CHOOSING
TO BE OPEN ABOUT DONOR CONCEPTION: THE EXPERIENCES OF
PARENTS ( 2002)
By Sharon Pettle and Jan Burns. Published
by the Donor Conception Network |
| In
this booklet parents who are committed to being open with
their children about donor conception share their experiences.
A total of fifty- two parents who had used egg or sperm
donation to create their families took part in the study,
undertaken by Clinical Psychologists at Canterbury Christchurch
University College. They include families from a variety
of circumstances, and direct quotes from individuals are
included in the text. |
|
Available
to buy from the DC Network P.O Box, priced at £6.50
|
| |
FAMILIES
FOLLOWING ASSISTED CONCEPTION: WHAT DO WE TELL OUR CHILD?
(1996)
By Alexina McWhinnie. Published by University
of Dundee Department of Social Work. ISBN: 1873153236 |
| Based
on a UK study carried out on 31 IVF and 23 DI families,
the author aims to deal with the practical and ethical
difficulties of secrecy in assisted conception. It also
aims to suggest ways in which explanations to children
can be given in different situations, and in different
ways as they as their understanding grows. There is a
useful table of child development issues, and of life
events which may trigger questions from offspring, and
a list of questions for DI parents to consider in relation
to telling. |
| |
|
TRUTH
AND THE CHILD 10 YEARS ON: INFORMATION EXCHANGE IN DONOR
ASSISTED CONCEPTION (1998)
Edited by Eric Blyth, Marilyn Crawshaw and Jennifer
Speirs. Published by the British Association of Social
Workers. ISBN: 1868780281
|
| This
is a thought provoking, intelligent and moving book. It
consists of a wide-ranging collection of essays addressing
the rights of donor offspring to have information about,
and access to, both their genetic parents. It compares
adoption law with the rights of donor conceived offspring
under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (1990).
It includes chapters by a DI mother and Network member
"Secrecy is not an option: Trust in the Truth",
the genetic mother of surrogate twins, an egg donor, and
a woman who found out at the age of 41 that she was conceived
by DI. |
| |
LET
THE OFFSPRING SPEAK: DISCUSSIONS ON DONOR CONCEPTION (1997)
Published by the Donor Conception Support
Group of Australia ISBN: 0646324942 |
| This
book resulted from a Donor Issues Forum in Sydney, Australia.
It contains contributions from parents of DI conceived
children, child and adult donor offspring, sperm and egg
donors, and clinicians, counsellors and social workers
who were brought together at the event. Its overwhelming
message is that greater information sharing is essential
in promoting healthy human relationships. There are suggested
scripts for parents to use when telling their children
about their donor origins; the examples include both single
parent and lesbian families. |
| |
|
THE
SECRET LIFE OF FAMILIES: MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT SECRETS
(1998)
By Evan Imber- Black. Published by Bantam Books. ISBN:
0553375520
|
| This
is a lovely book. The author, a psychotherapist, writes
in a very accessible way about how secrets can harm, but
also heal. Using personal stories to illustrate different
points he takes the reader through the distinction between
healthy privacy and toxic secrecy; what to tell and not
to tell young children, and what to consider before revealing
an important secret. Donor Insemination is used to illustrate
different aspects of secrecy in three stories (the index
at the back can help you find them), but to my mind the
most interesting one addresses the issue of "living
with not knowing". This is the story of a young woman
who, having found out by accident at age 14 that she was
conceived by DI, made the issue of not having information
about her donor the focus of her life. |
| |
FAMILY
SECRETS (1991)
By Harriet Webster Published by Addison-
Wesley Publishing Company. ISBN: 020160812X |
| A
series of true-life stories of secrets such as adoption,
alcoholism, homosexuality and suicide. The author examines
the damaging effects of secrecy on children and families. |
| |
LETHAL
SECRETS: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF DONOR INSEMINATION (1989)
By Annette Baran and Reuben Pannor. Published
by Amistad Press. ISBN: 1567430201 |
|
Focusing
on the emotional and psychological effects of donor
insemination on all parties involved, the authors use
case histories to support their argument that secrecy
is harmful. There are chapters that focus on the issues
for couples where the male partner has had a vasectomy,
lesbian couples and single women, as well as the perspective
of a sperm donor.
There is a chapter on telling which supports the view
not commonly held now that children should not be told
about DI until they are old enough to understand the
technicalities.
|
publications
||
publications ||
leaflets
||
articles ||
meetings
||
Network
news ||
<
BACK to book list
Library
| Contacts | Links
| Members | Information