How to answer a donor anonymity question in a medical school interview
- Kind
- Policy and health systems
Prompt
Should people conceived with donated sperm or eggs have the right to learn the donor's identity when they turn 18, even if the donor was promised anonymity at the time of donating?
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How to approach this question
What this question tests
- Ethical reasoning
- Critical thinking
How to approach it
This panel interview question about sperm and egg donation tests how you'd weigh a donor-conceived person's interest in knowing where they come from against a promise of anonymity made years earlier. Name both parties' interests: identity and family health history for the person conceived, and privacy and a settled life for the donor. Consider whether a new rule should apply only to future donors, or also to past donors who relied on the promise. Mention that consumer DNA testing already makes anonymity hard to guarantee, and ask what that means for the promise. Take a clear position, and explain how a donor's wishes could still be respected, such as through a stated preference about contact.
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