What to do about sperm donors?
I am the child of an anonymous sperm donor used by my mom. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on how to go about adding that side of the family into the tree. I have some information about the donor provided by the Sperm Bank (parents, siblings, education, etc.) and I know about several of my half siblings through Facebook so I could add them too. Just looking for ideas to keep the tree form getting messy!
Best Answer
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@maryellenstevensbarnes1 @sc woz
The OP does not have a shared mother with his Facebook half-siblings. They only have a shared anonymous father. He wants a tree that links all of them together. Having separate, floating individual profiles with the only connection being a notation on the Details or Collaborate tab is cumbersome and not an acceptable solution.@Charlie51314
If you know the last name of your biological paternal grandfather, you can use that and leave the first name blank.My suggestion (take what you like and leave the rest):
If you don't know the last name, then, whether or not your biological anonymous father is alive or deceased, create a profile and designate him as living. Only you and those you choose to share your tree with can see the profiles you create that are designated as living. Then you can name him whatever you want. My choice would be “Anonymous” in the last name field with his donor number as a suffix. Having numbers in the name fields will generate a red exclamation mark, flagging it as inappropriate.Per Google: Although rare, "Sperm" and "Donor" are actual last names. If you were to use those, then you may get a bunch of useless hints in the Research Help box or (if marked deceased) other people may try to connect your bio-dad with their tree.
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Answers
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Unknown or incomplete name for a husband or father
You know his first name but not last name: Enter his first name and leave the last name blank.
You know his last name but not first name: Leave the first name blank and enter just the last name.
You do not know any part of his name: If you do not know anything about the father, add the mother and children and do not create a profile for the father.
If you know something other than the name about the father, such as a birthplace or occupation, do not create a profile for the father, but add what you know about him to a note or story that is attached to the mother or one of his children.
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@sc woz
I don't think I can add my half-siblings to the tree unless I add a profile for the father. Could I create a profile under the name "Sperm Donor ####" to link my half-sibling to and explain in the notes?0 -
@Charlie51314
Were your half-siblings also conceived via anonymous sperm donation? Or were they traditionally conceived (i.e. with your biological father's wife or significant other)?
You stated that you have information on your biological father's parents and his siblings. What kind of info? Does that include their names?0 -
Please do not use the term "Sperm Donor" — it has some unfortunate connotations by younger generations. I think you should create a profile for your shared biological mother and keep in mind that only you will be able to see any living people you enter into the worldwide FamilySearch Tree. Then in Notes you can place an Alert and enter the appropriate info for the father whose Name will be left blank. You do not "need" a biological father as explained by @sc woz
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It may be appropriate to adopt the term “non‑identified donor” when referencing the unknown parental contributor in this reproductive process. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) serves as the primary medical authority employing the term “nonidentified donor”.
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