This term means that a donor has agreed to at least one form of contact with any donation-born offspring once the child turns 18. In America, this is the fastest growing trend among sperm banks due to the transparency and comfort it provides. Seattle Sperm Bank was the first in the U.S. to specialize in providing this option to donor-conceived children. We feel that it’s an important option for our clients and their families, and our catalog consists mostly of donors listed as such.
Why is it important to us? As children conceived from anonymous donors grow into adulthood, many lament the fact that policies of anonymity cut them off from half of their genetic inheritance. They may hunger to know more about their donor’s story from family traits, to life histories, even whether he was musically inclined. Such a sense of belonging is taken for granted by most of us, but for these kids it can be sorely missed. Open identity sperm donation is intended to address this basic human desire, and that is why Seattle Sperm Bank specializes in Open ID donors.
When a donor child reaches 18 years old, he or she may request to initiate contact with the donor through our bank. We will make the connection and arrange a mutually agreed-upon method of contact. It could be a meeting, a phone call or simply an exchange of information. It will be a communication between two adults who will be able to decide how they best want to move forward. The child must initiate the contact, as patient and child identities are confidential and are never released to the sperm donors.
All donors are required to go through a maturity evaluation by the sperm bank’s managing director and donor coordinator. This is to ensure they understand the parameters and responsibilities associated with their decision of becoming an Open Identity Donor. Once the paperwork is submitted to Seattle Sperm Bank, an Open ID donor cannot switch to become an anonymous donor. Sperm donors have no legal rights, responsibilities or obligations to any children born through the use of their semen. There is no requirement that the donor commit to a long-term relationship with the child, although he and the child may arrange to have further communication.
While prospective parents don’t get to meet their selected sperm donor, there is a lot to learn about donors through profile information. At Seattle Sperm Bank, we have found that the Open Identity Donors are usually willing to provide more detailed content such as baby photos and extended essays to us. Many potential parents find security in knowing their child will be able to have some contact with their donor. However, even as an Open Identity Donor, there is no guarantee that the donor will have the same wishes as the parent and child beyond an initial contact. For more information/questions, please let us know and we will guide you through the process that our Open ID Donors experience.
