Some donor information held by the HFEA is incorrect

A man conceived via sperm donation was provided with incorrect details of the donor by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).

Nathaniel Allbut was born following IVF treatment using donated sperm in 2002. Upon turning 18, he requested information about the donor from the HFEA. He received a file of non-identifying information about the donor believed to be his biological father, which included characteristics such as nationality, eye colour, profession and height. Two years later, he took a DNA test, which contradicted this information.

'I found a completely different list of information on Ancestry, which didn't make sense because it just didn't correspond to the original file I'd been sent,' Allbut told Channel 4 News.

The DNA test also matched him with a paternal half-sibling, who had also requested information on his biological father from the HFEA. This file, however, lists different characteristics to the information Allbut received. Allbut believes the information given to his half-sibling are the characteristics of his true biological father.

People conceived between 1991 and 1 April 2005, like Allbut, can request to be connected with half-siblings born from the same donor upon turning 18 and are entitled to non-identifying information about the donor from age 16. Those conceived in a UK fertility clinic since 1 April 2005 can apply to the HFEA for identifying information about their donor once they turn 18, including their name and last known address (see BioNews 1209).

Allbut told the HFEA he believed the information provided about his donor was incorrect. However, the regulator said it was unable to identify any errors in the information held on the register or in the records of the clinic where the initial treatment took place, which has since closed.

HFEA chief executive Peter Thompson apologised to Allbut 'on behalf of the system'. He told Channel 4 News: 'Our view is that the mismatch in Nat's records results from an error in the clinic that recruited the donor, rather than the HFEA register ... we never doubted that the DNA test must be correct.'

Thompson explained that the HFEA was aware of fewer than 20 cases in which donor information provided may be incorrect, adding that the regulator relies on the quality of information provided by clinics providing treatment. He said that the HFEA believes this is 'a very specific historic problem' as clinic practices have improved significantly since Allbut was conceived.

Channel 4 News also spoke to three women who all received the same donor file and were connected as half-siblings via the HFEA's Donor Sibling Link, but do not show as biological matches on Ancestry. They now believe that they received incorrect information from the HFEA.

'People that have been given the wrong information just want acknowledgement and support in navigating this with some dignity,' Laura Bridgens, founder of Donor Conceived UK, told Channel 4 News. 'Because ultimately, it's information that we believe that we should have access to. It's a fundamental human right.'