Donor Insemination

Giving or giving back: new psychosocial insights from sperm donors in France

by Nikos Kalampalikis

Kalampalikis, N., et al. (2012). Giving or giving back: new psychosocial insights from sperm donors in France. Psychology, Health & Medicine, DOI:
10.1080/13548506.2012.668195

Despite the growing importance of the international scientific literature concerning donor insemination, studies of... more Despite the growing importance of the international scientific literature concerning donor insemination, studies of French samples are rare. We recently had the opportunity to conduct a nationwide study on psychosocial issues related to semen donation in France. In this article we present the main results of an analysis of the narratives of 33 sperm donors. We examine the meaning they attribute to this experience, their motivations, the social ramifications of their action and their perspective on the principles of sperm donation in France. We highlight our results by comparing them to those derived from other recent international studies in different legislative contexts. Finally, we suggest a hypothesis regarding donor motivations based on recent literature in social sciences regarding the fundamental role of gift and reciprocity. These issues, particularly the anonymity of gamete donation, are currently at the heart of a national debate related to the expected revision of the French bioethics law.

Conceived and deceived: The medical interests of donor-conceived individuals

by Vardit Ravitsky

Family History

by J. David Velleman

Published in Philosophical Papers (2005)

On the morality of donor conception. On the morality of donor conception.

Persons in Prospect

by J. David Velleman

Published in Philosophy and Public Affairs (2008)

Comprises three papers: (1) "The Identity Problem", on Derek Parfit's non-identity problem; (2) "The... more Comprises three papers: (1) "The Identity Problem", on Derek Parfit's non-identity problem; (2) "The Gift of Life", on the morality of donor conception; (3) "Love and Non-existence", on our intuition that some people should never have been born.

Decision-making in planned lesbian parenting: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

by Adrian Coyle

Co-authored with Elena Touroni. Published in 2002 in the Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 12, 194-209. Please contact me if you would like a complete copy of the paper but are unable to locate it.

What does it mean to be a donor offspring? The identity experiences of adults conceived by donor insemination and the implications for counselling and therapy

by Adrian Coyle

Co-authored with Amanda J. Turner. Published in 2000 in Human Reproduction, 15(9), 2041-2051. Please contact me if you would like a copy of this paper but experience difficulties in locating it.

Turkmendag I. The Donor-conceived Child's `Right to Personal Identity': The Public Debate on Donor Anonymity in the United Kingdom.

by Ilke Turkmendag

Journal of Law and Society 2012, 39(1).

On 1 April 2005, with the implementation of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (Disclosure of Donor... more On 1 April 2005, with the implementation of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (Disclosure of Donor Information) Regulations 2004, United Kingdom law was changed to allow children born through gamete donation to access details identifying the donor. Drawing on trends in adoption law, the decision to abolish donor anonymity was strongly influenced by a discourse that asserted the ‘child's right to personal identity’. Through examination of the donor anonymity debate in the public realm, while adopting a social constructionist approach, this article discusses how donor anonymity has been defined as a social problem that requires a regulative response. It focuses on the child's ‘right to personal identity’ claims, and discusses the genetic essentialism behind these claims. By basing its assumptions on an adoption analogy, United Kingdom law ascribes a social meaning to the genetic relatedness between gamete donors and the offspring.

Donor Insemination: The Role of the Internet in the Experiences of Donor Offspring, DI Parents and Donors

by Alison Wheatley