General Article Should children be told they were donor-conceived?

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The Nuffield Council on Bioethics has today launched a call for people’s views on this and other ethical questions related to information about donor conception.

Many people support openness within families about donor conception, including organisations representing donor-conceived families and social workers, and the fertility regulator. The law was changed in 2005 so that donor-conceived children when they reach 18 can find out the identity of the donor and whether they have any half-brothers or sisters. But it is not clear how many families tell their children they were donor-conceived.1

Dr Rhona Knight, a GP and chair of the Nuffield Council inquiry, said: ‘The law has changed to allow donor-conceived people to have more information about their donors, but many are unaware of their donor conception. We are interested in finding out why, and in hearing people’s views on the responsibilities of families with regard to telling, as well as what kind of support they might need.’

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