The donor’s future role in the child’s life

The donor’s future role in the child’s life

MCK Fertility Centre

Views of candidate parents

& donors

A. Brewaeys, M. Brewaeys

E. de [email protected]

Questions under investigation


1. Parents’ and donors’ desire for non identifying information

2. Parents’ intention to inform child

3. Parents’ and donors’ views on: The child’s right to know its donor origin Chance child wants to meet donor Acceptance of future meeting between child and

donor Donor’s future role in child’s life

Materials and Methods


Self developed questionnaire (response rate: 96%)

Population Donors 47

Heterosexual couples 77 Lesbian couples 105 Single women 80

Demographic characteristics candidate parents


Age in years Educationmean (SD) % with at

least college level ______________________________________________________

He couples 32 (4.8) 54%

Le couples 33 (3.8) 63%

Single women 37 (2.4) 68% ____________________________________________

Donor characteristics


Age in years 37 (SD: 7.3)

Education (%) 73 (with at least college level)

Sexual orientation (%) heterosexual: 93

Marital status (%) single: 54

Children (%) no: 73

Child wish (%) no: 42 yes: 34 yes later: 24

Motivations to donate (%)


Helping infertile people 95

Creating offspring 61

Some kind of fatherhood 24

Validate own fertility 12

Financial reimbursement 5

What do candidate parents want to know about the donor (%)


No information 8_________________________________

Personality characteristics 28Life circumstances 21Physical characteristics 16

Number of children born 10Professional activity 9Motivation donor 8

What do donors want to know about candidate parents (%)


No information 10________________________________

Number of children born 88

Life circumstances (family type) 21

Personality / Physical characteristics 5

Parents´ attitudes towards telling (%)


Intention to tell?Yes Don´t know /

later___________________________________________He couples 88 12

Le couples 92 8

Single women 93 7

___________________________________________

How difficult is telling? (%)


not difficult rather difficult difficult

______________________________________________He couples 19 78 3

Le couples 60 40 -

Single women 42 56 2______________________________________________

Most frequently expected difficulties are


At what age do I tell what kind of story?

When is the child ready to understand?

Would telling harm the child?

Would telling change the relationship between the non-genetic parent and the child?

Child´s right to know donor´s identity(%)


Agree Partly agree Disagree _____________________________________________He couples 54 41 5

Le couples 81 19 -

Single women 79 21 - _____________________________________________

Donors 100 - -_____________________________________________

Chance (informed) child wants to meet donor (%)


<50% >50% Don’t know_______________________________________________He couples 19 51 30

Le couples 11 75 14

Single women 5 71 24_______________________________________________

Donors 20 48 32_______________________________________________

Views on future meeting donor-child


What would you think about a future meeting between your child and the donor ? (%)

rather not would not mind would want to ___________________________________________________________

He couples 18 74 8

Le couples 3 89 8

Single women 2 70 28______________________________________________

Donors - 66 34____________________________________________________________________________

Views on donor’s future role in child’s lifecandidate parents (%)


“what do you expect about the donor’s role in the child’s life?”

He Les Single _________________________________________________________

None 49 35 14

Provider of information of certain characteristics 38 54 50

Person with whom child builds up a relationship 4 5 20

Don’t know / depends on child 8 6 16___________________________________________________________

Views on donor’s future role in child’s lifedonors (%)


“What do you expect about your role in the child’s life?”

None 15

Provider of information of certain characteristics 51

Person with whom child builds up a relationship 34

Summary

Results show a great diversity of opinions and feelings Between groups Within groups

An overlook on data along following lines:

The answers to our main study questions Interesting differences between groups Clinical implications

Medisch Centrum Kinderwens

Most striking findings: parents’ & donors’ desire for information

Majority of the parents would have liked some donor information He couples the least Most requested:

personality characteristics (intelligence)

Donors less interested They mainly want know the number of children born

out of their donation.


Clinical implications

Should fertility clinics reconsider their policy ?

What about giving candidate parents the opportunity to receive donor information?

What about giving them the opportunity to make their own donor choice?


Most striking findingstelling child


Majority intends to inform child

A respectable number finds it “rather difficult” to tell

Difficulties: Which story at what age ? Impact on family relationships and welfare child?

Clinical implications Need to develop written materials and counseling

programs that provide tools and help for DI parents in their proces of telling

Most striking findingsfuture contact child-donor


Right to know donor’s identity? Half He couples Majority Le couples & S mothers All donors

Half of all groups: the chance of a future meeting >50.

The majority: no objection against a meeting

The donor’s future role? None : He couples: 49%, Provider of information: Le couples & single mothers 50% Relationship with child : Single mothers 20% & Donors 34%

Heterosexual couples

Ambivalence and uncertainty in their answers. This is reflected in :

Their difficulties to tell

No full commitment to the law: some question the child’s right to know the donor’s identity

Ambivalence about a future meeting donor-child

Need to develop group counseling programs for candidate parents and for parents with children


Single mothers

Most open to donor contact in future 20% would like their child to have an emotional

relationship with donor

Does absence of a partner increases donor expectations?

Risk child will grow up with donor expectations that might never be fulfilled

Counseling should address these issues


Donors

Profile: mean age 37highly educated50% single73% no children & 58 % child wish

Helping the infertile major motive but…creating offspring 61%some kind of fatherhood 24%

All under scribe the child’s right to know donor’s identity

34% would want to built up a relationship with the child.


Documents

The donor’s future role in the child’s life