ever happening unless the parents of the child knew who the donor was. And that would certainly put people off from donating as the whole point is being anon.....
I do believe this to be a necessity again without naming names etc, but in the same breathe one would assume that the donors are tested for most medical conditions before they become donors.
by RedWitch
(quotes)The only time it could be an issue would be if the child discovered that they may have a inherited medical condition. In that case, the doctors involved could contact the donor to find out or pass on information without necessarily revealing the donor's identity to the child.
The only other time I could see anything like this being a problem is if children of donors accidentally form relationships (I'm not intending for this to sound sick in anyway shape of form) but I'm thinking back to an episode of eastenders many moons ago (and I know that wasn't donation) where Bianca had to be told who her father was because she was *making eyes at him*. But there would be no correct way to avoid anything like that ever happening unless the parents of the child knew who the donor was. And that would certainly put people off from donating as the whole point is being anon.....
I agree with random for the reasons he stated.
As a little asside tho, ever noticed how all these people tracing their "biological parents" when it comes to donation are all looking for their fathers? I've never heard fo someone looking for their biological mother who donated an egg.
As a little asside tho, ever noticed how all these people tracing their "biological parents" when it comes to donation are all looking for their fathers? I've never heard fo someone looking for their biological mother who donated an egg.
Do women donate eggs, I wonder?
How would that work out? Man (possibly gay) wants to have a child without the complication of a relationship, so he goes to the egg bank for an egg and has it fertilised with his sperm. *Then* he has to find a woman who'll carry the child. Tentatively possible, but I can't see many men wanting to raise a chlid by themselves, which is probably why the issue rarely comes up.
How would that work out? Man (possibly gay) wants to have a child without the complication of a relationship, so he goes to the egg bank for an egg and has it fertilised with his sperm. *Then* he has to find a woman who'll carry the child. Tentatively possible, but I can't see many men wanting to raise a chlid by themselves, which is probably why the issue rarely comes up.
Many women donate eggs to other, infertile women.
by Jango
Do women donate eggs, I wonder?
How would that work out? Man (possibly gay) wants to have a child without the complication of a relationship, so he goes to the egg bank for an egg and has it fertilised with his sperm. *Then* he has to find a woman who'll carry the child. Tentatively possible, but I can't see many men wanting to raise a chlid by themselves, which is probably why the issue rarely comes up.