Ruth Institute Blog

by Michael Cook

In the US alone an estimated 30,000-60,000 children are born each year through sperm donation, yet no entity is required to report on these vital statistics. Until now, no reliable evidence has been available on the experiences of young adults who were conceived in this way. A report released this week by the Institute for American Values, My Daddy’s Name is Donor, is the first-ever representative, comparative attempt to learn about the identity, kinship, well-being, and social justice experiences of these adults.

The study reveals that young adults conceived through sperm donation are hurting more, are more confused, and feel more isolated from their families. They fare worse than their peers raised by biological parents on important outcomes such as depression, delinquency, and substance abuse. Moreover, the study found that:

• two-thirds agree, “my sperm donor is half of who I am;”

• about half are disturbed that money was involved in their conception;

• nearly half say they have feared being attracted to or having sexual relations with someone to whom they are unknowingly related;

• two-thirds affirm the right of donor offspring to know the truth about their origins; and

• about half of donor offspring have concerns about or serious objections to donor conception itself, even when parents tell their children the truth.

• Adults conceived through sperm donation are far more likely than others to become sperm or egg donors or surrogates themselves. About 20 percent said that, as adults, they themselves had already donated their own sperm or eggs or been a surrogate mother.

The report also claims that donor conception is not “just like” adoption: “Adoption is a good, vital, and positive institution that finds parents for children who need families. There are some similarities between donor conception and adoption, but our study reveals there are also many differences. And, if anything, the similarities between the struggles that adopted people and donor conceived people might share should prompt caution about intentionally denying children the possibility of growing up with their biological father or mother, as happens in donor conception.” ~ New York Times, May 31

Found here.