Historically, sperm donations through sperm banks have been completely anonymous. Sperm banks collect and distribute some personal information about donors, including education, interests, physical characteristics, and medical history, but they carefully guard the identities of their anonymous donors. However, in recent decades, an increasing number of sperm donors are choosing to be Open Identity (or Open ID or ID Release) donors. These donors remain anonymous to potential parents, but they will allow contact from any donor-conceived children after they reach 18 years of age.
In the United States, sperm donors have the option to be anonymous or open identity donors. In many other countries, including Great Britain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, anonymous sperm donation has been banned. While beneficial for donor-conceived children who wish for more information about their genetic identity, the policy of mandatory identity release has created a shortage of donors. Nevertheless, several sperm banks in the United States, such as the European Sperm Bank USA, specialize in open identity donors.
Impact of Open Identity Sperm Donation on Donors
Many sperm donors fear the loss of their anonymity because they do not want either emotional complications or legal liabilities. While it is true that family law does need to be updated regarding open identity sperm donation (as well as open adoption), sperm donors would do well to remember that as an open identity donor, their identity will never be released until the donor-conceived child turns 18, and only then at the child’s request. The donor is not obligated to enter into any sort of relationship with an adult child who has requested contact.
In surveys of donor conceived children, none were interested in contact their donor in order to request money or support. Instead, their motivations included curiosity, a need to know more about their medical and genetic history, and a desire to resolve questions about their identity. Donors who have agreed to meet their donor-conceived children have frequently found it to be a positive, if sometimes highly emotional, experience.
Impact of Open Identity Sperm Donation on Donor-Conceived Children and their Families
One of the first questions about the impact of donor conception on a child is whether the child is told that he or she was donor-conceived. Traditionally, sperm bank clients were infertile heterosexual couples, who were frequently counseled to keep the child’s biological origins a secret. This practice is less prevalent today, at least partially due to the rise in frequency of lesbian couples who use donor insemination to have a child and the increasing popularity of open adoption. However, as recently as 2000, studies have shown that a majority of parents do not tell their children about their donor-conceived origins, even if people outside the family have been informed. This secrecy has the potential to cause difficulties in the family, particularly if the truth comes to light late in childhood or from someone other than a family member.
Recent studies have shown that donor-conceived children are in general well-adjusted adolescents regardless of whether or not they are aware of their origins. However, children who are aware of their origins and have open identity donors feel comfortable about their origins and positive about their donors. In this way, children of open identity donors are similar to openly-adopted children. Perhaps one of the best arguments for open identity donation is the following, from a donor-conceived adult: “If biological connections do not matter, why are you going through this much trouble to conceive your own child?
European Sperm Bank USA, located in Seattle, Washington, was established to provide couples and individuals with the donor choices they need to make dreams of conception, pregnancy and childbirth a reality. European Sperm Bank USA is affiliated with Denmark-based European Sperm Bank, and are leading the way for sperm banks in Europe.