Gamete donation, information sharing and the best interests of the child: an overview of the psychosocial evidence

Monash Bioethics Review
T Freeman

Abstract

This paper overviews key empirical findings from social science research regarding the impact of gamete donation on child wellbeing. In particular, the paper addresses current regulatory debates concerning information sharing and the best interests of the child by considering psychosocial aspects of telling--or not telling--children about their donor conception and the identity of their donor. The paper identifies three core sets of empirical, ethical and policy concerns underpinning these debates relating to (i) the psychosocial impact of gamete donation per se on child wellbeing, (ii) the psychosocial impact of parental disclosure decisions on child wellbeing, and (iii) the psychosocial implications of donor identification for donor-conceived offspring. The paper illustrates how these concerns are framed by ideas about the significance-or not-of 'genetic relatedness'; ideas which have come to the fore in contemporary discussions about the potential consequences of donor-conceived individuals gaining access to their donor's identity. By drawing together research findings that may be pertinent to the regulation of gamete donation and information sharing, a further aim of this paper is to explore the potential use and misuse of ...Continue Reading

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Citations

Aug 5, 2015·Medicine, Health Care, and Philosophy·John B Appleby
Sep 13, 2016·Reproductive Biomedicine Online·Tabitha FreemanSusan Golombok
Dec 14, 2017·Journal of Bioethical Inquiry·Natacha Salomé Lima
Nov 17, 2017·Sociology of Health & Illness·Lucy FrithOlga van den Akker
May 16, 2018·Human Reproduction Update·E M KoolA L Bredenoord

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