The number of donor conceived children (donor sperm, donor egg, and donor embryo) is expanding.
In many ways it feels that we are standing on a precipice. We have such an opportunity in front of us to avoid some of the mistakes made in the past with both sperm donation and adoption, and yet I fear we are not learning. Donor conceived children may have the answer.
The real experts on the best way to raise a child conceived by donor sperm, egg, or embryo are the adults that were conceived by donor conception way back in the day (or not so way back). I recently read the results of a fascinating survey of 82 donor conceived adults on We Are Donor Conceived.
The people who responded to the survey were from around the world, mostly female (84%), raised by heterosexual parents (82%), and conceived by donor sperm (81 out of 82). They were born between 1954 and 2000, with 42% being born in the 1980s.
Donors and Donor Siblings are Important
According to We are Donor Conceived, 65% of respondents agree with the statement “My donor is half of who I am”. 94% indicated they often wonder what personality traits, skills, and/or physical similarities they share with their donor. 96% of respondents said they would like to know how many donor siblings they have, and a strong majority indicated they are open to forming a relationship with their donor (87%) or donor siblings (96%).
Eighty-six percent of the respondents thought that anonymous donation should not be allowed.
When Did They Find Out They Were Donor Conceived
The results on when they found out they were conceived by donor surprised me because I assumed that more of them would have found out later in life. The survey, however, found that 61% were five years or younger when they found out.
by Dawn Davenport, August 24, 2017 – Creatingafamily.org
Click here to read the entire article.
The post What Donor Conceived People Think of Donor Conception appeared first on Time For Families.
Source: Time for Families
