Sperm Donors Anonymous Documentary

Producer Lisa Horler and Director Lucy Paplinska have kindly allowed some copies of this DVD for us to be able to watch after the Origin Archives interview with Ross Hunter.

The DVD cost is to cover shipping expenses.

Sperm Donors Anonymous is a cautionary and inspiring Australian documentary (57 mins) for television about the effects of anonymous sperm donation on donor-conceived children, their families and on the sperm donors themselves. Myf, Michael, Jeff and Ross were conceived in the 1970s using anonymous donor sperm. All four grew up thinking their dad was their biological father, only to discover in adulthood they were donor-conceived. Sharing a desire to uncover the truth about their donor father and their genetic heritage, their search for answers is hampered by old promises to donors that they would remain anonymous. Faced with this obstacle, they are inventive in their efforts to find out what they can, and searching yields some very surprising results. Sperm Donors Anonymous lifts the lid on donor anonymity, looks at the effects on the donor-conceived, their families, and on the sperm donors themselves - and shows what is possible when the truth is told.

watch Trailer

Have a DVD of the Documentary sent to me

Four Corners - When IVF Goes Wrong - One in every 18 births in Australia is now a result of IVF. It's a multi-million-dollar industry creating 'miracle babies'. But when things go wrong, who is holding these fertility clinics to account? Grace Tobin reports

Below are more documentaries and Donor conception news media

Lauren Burns fought tooth and nail to find her anonymous sperm donor father. She was then instrumental in campaigning for world-first retrospective legislation to give all donor-conceived children in Victoria the right to identify their donor, irrespective of anonymity promises made in the past. Seven years after Australian Story first profiled Lauren, she is back campaigning again, fearing the achievements she and other donor-conceived children made are being wound back by the Victorian government. Now, as she steps into parenthood for the first time, she finds herself haunted by the past.

Offspring - Barry Stevens Documentary (Canada) - After discovering that he may have almost two hundred half-brothers and sisters, amateur sleuth and documentarian Barry Stevens sets out to uncover the identity of the anonymous sperm donor behind his secret clan - all of whom are among the first people in England to be artificially conceived

The World's Biggest Family - An Anonymous Sperm Donor's Legacy - Barry Stevens (Canada) - This documentary has become private and another avenue is being sourced currently

Donor-conceived and surrogate-born people heard for the first time at the UN during the 30th Anniversary Convention on the Rights of the Child Tuesday, November 19, 2019 was an historic day for the United Nations as well as people created via donor conception and surrogacy. It was the 30th Anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (the most widely adopted human rights treaty in history). At a conference celebrating this event, in the Palais De Nations, Geneva, It was also the first time that a large international group of donor-conceived or surrogacy-born people had the chance to speak about their lived experience at the United Nations.

Rose Overberg, a donor-conceived woman shares her experience of locating her donor via DNA testing at VARTA's 2019 Twilight Seminar, The Genie is out of the bottle: DNA testing and the end of donor anonymity.

A look at law reform underway across the country regarding donor conceived people searching for their family. Advocates are calling for retrospective laws to reveal the identities of previously anonymous donors, but some fear they would go too far

Thousands of donor-conceived people have a deep longing to know who they belong to, where they come from, and who they look like. What is it like to grow up not knowing who your biological father is or if you have any siblings? What is it like to find out that the man you thought was your dad is not your biological father, that your true biological father donated his sperm and is known only by a number? How does it impact your self-perception, the choices you make, and your view of life and the world? Donor-conceived people are demanding answers to these basic questions about their origins, their lives, and their identities. http://www.anonymousfathersday.com

(2004) Back in the 70s it was seen as a noble community service, giving real hope to infertile couples. Sperm donors, mostly young men, mostly students who did their bit to help create happy families. And in Australia alone, an estimated 10,000 babies were born, thanks to this artificial insemination program. A happy ending you'd think. But no, those babies have grown up and many are disenchanted. Some are desperate to trace their biological fathers. And some feel so cheated, they want the whole program stopped to prevent any more children being born this way.

Helena Seagrott began volunteering as the lead representative for Donor Conceived Australia in the Australian Capital Territory after she discovered two years ago that she was sperm donor conceived. She has called for a national, independent support service staffed by professionals who have been trained to deal with the complexities faced by donor conceived people. The ACT government has been expected to respond to a 2021 motion by Labor MLA Marisa Patterson calling for the assisted reproductive technology industry to be reviewed. The bill has proposed establishing a regulatory framework and a donor register in the ACT.

At VARTA's Twilight Seminar 'How are you going?' Experiences of donor conception' (8 April 2013) Ross talked about discovering recently, in his early thirties, that he was donor-conceived. Ross speaks of his relief in knowing the truth and his belief in the importance of honesty: “''Where do I come from?' is such a fundamental question and I think that for everyone they have the right to know”

Playlist of the 30th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child - Donor Conceived People Speak at the UN

Director Michael Rothman follows a group of adolescents who discover they were conceived from the same sperm donor, forming an unlikely family. The complexities of alternative conception are explored, and a new realm of modern family is defined. Available on Discovery + and VPN may be needed to access and watch this from Australia

A growing number of South Australians are using the state's donor conception register to find the missing pieces of their genetic history. The Australian-first online register was established last year, lifting decades of secrecy surrounding anonymous donor births and prompting calls for a national scheme.

VARTA - The Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority

Until December 2024 VARTA was active in supporting the donor conceived community in Victoria before it was disbanded and the register now mantained by the Victorian Department of Health. Services like “time to tell” assisting parents to tell their children have not been continued but there may be important or helpful information on VARTA’s Youtube channel. Various donor conceived people from Victoria speak about their experiences as well as previous counselors and staff.

Click the VARTA logo to be taken to their Youtube channel.