Ask a Therapist: Struggling with Stored Donor Embryos
A recipient parent struggles with extra stored donor embryos and clinic restrictions.
A recipient parent struggles with extra stored donor embryos and clinic restrictions.
Four years ago, Erin Maya started work on the music and lyrics for her rock musical "The Complete Picture," which tackles the identity crisis that often accompanies genealogical explorations by donor conceived people. The music for the show was publicly performed for the first time at The Green Room 42 in New York City on Jan. 8.
The Uniform Law Commission announced the official amendment of Article 9 of the Uniform Parentage Act which will now require gamete banks to provide a donor’s identifying information to a resulting adult donor conceived person upon request. USDCC played an active role in securing this amendment.
I cannot remember a time in my life that I did not know I was donor conceived. I was raised by the most amazing single mother and never lacked anything, but I was constantly reminded I did not have a dad.
I was born in London to two mums who used an anonymous sperm donor to conceive me. I was raised knowing my conception story, as it was talked about casually, and all my questions were answered to their best ability as I grew up.
I’m sure I said, “It’s actually a ‘donor’ not a father.” I can remember my voice saying, “Our daughter doesn’t have a dad. She has two moms.” But much of that changed for me when I found out about my own donor conception experience.
An intended parent wonders about the pros and cons of choosing a known donor versus an Open-ID-at-18 donor with her wife.
An intended parent wonders about the implications of using an embryo created with an egg from an anonymous donor in Peru.
Short answer: no. Regardless of the contract or paperwork a donor signs, it is simply unrealistic to believe any donor can remain anonymous.
Guest blog by Peter J. Boni, author of Uprooted: Family Trauma, Unknown Origins, and the Secretive History of Artificial Insemination