Donor conception information on birth certificates?

The case of the adopted twins who were separated at birth and ended up marrying each other without realising that they were related has been widely discussed in the news. It has raised questions about the issue of donor conception, and whether it would be right to change the law to include the fact that someone was donor-conceived on their birth certificate. Such a change would, in theory, rule out the possibility of anything like this ever happening with two donor-conceived adults.

Some believe that this is the right way to go, as it would ensure that those conceived using donor eggs and sperm knew about their genetic background, and would deny parents the possibility of hiding such information from them. However, many of those involved with donor conception see it as a huge invasion of privacy, and feel it risks stigmatising those who are donor conceived.

For anyone who needs donor eggs or sperm to conceive, there is often a lot of soul-searching before they go ahead. It isn't an easy thing to come to terms with, and most parents of donor-conceived children want to feel that they are in control of how and when they tell their children about their conception. To insist that this information should be included on birth certificates could seem to intrude on their rights as parents to make these decisions in their own way. What's more important, it would risk infringing the rights of a donor conceived adult to choose whether or not they wished to share this deeply personal information with anyone else in the future.

For more information, advice and support on issues surrounding donor conception, you can contact The Donor Conception Network