Gamete donation: the end to anonymity is nigh in the State of Victoria

Publié le 24 Feb, 2016

On Wednesday, the Parliament of Victoria in Australia voted on an amendment to the law regarding assisted procreation.  As from 1 March 2017, gamete recipients residing in the state will have access to information allowing them to identify the donor. At the present time, this only concerns persons born after 1998 who can access this information as soon as they reach adulthood.

 

However, legislation authorises donors to choose the type of information they wish to make available.“They must at least provide information about any potential disease or genetic disorder”. However, “it is up to them to decide whether or not they also wish to reveal their contact details or other more in-depth identification data”.

 

For Health Minister, Jill Henessy, this information can help some people to understand their identity but it can also prove crucial in the case of medical treatments. It is also useful for family planning purposes. “If this information is available, it should not be held back”, she claimed. She confirmed that the Victorian Authorities will provide access to this information for assisted procreation treatment and will advise donors, their descendants and families accordingly.

 

The founder of Surrogacy Australia, a surrogacy company, also welcomes this legislation seeing it as “a good thing” because it is “important for children born through gamete donation to have access to their personal information”… even if the donors thought to remain anonymous.

The Guardian (24/02/2016)

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