Abstract
This paper begins with a precis and discussion of what we know of reunions between adopted adults and their families of birth. There then follows insights from a study of the long-term outcomes of reunions and what the emergent relationships suggest about the nature of kinship. It goes on to the subject of donor conception, specifically what we might be able to ‘read across’ from the challenges that adoption can pose relating to identity and what we mean when we talk about family and kinship. The paper concludes: ‘An end to secrecy, openness, acknowledgement of feelings of loss, and respect for biological connections have been essential for the well-being and stability of adopted people and their families. So too are these actions vital for donor-conceived people’.
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Notes
- 1.
A ‘link’ or match occurs when a second party registers on a database of those that have registered their interest in contact with someone from whom they have been separated by adoption. This thus indicates a mutual wish for contact. Birthlink: http://www.birthlink.org.uk/
- 2.
This chapter foregrounds what we know about the parallels between the experiences of adopted people and those adults conceived via donor conception and as such does not engage with the other debates and literature concerning egg and sperm donation that have been informed by feminist or masculinities theories. In the case of feminist perspectives, these now span decades. See Dowd (1994) for a perceptive paper that connects adoption and donor conception and Griffin (2018) for a more up-to-date discussion that raises concerns about the ‘erasure’ of mothers in the search for donor-fathers, but like Dowd also draws parallels between adoption and donor conception. As regards a masculinities approach there is much literature; for example, Mohr usefully explores Danish sperm donors’ motivations and goes beyond such simplistic reasons for donation as payment and altruism (CitationRef CitationID="CR39">2014</CitationRef>).
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Clapton, G. (2021). The Search for Self: Adoption Reunions, Kinship Matters and Donor Conception. In: Wahlström Henriksson, H., Goedecke, K. (eds) Close Relations. Crossroads of Knowledge. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0792-9_5
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