Resources
Published: July 2019
Assisted reproduction treatment (ART), Donor conception, Donor conception register services
Twilight seminar - The Genie is out of the bottle: DNA testing and the end of donor anonymity
Headline: The Genie is out of the bottle: DNA testing and the end of donor anonymity
VARTA's 2019 twilight seminar explored the rise of direct-to-consumer DNA testing and how more people are finding out they are not genetically related to family members in the way they always thought.
The sold out event held on 17 June, examined how DNA testing is also being used together with genealogy and internet searches to trace donors and donor siblings. As this becomes more affordable, more people are accessing it, increasing the chance of connections and these trends have major implications for donor-conceived people, their parents and donors
Published: August 2018
Fertility & infertility, Assisted reproduction treatment (ART), Donor conception, Donor conception register services, About VARTA
Twilight seminar - Experiences of donor linking: Research and personal perspectives
Headline: Experiences of donor linking: Research and personal perspectives
VARTA's 2018 twilight seminar explored what happens when people who are connected as a result of donor conception treatment learn each other’s identities, exchange information or meet. The sold out event, held on 9 July, examined the latest research into donor linking and its outcomes and listened to the experiences of people who have been through the process.
Published: May 2017
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Assisted reproduction treatment (ART), Donor conception, Donor conception register services
When a sperm donor applies to find his offspring
Headline: When a sperm donor applies to find his offspring
In 1979, when Aaron* answered a call for volunteer research participants at Melbourne’s Royal Women’s Hospital, he was surprised to find himself signing up to a sperm donation program. Now, more than 35 years later, Aaron has connected with two of his donor offspring and is seeking contact with others.
Published: August 2015
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Assisted reproduction treatment (ART), Donor conception, Donor conception register services
ABC ‘Sperm Donors Anonymous’ gets to the heart of issues in donor conception
The issue of anonymous sperm donation has been under the spotlight of late in Victoria, partly due to changes in legislation, partly as a result of VARTA’s exhibition, ‘Donor conception: towards openness’, and now because of the ABC documentary ‘Sperm Donors Anonymous’.
Published: February 2017
Hardcopy/pdf
Donor conception register services, Regulation
Guidelines for VARTA in managing the donor conception registers
Guidelines have been issued under section 100A(1) of the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Act 2008 by the Secretary to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Published: January 2020
Assisted reproduction treatment (ART), Donor conception, Donor conception register services
What do people linked through donor conception want to know about each other?
Headline: What do people linked through donor conception want to know about each other?
Over the last few decades many thousands of people have been born as a result of donor sperm or eggs in Victoria. As they reach adulthood, some yearn to know more about their genetic origins and some donors want to know more about the people they helped conceive. Donor linking is the process by which donor-conceived people (DCP), parents of donor-conceived children and donors can access information about each other.
Published: June 2016
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Donor conception, Donor conception register services
Donor linking outcomes: as unique as the people involved
Headline: Donor linking outcomes: as unique as the people involved
Not every donor-linking story is the same, some are confined to polite exchanges of cards or emails, while others develop into lasting relationships. Each outcome is unique and determine by the people involved.
Assisted reproduction treatment (ART), Donor conception, Donor conception register services, About VARTA, Regulation
New law gives all donor-conceived Victorians the right to know their heritage
New donor conception laws were implemented in Victoria on 1 March 2017. This world-first legislation gives all people conceived in Victorian from egg and sperm donation the right to know their donor’s identity.
Published: March 2018
Fertility & infertility, Assisted reproduction treatment (ART), Donor conception, Donor conception register services, About VARTA
Victoria’s sperm donor laws yield some surprises, but mostly happy ones
Headline: Victoria’s sperm donor laws yield some surprises, but mostly happy ones
Victoria's sperm donor laws yield some surprises, but mostly happy ones
At least half of the donors who had donated anonymously were in favour of their offspring being able to know their identity. Shutterstock
Published: December 2016
Donor conception, Donor conception register services, Regulation
The donor conception registers have moved to VARTA
Headline: The donor conception registers have moved to VARTA
Changes to legislation governing donor conception in Victoria mean that on 1 March 2017, the state’s donor conception registers moved from the Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM) to VARTA.