Paternity Test - Sperm Donors, Are They Ready for Fatherhood?
As paternity test legislation changes the children of sperm donors will have the right to know who their biological father is.
Future Responsibilities
Following a change in the law in April 2005, the right to anonymity for sperm donors ended. As a result there has been a huge drop in the number of sperm donations and there is speculation of a shortage. The reasons behind this are complex, but perhaps the most obvious is that many donors will now think twice due to the prospect of later responsibilities that they may not wish for - the idea that in a few years a teenager may arrive at their doorstep demanding they take a DNA paternity test could be a huge deterrent.
DNA paternity test - children’s rights
Many donors are willing to contribute their sperm in aid of infertile couples, and some do it for financial gain, but it’s generally not because they want to become a parent. However, as children's rights are now central to legislation, there has been a massive shift in recent years and it’s now considered important for the child to know who their biological father is.
Internet boom
This creates a multitude of issues for potential donors. Many don’t want to end up having to take a DNA paternity test later in life, but do want to help infertile couples. Genetics play a huge and important part for many parent-child relationships – from how they look down to the way they walk, and even what diseases or illnesses they are susceptible to. It's little surprise then that there has been a recent boom in children using the internet to discover their biological fathers using, amongst other things, DNA paternity tests.
Nurture versus nature
Many children are raised by a father who isn’t their biological father and a DNA paternity test can prove this. But good fathering can be to do with nurture as well as nature. There are many reasons why good fathering matters:
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Proven to reduce the son's risk of gaining a criminal record
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It’s been shown that successful women often had respect and encouragement from their fathers
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Children with involved fathers develop better social skills and achieve better results in exams
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Good fathering helps your child develop higher self esteem and trust in others
A sperm donor who didn’t intend to be a father but is found by biological offspring after a DNA paternity test can suddenly be put upon to become a father and this can have huge emotional fall out. One news report followed the story of a 15-year-old boy who used genealogical records, internet searches and a DNA paternity test to locate his genetic father. This carries implications for the thousands of people conceived by donor sperm.
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