🧬 Children Born from Anonymous Donations: Can They Find Their Biological Parent Today?

💡 Context: a Question Asked in our Group

An internet user recently wrote to us:

“My father was a donor in the 2000s. Is there any way for his biological children to find him if they feel the need?”

This question touches on a subject that is both intimate and deeply human. And it turns out that, recently, the law has (somewhat) evolved.

⚖️ What French Law Says

For a long time, sperm or egg donation in France was strictly anonymous and free. No filiation link, no identity information could be transmitted.

But the bioethics law of August 2, 2021, which came into effect on September 1, 2022, changes the situation:

• Children born from donations made after this date can request the donor’s identity (name, first name, age, city, etc.), if the donor has given consent at the time of donation.

• However, donations made before 2022 remain subject to the anonymity regime, unless the donor voluntarily contacts the authorities to lift this anonymity.

👉 So for a donation from the 2000s:
➡️ No information can be transmitted to children born from this donation, unless the donor takes voluntary action for recognition or partial lifting of anonymity.

🧭 What Steps are Possible Today?

✅ for Children Born from a Donation before 2022:

1. They can “register on an origins access registry” with the CNAOP (National Council for Access to Personal Origins), even if this registry mainly concerns adoptions.

2. In case of suffering or need for answers, a request for psychological support can be made to AMP (Assisted Medical Procreation) centers.

3. If the donor comes forward, a voluntary cross-checking of requests may possibly be established.

✅ for Donors from the 2000s who Wish to be Found:

1. It is possible to contact the CECOS (Center for Study and Conservation of Eggs and Sperm) where the donation was made.

2. A voluntary declaration to lift anonymity can be registered with the National Register of Gamete Donations.

🧬 a New Era for Children Born from Donations?

Society is evolving. New laws aim to better reconcile the donor’s right to anonymity with the child’s right to identity. More and more children who have become adults express this existential need: to know where they come from.

Tools like JeTeRecherche or commercial DNA tests abroad (23andMe, MyHeritage…) sometimes bypass legal frameworks, but they show a reality: the need for truth and roots is universal.

🤝 JeTeRecherche: a Solidarity Platform

Our site is not just a tool for finding friends or relatives. It’s also a space to ask questions, open up possibilities, and hear from those who don’t yet have answers.

💬 Are you a voluntary donor and wish to be found?
💬 Were you born from a donation and have questions?
Post a notice on JeTeRecherche.com Our community is here.