The Views of Semen Donors regarding the Swedish Insemination Act 1984

Abstract

The Swedish Insemination Act (1984) provides for offspring who were conceived by donor insemination (DI) the right to have access to the identity of the donor when they have reached maturity. This paper reports on the attitudes and views of donors in a Swedish clinic in relation to the Act. It looks at the debate that occurred at the time of the introduction of the Act and the arguments both for and against the maintenance of traditional donor anonymity. It looks at the effect the Act has had on the numbers and types of men donating and considers the implications of the actions taken by some infertile couples to prevent their child from finding out the identity of the relevant donor. It also looks at the issues which the Swedish welfare services will need particularly to consider as the time approaches when the first of the DI offspring conceived under this legislation come to ‘maturity’, and start requesting access to information about donors. The attitudes of donors in this study are then compared with those of donors in other countries. Finally, the legislative approach taken in Sweden is compared with the more educative approach undertaken in New Zealand to the issue.