“I commit myself to being available”: anonymous sperm donors experiencing contacts with donoroffspring

Résumé En

A category of protagonists has long been central to the development of third-party reproduction, while remaining in shadows: anonymous sperm donors. Much has been assumed about their experience. For example, it is often alleged that they do not care about the outcome of their donation.Yet, little empirical research has been conducted with sperm donors, especially about the long-term effects of their donation. The socio-political context has changed since the early years of donor conception, as donor conceived people’s right to know their origin is increasingly emphasized. Through state-created registers and DNA-testing websites, unforeseen contacts have been made between donors and their donor offspring. This presentation explores the experience of anonymous sperm donors who have received such contact-requests. What meaning have they given to their donation over time? What position do they now endorse towards their donor offspring?The presentation draws on an on-going qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with 9 sperm donors from Australia and the US (as of March 2023) who have donated anonymously in a clinic, a sperm bank or a private medical practice between the 1970s and the 1990s. They were contacted by a donor offspring between 2000 and 2020. All have responded positively to the request and built a relationship with some of their donor offspring. The presentation will show how the study-participants’ perception of their role as donors has changed following the debates about donor anonymity, events in their own life (like becoming fathers), and the contacts made with donor offspring. As a result, while originally most felt comfortable being anonymous, they now insist on being available for donor offspring and some even feel a sense of responsibility towards them. The presentation will discuss the questions arising about the limits to be applied to such availability and responsibility.