Coram/TCRU Annual Lecture 2026

Stories, silences, and secrets: donor conception, identity and belonging in contemporary families

Policy and practice relating to donor conception in the UK have shifted significantly over recent decades. Parents are now encouraged to tell children about their conception, and since 2005 donor conceived individuals have had the legal right to access identifying information about their donor at 18. At the same time, rapid developments in DNA testing and digital technologies are reshaping what information can be known, and by whom.

Drawing on 15 years of collaborative research, Dr Sophie Zadeh (University of Sussex) will explore the lived experiences and long-term perspectives of donor conceived children, young people, and young adults. Her lecture will examine how family practices – from secret-keeping to storytelling – alongside broader cultural ideas about relatedness, origins, and identity, shape how donor conception is understood and integrated into a person’s sense of self.

Set within an evolving legal and policy landscape, including ongoing debates about access to identifying information and retrospective reform, this lecture will consider what it means to grow up donor conceived in contemporary Britain. Emphasising the diversity of donor conceived people’s experiences and wishes, Dr Zadeh will argue that policy and practice must move beyond assumptions and actively centre the voices of those directly affected.

The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion bringing together legal expertise, practice perspectives, and lived experience to reflect on the implications for adoption, assisted reproduction, and family policy today.