The stories unheard - giving a voice to donor conceived offspring

From, Signe Myhre

4. term

Techno-Anthropology, Master

2016

2016-09-01

64

I den offentlige debat om anonym donation af sæd eller æg, hvor donorens identitet ikke deles, høres donorafkom sjældent. Denne rapport undersøger, hvordan det opleves at have en anonym donorbaggrund. Gennem interviews med fem voksne, der er undfanget ved donation, ser jeg på, hvordan de forholder sig til deres baggrund, og hvordan det præger deres forståelse af slægtskab og familie. Beretningerne peger på, at hemmeligholdelse af donoroprindelse kan påvirke forholdet mellem forældre og barn markant, og at det kan ændre folks selvforståelse, når de senere får det at vide. På den baggrund foreslår jeg, at vi udvikler et mere klart sprog om donorfamilier, som skelner mellem forældre og donorer, for at mindske forvirring og skuffelser i fremtiden.

In public discussions about anonymous gamete donation—sperm or egg donation where the donor’s identity is not shared—the voices of donor-conceived people are often missing. This report explores what it is like to have an anonymous donor origin. Through interviews with five adults conceived with donated gametes, I examine how they think about their backgrounds and how this shapes their ideas of kinship and family. The accounts suggest that keeping a child’s donor origins secret can strongly affect the parent–child relationship, and that learning the truth later can change how people understand themselves. Based on these reflections, I argue for developing clearer language for donor families that distinguishes between parents and donors, to help reduce confusion and disappointment in the future.

[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]

Donorbørn

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From, Signe Myhre:

• The stories unheard - giving a voice to donor conceived offspring (2016)