Genetics,Fathers and Families: Exploring the Implications of Changing the Law in Favour of Identifying Sperm Donors

In April 2005 amendments to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 allowed adult children of gamete donors access to identifying information about their donor. Focusing on sperm donation as the most often used donated gamete in Britain, this article concentrates on the original decision in the legislation to secure donor anonymity in order to highlight the ways in which societal trends have shifted in favour of the importance of genetic fathers. This will involve discussing how anomalous this decision was in comparison to changes elsewhere in family law where genetic fathers-and genetic kin relationships-were being given increasing priority in regulating families living outside the heteronormative, married, nuclear family. The author discusses the impact of the new genetics in providing a rationale for the increasing emphasis placed on knowledge of genetic fatherhood for the ontological security of individuals, their well-being and identity. The article ends with a discussion of some of the implications for families living outside the heteronormative ideal of the increasing prioritization given to genetic fathers.