Call to end sperm donors’ anonymity

The Project Group on Assisted Reproduction is
calling on the government to remove the anonymity given to sperm,
egg and embryo donors.

More
than 2,000 people are born following sperm, egg and embryo donation
every year, but under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act
1990, they have no effective rights to pursue information about
their status or their donors.

Progar, a group with
representatives from organisations such as the British Association
of Social Workers and the Association of Directors of Social
Services, wants the government to end the current discriminatory
practice by removing the “blanket anonymity”. It would also like to
see a comprehensive record system containing information such as
medical details of all donors, as well as services for families and
individuals directly affected by donor-assisted
treatment.

“People born through
donor-assisted conception are the only people in this country who
are deliberately prevented by the state from knowing the truth
about their genetic origins,” said Elizabeth Wincott, chairperson
of Progar.

“Progar believes that access to
this information is a basic human right. Without it, fundamental
questions about individuals’ origins and identity will remain
unanswered and generations of people will be denied knowledge of
their genetic history.”

The
government is currently consulting over the disclosure of
information about sperm, egg and embryo donors. Responses are
required by 1 July.

– For
more on donor information go to www.doh.gov.uk/gametedonors