Protecting the privacy and anonymity of our sperm donors is extremely important to Seattle Sperm Bank. This includes men who are open identity (or open ID) donors, which is the option SSB strongly encourages, and which most of our donors currently are. Open ID donors agree to have at least one form of contact with any donation-born offspring once the child turns 18. This initial contact is facilitated by SSB, but what happens beyond that first connection is then up to the donor and the adult offspring to decide.
Despite the open ID agreement, sometimes parents, prospective parents, and offspring of donors have used tools such as online image search and consumer DNA kits to track down and contact sperm donors without their consent or before the child turns 18. This breach violates the agreement with our customer, is unfair to sperm donors, and is not in the best interest of children conceived using donor sperm. Plus, such lapses in anonymity can discourage young, healthy men from becoming donors and helping others create families.
That’s why SSB takes concrete steps to protect donor anonymity. This includes never providing adult photos of our donors on our website (though we do show baby pictures) because these could be used in online image searches. Additionally, providing static photos that may be outdated is, in our opinion, not the best way to convey a donor’s looks.
Instead, SSB offers something better: our free photo matching service. This allows our clients to submit pictures of the person they would like to match as closely as possible. Our staff then compares your photos to those of our active donors to help you narrow down your search. We’ve found these tailored photo matches to be highly effective in helping you choose a donor that resembles the appearance and other physical characteristics you are looking for.
So whether you decide to become an anonymous or open ID donor, you can rest assured we’re doing all we can to protect your privacy and anonymity.
If you have questions about becoming an open ID donor, please contact one of our client services coordinators at 206-588-1484 or cs@seattlespermbank.com.
