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Knowing the truth about one's genetic origins and conception isdifferent from having identifying information about one's genetic parents. As long as the practice of anonymous sperm donation continues in this country and the laws surrounding it do not change, donor offspring will not have access to their donors. Although many sperm banks are currently providing extensive information to parents regarding their donor's medical and psychological history, most couples using DI in this country are still choosing not to tell their children the truth about their origins. In recent years a large body of mental health professionals, including family therapists, have begun to question the ethics of secrecy regarding gamete donation. These clinicians believe that denying people essential information about their identity, especially when it includes their medical history, is morally unacceptable. Furthermore, they cite the literature that comes from family therapy-- and from adoption-- documenting the negative impact of family secrets on parents and children and on family systems (see Chapter 10, "Telling the Truth: Why, When and How to Do So").
Separating the various components of parenthood means that individuals and couples can create children who may be deceived about their genetic make-up and possibly (in the case of surrogates or gestational carriers) about who gestated and gave birth to them. As with the previous ethical dilemma--the right to procreate with unknown gametes, questions arise about whether a patient's autonomy-- in this case the right to choose not to tell one's offspring the truth-- should take precedence over the possible harm done to that offspring if he or she goes through life being duped about his/her identity and conveying a false medical history.
© Ellen Sarasohn Glazer, LICSW
Susan Lewis Cooper
