The Needs and Interests of Donor Conceived People, Donors and Families

Abstract Authors: Lauri A. Pasch
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
University of California, San Francisco

Abstract Text:

In 2022, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine created a new taskforce charged with helping ASRM clarify and articulate priorities regarding support for the needs and interests of donor conceived people and their families.  The taskforce consisted of 15 professionals from REI, mental health, law, nursing, and genetics as well as donors, parents, and donor conceived people. The final recommendations were influenced by review of the research literature, the experiences and expertise of the taskforce members, and systematic incorporation of information generated from stakeholder Listening sessions. The taskforce recommendations addressed: 1) the importance of supporting legislation to protect parental rights of parents from donor conception, 2) best practices for gamete and embryo donation regarding record keeping, release of information, including the benefits for donor conceived people to be able to obtain information about the donor, including their identity, from the facility where the gametes were procured, and limits to the number of families to receive gametes from one donor, 3) education, counseling and resources for donor conceived people, parents, and donors, 4) outreach to other disciplines who care for our patients in OB, pediatrics and beyond, and 5) encouragement and support for research on families from donor conception.  This presentation will summarize the background, composition, findings, and recommendation of the taskforce and outline opportunities, strategies and challenges regarding implementation and next steps.