When I found out I was conceived using donor sperm my life collapsed like a Jenga tower (independent.co.uk)

⭐ PICK OF THE WEEK ⭐

‘It shakes things up. It really gets under your skin. It’s not something you get over’

In this interview, Laura Bridgens of the newly formed Donor Conceived UK describes how she first learned she was donor conceived: She asked her mother for an Ancestry DNA test for Christmas which prompted the revelation in February 2021. Laura explains why she is calling for an overhaul of UK law banning donor anonymity and for the government to have a legal responsibility to inform DC people about their biological origins: ‘It is understood to be quite fundamental to know where you’ve come from’. She points out that many people are unaware they’re donor conceived and that ‘you can’t exercise a right if you don’t know you’re entitled to it.’ Referring to those turning 18 from this month and requesting identifying details about their donor, she reminds all parties that donors’ contact details may well not be up to date, and donors are not legally obliged to respond to contact - which may lead to significant disappointment.

At this point, we can only speculate about how many 18 yr olds will request details, how many will attempt contact, and how many will be successful - and what will unfold from that point onwards.

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