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My Daddy's Name is Donor: report raises concerns about 'sperm donation'
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People conceived through 'sperm donation' are significantly more likely to experience depression, delinquency and substance abuse than their counterparts who were adopted or were raised by their biological parents, according to a new U.S. survey.
They experienced greater confusion about their own identity, along with significant isolation from their families.
Many feared they might be related biologically to someone they could date, given that a sperm donor may have many children-at least one has more than 100.
No one knows how many children are born from sperm donation, but it has been practised for decades, and estimates for the U.S. alone range from 30,000 to 60,000 children per year.
The survey was conducted by Elizabeth Marquardt et al for the Commission on Parenthood's Future, based in New York. Its report, "My Daddy's Name Is Donor", is available online.
The study looked at a representative sample of 485 adults aged 18 - 45 who were conceived with 'donated' sperm, as well as groups of 562 young adults who were adopted as infants and 563 who were raised by their biological parents.
"We learned that, on average, the first group are hurting more, are more confused and feel more isolated from their families," said the report.
Although the Catholic Church teaches that sperm donation is gravely wrong because it separates the unitive and procreative aspects of sexual intercourse, 36% of the donor-conceived respondents said they had been brought up as Catholics.
Karen Clark, a co-investigator for the study, is not a Catholic but has a personal reason for wanting the views of donor offspring to become better known.
She herself was conceived from a sperm donation-a fact she did not know until she was 18 and the father who raised her had died.
"I grew up in a family where it was hidden, shameful. I don't want to see others experience that kind of stigma and shame," she told Catholic News Service.
"At the same time, I don't want to normalise the process of creating an intentional disconnect between children and their biological parents," she said.
She also saw the practice as creating major problems for society because it turns human life into a 'commodity' and confuses family relationships.
She did not think that "we are getting enough voices out there of children who are hurting-they're getting lost in the debate" about various procreative technologies.
"I am hoping that the report will build more awareness of the downsides and will spark more open, fair debate," said Clarke.
oThe report is available at www.familyscholars.org.
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