The Donor’s Responsibilities

Abstract

This chapter considers the nature and extent of a gamete donor’s responsibility for their genetic offspring. The author argues that even if gamete donation is the kind of activity that triggers parental responsibility, gamete donors do not typically ever incur actual parental responsibility. Instead, they incur prospective parental responsibility, which is typically transferred to intended parents before the child comes into existence. The author argues that while prospective parental responsibility can be responsibly transferred, potential donors are generally obligated to be open donors so as not to implicate themselves in the morally problematic practice of conceiving children with anonymously donated gametes.