{"id":418565,"date":"2025-09-12T13:37:19","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T13:37:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/418565\/"},"modified":"2025-09-12T13:37:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T13:37:19","slug":"wrong-genetic-info-given-to-people-born-by-sperm-donation-channel-4-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/418565\/","title":{"rendered":"Wrong genetic info\u00a0given to people born by sperm donation \u2013 Channel 4 News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

By Louise McLoughlin<\/p>\n

A man conceived by sperm donation says he was given the wrong information by the fertility regulator when searching for answers about his heritage.<\/p>\n

And Channel 4 News can now exclusively reveal that the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) regulator is investigating what it says is \u201cfewer than 20 cases\u201d where donor conceived people could have received incorrect information about a biological parent or half-siblings.<\/p>\n

Nathaniel Allbut is urging fertility clinics and the statutory organisation, which oversees the use of gametes and embryos in fertility treatment and research, to \u201ctake accountability\u201d after believing he was someone else for \u201cyears of my life\u201d after being given the wrong donor file.<\/p>\n

Nathaniel\u2019s story<\/p>\n

Nat, 22, applied to the HFEA in 2021 for information about the sperm donor who was used to conceive him in a UK clinic in 2002 and said he hoped it would answer questions about who he was.<\/p>\n

The file he received months later included non-identifying details about a sperm donor, including height, eye colour, profession and nationality, which Nat believed applied to his biological father.<\/p>\n

But he told Channel 4 News that DNA tests taken since have contradicted the HFEA records he was sent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI found a completely different list of information on Ancestry, which didn\u2019t make sense because it just didn\u2019t correspond to the original file I\u2019d been sent,\u201d Nat told Channel 4 News.<\/p>\n

\"\"Nathaniel Allbut<\/p>\n

He was matched to a number of close relatives on commercial DNA sites, including an individual listed as a half-brother.<\/p>\n

Nat said that particular man, who will remain anonymous for privacy reasons, had received a file from the HFEA which described a man with a different height, year and country of birth. Nat believes that person is actually his biological father.<\/p>\n

Donor information<\/p>\n

People conceived in a UK fertility clinic since 1 April 2005 are able to apply for identifying information about the donor used to conceive them once they turn 18, including their name and last known address. Those who were conceived before that date but since 1 August 1991, including Nat, can request to be connected with half-siblings born from the same donor once they turn 18. They are also entitled to non-identifying information about the donor once they reach age 16.<\/p>\n

But Nat believes he was not given the information he is entitled to.<\/p>\n

He said that despite fighting for clarity, no-one has taken accountability. The Cromwell Hospital, where his mother received treatment, has now closed, but would have been responsible for record-keeping at the time. His file is now held by London\u2019s Women\u2019s Clinic, who Nat said told him that the \u201cdonor sperm details seen on the laboratory record match the donor usage \u2013 as was reported by the centre to the HFEA register\u201d. He said the clinic referred him back to the regulator.<\/p>\n

In response to our investigation, London\u2019s Women\u2019s Clinic said: \u201cAs we have neither seen the DNA results of his donor nor of his recognised biological father, we are unable to offer further comment at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked why they didn\u2019t ask for the Nat\u2019s DNA results they told us: \u201cIt seemed outside of the scope of the conversation that applied to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nat said that his concerns have not been adequately addressed by the HFEA, who are responsible for providing donor conceived people with the information. In correspondence seen by Channel 4 News the HFEA told Nat, \u201cWe have not identified any errors in the information we hold on the HFEA Register or in the clinic\u2019s Records.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Nathaniel Allbut as a child<\/p>\n

\u201cThey need to take accountability for what\u2019s happened,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were years of my life where I believed that I was someone I wasn\u2019t, or I had a background that wasn\u2019t actually true. And I think the least they could do is just admit that they\u2019ve made a mistake and correct it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cI think it\u2019s just important that this does get corrected because it\u2019s not just me, there are other people who have been given wrong information.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThey (HFEA) need to take accountability for what\u2019s happened. There were years of my life where I believed that I was someone I wasn\u2019t, or I had a background that wasn\u2019t actually true.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013 Nathaniel Allbut<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

