Steps should be taken to protect the records of sperm and egg donors in Victoria while an inquiry considers who should have access to the records, the government's law reform committee says.
In an interim report tabled in Parliament yesterday, the committee said it needed more time to answer the legal, practical and other questions that would arise if all donor-conceived people were given access to identifying information about their donors and their donor-conceived siblings.
In Victoria, the rights of the donor-conceived vary depending on when they were born, with those born before 1988 not entitled to identifying information about their donor. Those born between 1988 and 1997 have the right to access information if the donor agrees. Only those born after 1997 have an absolute right to information.
In its interim report, the committee said it hoped it would be given more time to examine the matter and that, meanwhile, the Victorian government should urgently consider whether measures should be taken to ensure that existing and unprotected donor records were preserved.
The report said evidence presented to the committee suggested that poor record-keeping in the early days of donor-conception practices was a significant barrier to providing greater access to information about pre-1988 donors.
''These records may have been destroyed, or may currently be located with individual doctors or clinics. Some participants in this inquiry raised concerns about the need to locate and protect all donor records,'' the report said.
A spokeswoman for the Victorian government said it supported the continuation of the inquiry and would consider whether action should be taken to preserve existing records.
For more on this story follow the link: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/victorian-donor-records-at-risk-inquiry-warns-20100915-15cng.html
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