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PROGRAMME INFO |
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Every week Nick Ross invites a panel of public figures to discuss an issue of current concern.
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| Should Sperm Donors be identified?
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There are currently thousands of people who have no way of finding out their parent's identity. They are the result of conception using donor sperm or eggs and it has been against the law to tell them who their biological parents are. Now the government is consulting on whether they should get any information and if so how much.
Listen to this programme.
Adopted children were given the right retrospectively to discover their identity, even if their birth parents had wanted anonymity when they were adopted. Currently the government says this won't happen for donor children. But should it? The Human Rights Act might say so. Should donor children born in the future be allowed to find out who their father is, or just more non-identifying information about him? How do you balance the child's need to know and the father's need for privacy? If there is full disclosure will anyone still choose to donate sperm or will this sort of infertility treatment vanish?
Commissioners
Peter Stanford
Author
Peter Stanford's previous books include biographies of Lord Longford, Cardinal Basil Hume and the Devil. He has written an investigation of the Pope Joan legend and a polemical book, Catholics and Sex, which accompanied a Channel 4 television series. He contributes regularly to the Guardian, the Sunday Telegraph and the New Statesman. A regular broadcaster, he is also chairman of the national disability charity ASPIRE.
Ann Alexander
Partner of Alexander Harris Solicitors.
Managing partner and one of the first lawyers to specialise in clinical negligence Ann has practised this field of law since 1981. Specialising in all areas of clinical negligence, particularly birth trauma, cerebral palsy, anaesthetic awareness, general surgery, dentistry and radio therapy treatment, Ann represents individuals and campaigns for their rights in overturning decisions made by authorities, particularly the government's decision to hold the Harold Shipman inquiry in private. She is now one of the leading young lawyers in Britain.
She is also Assessor to the Law Society Clinical Negligence Panel; sits on the Funding Review Committee in Manchester; is chairman of the Richard Grand Society; chairman of the North West Legal Services Commission Committee; member of the Executive Board of the Birth Trauma Litigation Group Association of Trial Lawyers of America; APIL and the Legal Aid Working Party of the British Academy of Experts.
Courtenay Griffiths QC
Defence in the Damilola Taylor Trial
Courtenay came to the Bar directly from university. Time spent as Legal Assistant to the Greater London Council's Police Support Committee, and as a Revson Fellow at the City College in New York, completed his education. On his return from the USA, he spent a large proportion of his time practising in the provinces, particularly in West Yorkshire, Leeds and Bradford. That experience taught him the social importance of practice in the provinces, where the sight of a black man in a white wig and black gown often generated looks and sentiments of amazement.
He specialises in all aspects of criminal justice, including the criminal law, civil actions against the police and inquests. His practice has remained national and he has appeared in most major Crown Courts in England. His criminal practice ranges from fraud to terrorism, murder and serious public order to drugs.
Courtnenay has also lectured at many academic institutions around the country.
He is Vice-chair of the Bar's Race Relations Committee. He has long been involved in the work of the Society of Black Lawyers, and other voluntary organisations such as Talawa Theatre company.
Witnesses
Vivienne Nathanson
Head of Ethics at the British Medical Association.
The BMA's ethics committee proposed to support the rights of donor children in receiving information, which would reverse the current BMA's position. However, when this was proposed in their recent annual meeting, the members voted against it, maintaining the BMA's traditional position of anonymity.
David Gollancz
A lawyer who was conceived through Donor Insemination and argues it is a human right to know your heritage.
Walter Merricks
Donor Conception Network
The Donor Conception Network is a charitable foundation set up to support families contemplating or undergoing gamete donation treatment, those with children who were created by Donor Insemination, and individuals conceived in this way. Since its founding in 1993 it now has around 600 members
Francoise Shenfield
Clinical lecturer at University College Hospital and UCL, Medical Ethicist, and part-time consultant at London's Women's Clinic
Baroness Mary Warnock
British philosopher and university administrator
Mary Warnock is a moral philosopher with a particular interest in
educational matters; she is also well known for her work on government
bodies dealing with some of the most complex ethical issues of our time.
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RELATED LINKS |
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The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
Donor Conception Network
National Gametes Donation Trust
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites
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Audio Help
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PREVIOUS PROGRAMMES |
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View a list of previous programmes
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PRESENTER |
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| Nick Ross |
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Nick Ross is one of Britain's best-known factual broadcasters.
He has fronted Crimewatch since its inception in 1984 and has presented a wide sweep of the BBC's journalism in news, including rolling news, current affairs, politics, law, crime and consumer issues.
His credits include several eponymous programmes including Nick Ross, a highly praised series of talk shows (1999), Westminster with Nick Ross (live television coverage of parliament, 1994-1997) for which he was a member of the Downing Street lobby, and in 1997 he was named 'Broadcaster of the Year' for his long-running Radio 4 programme Call Nick Ross (1986-1997).
In 1999 he won a best documentary prize for a controversial and autobiographical TV history of the troubles in Northern Ireland, We Shall Overcome.
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