The ethical and legal debate

The British government is currently considering whether to review the law o n information provision for donor offspring. This paper therefore provides an overview of the current international legal situation relating to donor anonymity and a review of the key arguments and evidence an both sides of t he debate, While the British government is considering all aspects of infor mation giving, both identifying and non-identifying donor information, this paper will focus on the most contentious issue: the provision of informati on that would identify the donor, The current legal situation in the UK and internationally is examined, drawing attention to a possible international trend towards more information giving, The evolution of the present Britis h system is outlined and it is asked whether some of the concerns and value s that gave rise to the practice of anonymous donation are still relevant t oday. Looking at the concept of a child's right to know their biological id entity it examines the possible basis of such a right and its potential con flict with the perceived interests of the child's parents. Finally, some of the practical obstacles to non-anonymous donation are evaluated, The paper concludes that a review of the British law is both timely and desirable.