HFEA response<\/p>\n

In response to our investigation, the HFEA Chief Executive, Peter Thompson, told Channel 4 News in an interview that the regulator was aware of \u201cfewer than 20 cases\u201d and that the regulator \u201cis dependent on the quality of data that clinics submit to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"HFEA Chief Executive, Peter Thompson<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cWe think it\u2019s probably confined to a very small number of donor clinics back in the 1990s and early 2000s.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that clinic practices since the middle of 2000s have improved very significantly with things like double witnessing, which makes all their processes much more reliable. So we think this is a very specific historic problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe think this is a very specific historic problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013 HFEA Chief Executive, Peter Thompson<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

But he added: \u201cThat\u2019s very little consolation if you\u2019re one of the few people caught up in this.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also said he wanted to apologise to Nat \u201con behalf of the system\u201d, and in a written statement, the HFEA has also apologised \u201cfor the distress caused\u201d by any additional cases where the information they provided to donor conceived people has not matched recipients\u2019 DNA test results.<\/p>\n

\u2018Rollercoaster of emotions\u2019<\/p>\n

Channel 4 News has also spoken to three women, who have shared their experiences of receiving what they believe to be incorrect information from the HFEA. They say they all received the same donor file and were also connected as half-siblings via the HFEA\u2019s Donor Sibling Link. However, the women do not show as biological matches on Ancestry. They now believe they share no biological connection and should never have been matched by the HFEA.<\/p>\n

The women told us the experience has been a rollercoaster of emotions, and that the happiness and excitement of matching quickly turned to distress and upset.<\/p>\n

\"\"HFEA document<\/p>\n

One of the women said her sperm donor died several years ago from a heart condition, which caused the other women to briefly believe they needed to be checked for cardiovascular issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought we were half-siblings so we briefly thought her sperm donor was ours. She said he\u2019d died from heart problems, so we thought we had to be checked for heart problems. And there was also that disappointment of thinking he had died\u201d one of the women told Channel 4 News. \u201cAnd then it turned out he wasn\u2019t our donor.\u201d<\/p>\n

They say they are frustrated with the HFEA, as well as the wider industry. \u201cI feel the fertility industry does a lot to protect the donor but not a lot to protect us,\u201d they said.\u201cI feel the fertility industry does a lot to protect the donor but not a lot to protect us,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

\u2018Not fully trustworthy\u2019<\/p>\n

Laura Bridgens is also donor conceived and the Founder of Donor Conceived UK, which advocates for change to historical and current donor conception practices.<\/p>\n

She said she was aware of others who say they too received incorrect information from the HFEA. She says that there is an understanding for some in the donor conceived community that information supplied by the HFEA is not fully trustworthy.<\/p>\n

\"\"Laura Bridgens is donor conceived and the Founder of Donor Conceived UK<\/p>\n

Laura said she believed the issue was bigger than just UK clinics and the fertility regulator, and that wider legal reform is necessary.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that the HFEA\u2019s hands are tied themselves, because they have to answer to government, and the law really does not help anyone in this situation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

But she added, \u201cPeople that have been given the wrong information just want acknowledgement and support in navigating this with some dignity. Because ultimately, it\u2019s information that we believe that we should have access to. It\u2019s a fundamental human right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cUltimately, it\u2019s information that we believe that we should have access to. It\u2019s a fundamental human right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013 Laura Bridgens<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Watch more here:<\/p>\n

London fertility clinic licence suspended after \u2018loss of embryos\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Huge ethnic disparity in fertility treatment outcomes \u2013 new research<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018Fertility education is not just for girls\u2019, says Prof Geeta Nargund<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Louise McLoughlin A man conceived by sperm donation says he was given the wrong information by the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":418566,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3846],"tags":[267,70,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-418565","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-genetics","8":"tag-genetics","9":"tag-science","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115191602335164462","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=418565"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418565\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/418566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=418565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=418565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=418565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}