Episode notes
Donor conception is often celebrated as a gift, a miracle, and a pathway to parenthood.
But what if your missing parent was missing by design? What if the person who created you intentionally planned for one or both of your biological parents to never be part of your life?
What does it mean to intentionally separate a child from one or both of his or her biological parents before birth? Do children have a right to know their biological mother and father? How does donor conception differ from adoption? And what are donor-conceived adults saying about growing up without access to one or both sides of their biological family?
In this episode, Katy Faust, Founder and President of Them Before Us, explores the ethical, psychological, and cultural questions surrounding donor conception and challenges us to view reproductive technology through a child-centered lens.
In this episode we discuss:
• What donor conception is and how it works
• The difference between donor conception and adoption • Why many donor-conceived adults are speaking out
• Identity, ancestry, and "genealogical bewilderment"
• The fertility industry's role in donor conception
• Anonymous donors and biological parenthood
• The rights of children versus the desires of adults
• What children may lose when donor conception becomes family planning
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