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Heidi Hall, featuring I. Glenn Cohen (Faculty Director)
USA Today
June 5, 2014

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Originally published as "Nashville teen finds her egg donor mom," The Tennesseean (June 5, 2014).

[...] The identity of U.S. sperm and egg donors is protected by default. In the United Kingdom, Australia and other countries, sperm and egg donors must be willing to be contacted when their offspring turns 18, said I. Glenn Cohen, a Harvard University law professor who specializes in bioethics. But some birth parents still never tell because they don't want to be undermined by a second relationship, Cohen said, and it can be tough for a child to be rejected by the donor.

If the United States were to mandate more openness, Cohen said, he'd also like laws that determine how much responsibility the donor must take on.

"It sounds like the story on Katie Couric is a happy one, but in some cases, when people agree to be sperm donors or egg donors, they don't want to have a relationship with the children brought into existence," he said. "I'd rather clarify up front what people are agreeing to do." [...]

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Tags

bioethics   biotechnology   health law policy   human tissue   i. glenn cohen   reproductive rights   reproductive technologies