Ancestry Sites Giving Away Identity of Sperm and Egg Donors

An interesting article by Alice Clifford published in the TiogaPublishing web site:

“Ancestry sites are giving away the identity of anonymous sperm and egg donors, a new study reveals.

“Donors who thought they were anonymous are getting tracked down by their children.

“In April 2005, children were given the right to request their donor’s identity when they turned 18. Before this, donors were able to remain anonymous forever.

“However, with the availability of DNA tests through ancestry sites, children are able to discover links to their biological parents even if they donated before 2005.

“By using these results, and further research on social media, they have been able to find out the identity of their biological parent.

“Professor Ryan Flood, a professor of sociology and Director of the Centre for Intimate and Sexual Citizenship in the Department of Sociology at the University of Essex, said: “Increasingly donor-conceived people are accessing information about their biological roots, either through genetic testing or social media sites.

“’Contemporary technologies challenge the privacy traditionally associated with donation by providing donor-conceived people with the possibility of identifying donors.

“‘Anonymity can no longer be guaranteed for donors.'”

You can read the full article at: https://tinyurl.com/b8ta6uvc.