Sperm Donor Children Show an Increased Risk for Pyschological Problems

New research conducted by the Commission on Parenthood's Future shows donor children or children born by sperm have an increased risk for emotional and psychological problems. Although many people may not personally know or to their knowledge know of anyone conceived by sperm or egg donation, the fact remains that more and more children are being conceived through anonymous means. It is estimated that as many as 60,000 kids are born to sperm donation yearly in the United States. The study compared approximately 500 kids in each of three different offspring groups, adopted, sperm donation and biological. The study conducted noticed an increased suffering in those children who were conceived by sperm donation. The sperm conceived children exhibited more confusion issues, felt more isolated from their families and exhibited more hurt feelings than even that of adoptive children. The donor children were also more apt to struggle with delinquency, addiction, as well as just as adoptive children struggle significantly with a high number of depressive or other mental health issues.

Approximately half of all adoptive and donor children likewise agreed that it was far better to be adopted than use donated eggs or sperm to conceive a child.

The simple use of the word "donor" is misleading and actually ill conceived in its own right, considering a donor sperm child indeed has a biological father somewhere and disregarding that fact only makes adds insult to injury. Donor sperm children have to struggle with the fact that their loss of a biological father is not only deliberate but much like society the product of something dirty, passing away that a man going into a room with a magazine somehow makes him less of a father. As well as most donor sperm children are simply told that their fathers were any number of euphemisms such merely a seed provider and of no significant importance to them, leaving children to struggle with many identity questions.

Unfortunately for many of these sperm donor children there is a misconceived and misconceived appearance that they were somehow conceived through an unwanted pregnancy. As well as the study reveals that once they reach adulthood many sperm donor children struggle with serious loss conditions resulting from purpose oriented denial of a relationship with their biological fathers.

Many sperm donor young adults and children also noted that when they saw someone that resembled them, they would often wonder if they might be related and approximately half said they worried about being attracted to someone who they might be related. The study also showed that nearly two thirds of sperm donor participants thought kids had the right to know the truth of their biological origins, as well as approximately half of the participants voiced serious objections or concerns about the donation process in general.

The study raised some real questions of conception ethics and donor contraception practices.

I have been in the medical profession for a long time and am quite aware of contraceptive issues that would in many cases force a couple or even single woman to look to artificial insemination for the purpose of having a child, after all having a child is to many a very basic need that if at all possible must be met. However just as I can understand the need for a child, I am also aware of the need a child may have for some type of connection availability with their biological parent that can't be met as with an adoption process. At least in the normal adoption process at some point a child has the a possibility to maybe contact the biological parents and make a connection, whereas in sperm or egg donation that may not be possible. I think that society stigmatizing of the donation process lends itself to not only causing the donor to go into the closet about their donation but also lends itself to quieting the discussion of contraception by donation much as that of something that should be erased instead of embraced.

Contraception by donation is a gift to a childless woman or couple and should be thought of in a positive way instead of some artificial means by which it all must stay anonymous. Although it is true that possible donations would decline if sperm or egg donors were told that in case your child needs to contact you would you be at least willing to speak with them, it is just as true that donor children would then not suffer needlessly.

References for this article include: lhla.org/breaking_news/
www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jun/1/report-sperm-donor-offspring-support-idea/
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/15/AR2006121501820.html