We wanted to preserve this study on “young adults conceived by sperm donation” so that those who follow Them Before Us and the ethical questions of third-party reproduction can have this valuable resource on hand! Click here for the full study.
“In the U.S., an estimated 30,000-60,000 children are born each year
through sperm donation, but this number is only an educated guess. Neither the industry nor any other entity in the U.S. is required to report on these vital statistics. Most strikingly, there is almost no reliable evidence, in any nation, about the experience of young adults who were conceived in this way.”
The study shows the overwhelmingly negative result of what third-party reproduction has done to the children.
We learned that, on average, young adults conceived through sperm
donation are hurting more, are more confused, and feel more isolated from
their families. They fare worse than their peers raised by biological parents
on important outcomes such as depression, delinquency and substance
abuse. Nearly two-thirds agree, “My sperm donor is half of who I am.”Nearly half are disturbed that money was involved in their conception.
More than half say that when they see someone who resembles them they
wonder if they are related. Almost as many say they have feared being
attracted to or having sexual relations with someone to whom they are
unknowingly related. Approximately two-thirds affirm the right of donor
offspring to know the truth about their origins. And about half of donor
offspring have concerns about or serious objections to donor conception
itself, even when parents tell their children the truth.