The Identity-Release^® Program

The Sperm Bank of California (TSBC) developed the Identity-Release^® Program in 1983 in order to provide adult children conceived by donor insemination with access to information on their donors. Initial requests for this pioneering program came directly from our community members. While an increasing number of sperm banks are following TSBC’s lead and instituting open identity programs, no other bank has done the systematic research and planning to ensure that identity releases take place in a manner that respects all the parties involved: donor offspring, their parents, and donors.

What Does Identity-Release Mean?
Our Identity-Release^® Program is designed to give adults conceived through donor insemination the option of learning their donor’s identity in case they have unanswered questions about their genetic background. It is not designed to create parental or family relationships between donors and their offspring, and the names of recipients and their children are never released to donors.

Our research has found that offspring simply want to be able to learn more about their donors as a way of exploring their own identity. Choosing to participate in the Identity-Release^® Program does not obligate donors to meet their offspring. Donors who choose this option sign a contract that authorizes TSBC to reveal their identity only under the following circumstances:

• Information can be released only to the individual conceived through donor insemination, not to his or her parents.
• This individual must be at least eighteen years old.
• This individual must petition TSBC in writing for the donor’s identifying information.

Before releasing any information to offspring, TSBC contacts the donor and asks him to fill out an updated profile and to specify his preferred form of contact (phone, email, letter), if any. Once we have received and verified the offspring’s written request, we release the donor’s updated profile, full name, birth date, place of birth, and contact information. There is no guarantee that offspring will request their donor’s information, nor that those who do request information will initiate contact with their donor.

TSBC employs rigorous record keeping to track the birth of each child conceived through our donor program to ensure that children requesting their donor's identity will receive the correct information. In the event that TSBC closes, we will transfer all records to a carefully selected agency and we will notify all recipients of this transfer in writing.

Anonymous Versus Identity-Release^® Donors
Not all TSBC donors participate in the Identity-Release^® Program. We indicate each donor’s identity-release status in our catalog and donor profiles. Anonymous (or “no”) donors sign a contract that assures the donor complete confidentiality and prohibits TSBC from revealing his identity under any circumstances. However, this contract also permits TSBC to contact the anonymous donor in the future should an adult child conceived by donor insemination petition for the release of identifying information. While a “no” donor has the option of becoming a “yes” donor at a later date, “yes” donors who sign a contract choosing to participate in our Identity-Release^® Program do not have the option of changing their minds and becoming “no” donors.

What Donors Should Know About the Identity-Release^® Program
We are always interested in recruiting as many donors for the Identity-Release^® Program as possible. If you choose to retain total anonymity, we will certainly respect your decision. However, we do encourage you to consider participating in a program that would allow your offspring access to complete information about their genetic origins. We recently conducted an in-house survey of donors in our Identity-Release^® Program, who explained why they chose this option as follows:

• 48% felt that offspring have the right to know the donor’s identity
• 32% said they would be curious about their offspring
• 20% said that they would want to have this option if they were donor offspring

One of our donors summed up his decision:

I tried to put myself in the shoes of someone who was the result of such a donation. I might not actually look up the donor, but it would be reassuring to have the option to do so.

return to top