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People who might never have known who their biological mother or father was will have that opportunity now that a B.C. Supreme Court judge has declared unconstitutional the legislation that denied donor offspring the same rights as adoptees.
The ruling will make British Columbia the first province in Canada to ban anonymity for sperm and egg donors.
The case was brought forward by Olivia Pratten, a 29-year-old journalist born in B.C. and who now lives in Toronto. When Ms. Pratten was five, her parents told her she was conceived using sperm from an anonymous donor. When she was older, Ms. Pratten went to the doctor who performed her mother’s procedure and asked for information about her biological father. She was rebuffed because the donor had wished to remain anonymous.
Ms. Pratten testified it was discriminatory that she could not obtain the same information adopted children were entitled to under B.C.’s Adoption Act and Adoption Regulations. She said her health and the health of her future children could be compromised by the lack of details.
Madam Justice Elaine Adair agreed, stating...
The ruling will make British Columbia the first province in Canada to ban anonymity for sperm and egg donors.
The case was brought forward by Olivia Pratten, a 29-year-old journalist born in B.C. and who now lives in Toronto. When Ms. Pratten was five, her parents told her she was conceived using sperm from an anonymous donor. When she was older, Ms. Pratten went to the doctor who performed her mother’s procedure and asked for information about her biological father. She was rebuffed because the donor had wished to remain anonymous.
Ms. Pratten testified it was discriminatory that she could not obtain the same information adopted children were entitled to under B.C.’s Adoption Act and Adoption Regulations. She said her health and the health of her future children could be compromised by the lack of details.
Madam Justice Elaine Adair agreed, stating...