EXPERTS in Hong Kong are split as to whether children who are the result of donor insemination (DI) should be told how they were conceived.
Artificial insemination specialist Dr Clement Leung whose private clinic has helped about 600 women become pregnant through DI believes such children should not be told their origins.
''It is not necessary to tell these children their true paternity. Once they know, out of curiosity they might want to find their real father,'' he said.
There is no law in Hong Kong to stop a donor's identity being revealed, but Dr Leung promises his recruits that their identity will be kept confidential. The Committee on Scientifically Assisted Human Reproduction (SAHR) has also recommended that a donor's identity be kept secret.
Dr Leung feels that revealing the truth to children could damage family life. ''No child will automatically ask how he was conceived. If he suddenly finds out his father is not really his biological father how would he feel? How would the father feel? Their relationship would be at stake,'' he said.
If society feels DI children should have the right to know how they are conceived, Dr Leung says, a law should be passed requiring parents to tell them. But such a law would be prying into people's private lives, he believes.
''Is it in the best interests of the child and the family to reveal the truth for curiosity's sake?'' he said Chairman of the SAHR committee Dr Leong Che-hung said that if DI children are happy within a family, they would not realise they are any different. There was no need for parents to offer such a revelation but if children asked about their parentage, theyhad the right to know.