Donor conception laws have changed in South Australia to better support the health and wellbeing of donor-conceived people, following significant positive feedback from public consultation.
People conceived in South Australia through donor conception treatment now have the right to access their genetic heritage information on South Australia’s Donor Conception Register (DCR).
A history of secrecy
Prior to 1988 there was no legal requirement for doctors and assisted reproductive treatment (ART) clinics to keep records about donor conception treatments.
Donors, whether they wanted it or not, were guaranteed lifelong anonymity. Parents were often advised to keep the truth of their child’s conception a secret from their child.
The evidence of psychosocial and medical impacts from this earlier Australian-wide practice is well documented.
Parenting SA and other organisations offer parents support and resources to talk to their donor-conceived child/children, about how they were conceived.
To learn more visit:
Health benefits
If you are a parent or guardian of a donor-conceived child, it is strongly encouraged to start conversations early with them about how they were conceived.
Knowledge of our own genetic heritage and where we come from is a human right. It helps us to:
- build self-esteem and self-identity
- access key medical information
- take early steps to minimise or prevent disease linked to genetic conditions
- benefit from informed family planning
- prevent unknowingly engaging in an intimate relationship with a genetic connection or with someone who has a common ancestor (known as a consanguineous relationship).
Public consultation and support
Public consultation on donor conception law change in South Australia was undertaken in 2021 and 2022 on the government’s YourSAy public consultation hub.
Feedback from public consultation showed significant support for donor-conceived people to have access to information about their genetic heritage.
Individual donors, donor-conceived people and parents of donor-conceived people contributed to this feedback, as well as other stakeholder groups including both the ART industry and donor conception community support groups across Australia.
To learn more visit:
- Donor conception records and the law
- Assisted Reproductive Treatment (Donor Conception Register) Amendment Bill 2021 | YourSAy
- Assisted Reproductive Treatment (Posthumous Use of Material and Donor Conception Register) Amendment Bill 2022 | YourSAy
- 2011 Commonwealth Report on Donor Conception Practices
- Assisted Reproductive Treatment Regulations | YourSAy.