A British study has found that most children conceived with donated eggs or sperm are not told about their origins, although most IVF children are. Researchers at the University of Cambridge believe that parents who use donor gametes fail to tell their children because of the social stigma surrounding the practice. Their mothers strongly believe that it would be harmful for a child to learn about their donor origins.

On the other hand, the study, which only involved a few dozen children, suggested that there was no difference in parenting skills amongst the three groups of egg donation, donor insemination and IVF. However, mothers of donor insemination children tended to be over-involved and anxious. Their children were also more likely to be bullied.

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Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

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