“It’s Just Who I Am … I Have Brown Hair. I Have a Mysterious Father”: An Exploration of Donor-Conceived Offspring’s Identity Construction

The right to know versus the right to privacy: donor anonymity and the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Amendment Act 2016 (Vic)

“…Specifically, there are many donor children who experience a sense of fractured identity as a result of not knowing their biological parent(s) 6 , 7 . While evidence suggests that donor‐conceived children are as psychologically healthy as children conceived by natural means, 8 there is, nevertheless, an undeniable desire felt by many donor‐conceived children to know their biological heritage 9 .…”

“…What donor children articulate in their personal narratives is a social and existential view of the passage of genetic material — something far more than a physiological phenomenon. From this perspective, a part of a child's identity is missing if they do not have access to information about their donor parents 7 …”

“…The practice of anonymous donation has caused considerable suffering in the lives of many donor children 6 , 7 . If we take identity to be a fundamental feature of human beings, then states have at least a prima facie ethical basis for enacting retrospective legislation.…”

“…Specifically, there are many donor children who experience a sense of fractured identity as a result of not knowing their biological parent(s). 6,7 While evidence suggests that donor-conceived children are as psychologically healthy as children conceived by natural means, 8 there is, nevertheless, an undeniable desire felt by many donor-conceived children to know their biological heritage. [9][10][11][12] Underlying this desire are the identity formation processes of the donor child, which in some way have been adversely affected or frustrated by the mystery surrounding their biological originsa phenomenon often described as genealogical bewilderment.…”

“…From this perspective, a part of a child's identity is missing if they do not have access to information about their donor parents. 7 Because many donor children experience a sense of identity deprivation at not knowing their biological parents, we have a morally significant reason to allow them access to donor records.…”