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Katherine Dawson calls for IVF transparency to reveal lifesaving sperm donor medical information

This woman knows who her sperm donor father is, and the medical risks he passed down. But Australian laws mean most can’t access the same lifesaving information.

Katherine Dawson is an IVF reform campaigner after finding out her sperm father donated under several names and she believes she has up to 700 half siblings. Picture: Supplied
Katherine Dawson is an IVF reform campaigner after finding out her sperm father donated under several names and she believes she has up to 700 half siblings. Picture: Supplied

An Australian singing teacher and musician who believes she could have up to 700 half siblings is calling for nationwide change to allowed greater medical transparency for fellow donor-conceived children.

Adelaide woman Katherine Dawson was born through IVF, finding out at age 11 from her mother that she was conceived through a donor.

She said medical information she received from her half siblings, including at least 10 across Adelaide, “saved my life”.

It was only after her mother passed away from cancer in 2009 that Ms Dawson began looking to her past and attempting to track down her biological father, or “donor father”.

In her studies, she discovered that her donor father had donated across multiple clinics and hospitals, creating multiple donor codes, and that she had in excess of 50 half-siblings, including around 10 in Adelaide, a number she believes could be as high as 700.

“When I was 27, they (Victoria) passed legislation to retrospectively remove donor’s anonymity,” Ms Dawson told The Advertiser.

“I found out the donor’s identity and then through DNA testing I’ve been finding different siblings with different donor codes.”

“When I finally met him he said he donated under a bunch of fake names at ten different locations.”

Katherine Dawson. She is an IVF baby and her donor dad donated sperm under multiple names for 6 years and she suspects she has 700 half siblings. Picture: Supplied
Katherine Dawson. She is an IVF baby and her donor dad donated sperm under multiple names for 6 years and she suspects she has 700 half siblings. Picture: Supplied

Ms Dawson said IVF clinics often fail to collect accurate medical information, meaning donor-conceived children like herself are often unaware of medical issues that may arise throughout their life.

“I just kept finding more and more things.”

“He also has schizophrenia, which was developing when he was in his 20s and donating, so the health information was not collected.”

“On the paperwork it said ‘no medical history’ on his non identifying info.”

Ms Dawson said in 2018 she found out her identified siblings share a pre-cancer condition called serrated polyposis syndrome (SPS), an asymptomatic condition that can only be found through testing, that left unchecked, increases the chance of the sufferer developing bowel cancer.

“I’ve got several siblings that already go in for colonoscopies and have to at least every five years,” she said.

“That’s the sort of minimum that you need to, when you’ve got this condition.”

Katherine Dawson. She is an IVF baby and her donor dad donated sperm under multiple names for 6 years and she suspects she has 700 half siblings. Picture: Supplied
Katherine Dawson. She is an IVF baby and her donor dad donated sperm under multiple names for 6 years and she suspects she has 700 half siblings. Picture: Supplied

Ms Dawson said she went for a test, which caught SPS that doctors said could have developed into something worse if left unchecked.

Ms Dawson has been campaigning for clinics to share medical information to all her siblings, and said SA is leading the way when it comes to fertility legislation.

“South Australia has just passed the same legislation as Victoria and added in the section where Chris Picton, the Health Minister, can intervene.”

“I’m just sort of going through that process to try and communicate with him and give him all of the genetic information, so that he can then work with the Donor Conceived Register, find who my siblings are, their up-to-date address and hopefully communicate that medical information to them so they can do the pre-cancer checks.”

Ms Dawson would like to see legislation of this kind at a national level, so that IVF children across all states can access much needed information about their donor.

“You could be born in Mildura, I’ll be born in Renmark and you have different rights to information just based on which part of the country you’re born in.”

“They should really all be the same because I have the rights to the info just as much as my siblings do.”

Originally published as Katherine Dawson calls for IVF transparency to reveal lifesaving sperm donor medical information

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Original URL: https://www.ntnews.com.au/health/family-health/fertility/katherine-dawson-calls-for-ivf-transparency-to-reveal-lifesaving-sperm-donor-medical-information/news-story/c8272f713cb7538914e61beda71a0505