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Biomedical subjects

Ken Daniels

Publications and source records attributed to Ken Daniels.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Donor gametes: anonymous or identified?

The practice of gamete donation has, until recently, been shrouded in secrecy. The stigma associated with infertility and, in particular, donor insemination has been the main factor contributing to this secrecy. Over the last 20 years, this secrecy and the anonymity of the gamete donors has been challenged. In the first instance, the challenge came from governments in some countries legislating to abolish donor anonymity. Counsellors, social workers and psychologists advocating for the interests and needs of children and their families, as well as parents who did not wish to keep gamete donation secret from their children, were also instrumental in the change of policies and practice. Those offspring who know that they were conceived as a result of gamete donation are also calling for an end to the secrecy. This chapter reviews the changes that have occurred and which are still occurring, and reviews the research associated with these changes.

Child↗
PubMed2006

Sharing information with adults conceived as a result of donor insemination.

A growing number of jurisdictions have introduced legislation to give children the right to information about, and identity of, 'their' gamete donor. This has been accompanied by a reduction in the social stigma associated with infertility and building families with the assistance of donated gametes. This changing culture has meant that an increasing number of parents are seeking assistance regarding how to share their family history, including the donor insemination conception story. The literature suggests that the sharing of information is best undertaken when the children are young. There is virtually no literature available for parents who wish to share their family history with adult offspring, or for those professionals whose guidance they may seek. This paper addresses this emerging area of practice. It is suggested that there are three main areas that will be of assistance with any attempt to understand the individual and family dynamics involved: identity and self-image, stigma and power. Strategies and suggestions emerging from each of these areas of knowledge are outlined. This paper aims to generate discussion and to encourage others to share their clinical experiences in this area.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Recruiting gamete donors: response to Craft and Thornhill.

This response challenges the notion that paying more money, in whatever form, will overcome the anxieties of gamete donors regarding the removal of anonymity. An overview of the literature on payment and donor recruitment indicates that this is a complex issue. That literature does provide 'pointers' to the types of persons who should be 'targeted' in an information sharing and non-payment system. The experience in Sweden, both in relation to donor recruitment and parents' information-sharing with their children, is clarified, as the evidence is not always presented accurately.

Disclosure↗
PubMed2004

Offspring created as a result of donor insemination: a study of family relationships, child adjustment, and disclosure.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the quality of family relationships and children's socioemotional adjustment in families created by donor insemination where parents tended either toward disclosure or nondisclosure. DESIGN: A study of 46 families with a child aged 4-8 years who was conceived through donor insemination. The study used standardized interview data from mothers and fathers, teachers, and the children themselves. SETTING: An assisted conception unit endorsing openness. PATIENT(S): Parents and their 4- to 8-year-old child conceived through donor insemination. INTERVENTION(S): Parents were interviewed, and children were administered psychological tests. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Interviews and questionnaires assessing the quality of the marital relationship, parent-child relationships, and child psychological adjustment. RESULT(S): Mothers from disclosing families reported significantly less frequent and less severe arguments with their children and considered their children to show a lower level of conduct problems and to be less of a strain. The disclosing parents viewed themselves as more competent at parenting. CONCLUSION(S): The differences that were identified indicated more positive parent-child relationships in the disclosing than in the nondisclosing families. However, this did not represent dysfunctional relationships in the nondisclosing families but instead reflected particularly positive ratings in the disclosing group.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2004

Policy formation in gamete donation and egg sharing in the UK--a critical appraisal.

This article considers two key policy documents concerning donor-assisted conception in the UK, The British Fertility Society's Recommendations for Good Practice on the Screening of Egg and Embryo Donors and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's Guidance for Egg Sharing Arrangements. It discusses both the process and the evidence used in formulating those sections of the documents which relate to donor anonymity. The paper concludes that psycho-social policy developments in assisted conception, such as those relating to donor anonymity, should be subjected to comparable levels of rigour and scrutiny to those that are applied in the formulation of medical and scientific policies.

Access to Information↗
PubMed2002

Posthumous reproduction: a consideration of the medical, ethical, cultural, psychosocial and legal perspectives in the New Zealand context.

This paper describes the development of New Zealand policy on posthumous reproduction in assisted human reproduction. It outlines five perspectives: medical, ethical, cultural, psychosocial and legal and shows the multidisciplinary approach taken by the National Ethics Committee. It is argued that each of these perspectives has important contributions to make to the multidisciplinary approach. The guidelines determined by the Committee are outlined, along with the processes used in arriving at these.

Advisory Committees↗