There is currently a sperm donor shortage in Britain, which they feel was brought about because children resulting from such procedures can now know the identity of their donors.
I'm guessing none of these kids can ever sue their fathers for child support ever, but I guess the possibility of some kid knocking on their door after twenty years isn't worth the trouble of giving a cupful of spermies. Then again, why donate sperm if you'd be weirded out that it would become an actual human being someday?
And I really think children have a right to know who their biological parents are. After all, they pass onto you their physiological inheritance and biological limitations. And indeed, what if you hook up with someone you're biologically related to? Case in point, twins parted at birth who got married in the UK.
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According to HFEA figures, the numbers of sperm donors have gone *up* in the two years since the ending of anonymity. The 307 donors in 2006 was 48 more than in 2005, and the highest figure since 2001.
http://www.hfea.gov.uk/en/1459.html
I don't have a huge problem with sperm donors being paid, or the numbers of children per donor being increased, but we should never go back to the days of anonymous donors. The donor-conceived are the ones who matter in this, not the parents, not the clinics, and not the donors.
If a sperm donor wants to be anonymous, then he simply shouldn't be a sperm donor. I was a sperm donor over 20 years ago, and if I have any genetic children looking for me, I've made it as easy as possible for them to find me.
The story about twins marrying seems to have been made up btw:
http://heresycorner.blogspot.com/2008/01/lord-altons-tall-story.html
http://heresycorner.blogspot.com/2008/01/case-closed.html
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