New donor linking resources available

As part of its public education program to raise awareness about donor linking and changes in the laws concerning donor conception, VARTA held a twilight seminar in May entitled Donor conception: from anonymity to openness. The seminar aimed to explain the function of VARTA’s Donor Registers Service and how the process of donor linking works. A highlight of the event was the participation of a range of people impacted by donor conception – donor conceived people, donors, and recipient parents – who shared their personal stories with the audience.

Videos of these presentations and of the experience of panellists are now available for people who were unable to attend the event. Interviews with Kelly, a donor conceived woman, and Graham, her donor, were also recorded that evening. Kelly and Graham’s story provides an example of one type of relationship that emerge from donor linking. But as you will see from the videos, each donor linking story is unique, influenced by the personalities and circumstances of the people involved.

Explaining the Donor Registers Service

Lived experiences of donor linking

Graham and Kelly’s story of donor linking and advice to others

Donor linking, as the process of linking parties connected by donor treatment is called, is relatively new and VARTA is one of the pioneering agencies in this field. In 2015, VARTA’s Donor Registers Service was established to offer formal support both to people applying to the donor registers for information and to the subjects of those applications – as well as to the families of both parties.

For anyone who has questions or concerns about donor linking or changes to donor conception laws in Victoria, please contact one of the Donor Registers Service experienced staff members who will provide professional, sensitive, and unbiased support and information.