'Low and behold, 20 minutes later everyone and their brother was messaging me on Facebook.' 23andMe has changed anonymity in sperm donations. After one adopted woman took the test, she contacted a relative living in Connecticut.
For people like Cassandra Madison, direct-to-consumer genetic testing services from companies like 23andMe and Ancestry.com have proven revolutionary in filling gaps about their family history.
Then one Christmas, Madison’s mother gifted her with a 23andMe genetic test, so she could learn about her heritage. When she got her test results last January, she was surprised. “I didn’t know you could find people,” she said.In the Santiago airport in Dominican Republic I met my biological family for the first time ❤️🇩🇴 @TheEllenShow @23andMe pic.twitter.com/mjomqgpQEY
‘Low and behold, 20 minutes later everyone and their brother was messaging me on Facebook.’ —Cassandra Madison describing what happened after she conducted a DNA test and contacted a relative Genetic testing is fast becoming ubiquitous. As of 2018, around 60% of Americans with European heritage were likely identifiable from their DNA via searches of consumer websites from companies like 23andMe and Ancestry.com, regardless of whether they had ever taken a genetic test.
Historically, mothers typically were the only ones who knew the biological origins of their children. For decades, most adoptions were closed, meaning communication between the biological parents and their child was restricted. In many circumstances, their identities were also hidden. “I’ve heard stories of the parents of a sperm donor going on Ancestry.com and identifying a biological grandchild they never knew about — it turned out their son had anonymously and privately donated sperm to a friend and agreed not to discuss the matter with anyone else,” Kluger-Bell said. “The parents of the donor wanted to contact the bio-grandchild and the parents of that child felt that this was completely inappropriate.
‘It’s important for the person making the contact to realize that the contact might not be welcomed.’ —Amy Johnson Crow, a certified genealogist When Madison was faced with the choice of reaching out to the relatives she connected with via DNA testing, she didn’t hesitate. “As kids we don’t ask to be here,” Madison reasoned.
Understand potential legal ramifications: Reaching out to a biological relatives through 23andMe or Ancestry.com could violate the terms of an adoption or sperm/egg donation agreement. One woman was threatened with a $20,000 fine after reaching out to the biological grandmother of her daughter who was born via sperm donation.
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