A donor-conceived woman has questioned the ethics of the fertility industry and the inadequacy of legislation [1] in Ireland. Donor-conception means that you are conceived via either sperm donation, egg donation, or both. Frequently the gametes are purchased, not donated.
Journalist, Louise McLoughlin, who describes herself as “a product of donor-assisted IVF”, has spoken to hundreds of donor-conceived people across the world for her podcast ‘You Look Like Me’.
Writing in the Irish Independent she says she finds it hard to put aside her knowledge of “the dark side of this industry”.
“At the end of the day, fertility clinics are a business, and the endgame is a successful pregnancy that puts a baby in the arms of its clients — nothing more”.
She adds that Irish legislation “does not currently go far enough when it comes to protecting the people being created”.
For decades, she says the industry was allowed to run free unchecked — happily using various self-serving misconceptions.
“The once-prevalent myth that we wouldn’t want to know where we come from has been debunked. Promises of anonymous DNA have been shattered. Assurances that donor-conceived people fare well — even when lied to — have been revealed to be little more than an idyllic fantasy”.
While denying that IVF is morally unacceptable, she said “The fertility industry, however, might just be”.