Donor child wanted to solve the mystery of his origins: father searched – nine brothers and sisters found

Today that would be illegal. The right to know one’s own origins is now recognized as a European human right. The Federal Court has confirmed this in several judgments. Investigating one’s own origins is part of the guaranteed protection of identity (see info box donor father and adoptive mother: This applies legally).

For parents and reproductive medicine professionals, this means that anyone who creates life must document its roots. This has been the law for sperm donations since 2001. Only those who register their identity in the donor data register may begin a biography.

But this does not apply to donor births before 2001. At that time, doctor Gigon advised everyone to remain silent. “The anonymity of the donor makes conflict situations largely impossible,” he wrote in 1974 in the “Schweizerische Medizinische Wochenschrift”.

And he told Swiss television in 1980: ‘God knows, the couples are not allowed to tell anyone. Not even their parents, if that’s possible. The more people know about this, the greater the risk that the child will find out.” And: “The donor must remain absolutely anonymous.” Statements that didn’t bother anyone at the time.

Cheap DNA tests torpedo promises of anonymity

Society considered the monogamous marriage order extremely important. Donor children, adopted children or illegitimate children contradicted the family ideal. Added to this was the shame: a donor child was seen as living proof of the husband’s powerlessness. The silence was supposed to protect him. And get the donor to safety.

However, with the advent of cheap internet DNA tests, the walls of silence are coming down. “Anyone who wants to find their donor father can do so today with a little luck and perseverance,” says Hannes Streif. For this purpose, the findings from DNA testing should be combined with genealogical research. It does require a certain tolerance for frustration. “But for me, the four-year search was a hobby with an uncertain outcome.”

The law is on the side of the donor children

But is a donor child allowed to disrupt the family life of a once anonymous donor forty years after birth in order to trace his roots? “Of course,” says donor child Streif.

And Regina Aebi-Müller, a law professor from Lucerne, also considers donor children to be covered by the law. However, the judge must always weigh up the interests. For example, a sperm donor who wished to remain anonymous could assert his or her right to privacy.

“I assume that the interests of the donor child are generally considered more important than those of the sperm donor,” says Regina Aebi-Müller.

But in order to be able to claim the right to know their own origins in court, donor children first need a suspect. And to find it you need determination. “I was obsessed with finding something that my wife and kids wouldn’t just love,” says Streif.

There is no guarantee of success, but there are many false paths. Hannes Streif initially believed that his donor father had been a medical student in Bern. That’s why he searched the graduation registers of the years in question, studying CVs and faces.

Because of a similarity, he assumed that a doctor from the canton of Lucerne must be his father. Streif called him. But the retired doctor denied everything. “I believed him,” Streif says. «I had to realize: similarity doesn’t help. You shouldn’t pay attention to that at all.”

Hannes Streif focused instead on tracing his DNA. He sent his saliva to the US for analysis and then uploaded his DNA to various databases such as 23andme.com. These listed dozens of DNA relatives for him. Family members who had also submitted saliva.

Chat with new family members

He wrote to the hits via the chat function and asked about their ancestors. He did extensive research on the names he received, searching them through online ancestry search engines such as familysearch.org. They scanned hundreds of thousands of church archives across Europe.

Streif recorded the results on wrapping paper, which became increasingly larger and more confusing. Little by little, his online genealogical research created a family tree – albeit with gaps. “I took it to the genealogist Yvonne Hausheer, who started the actual genealogical research and went into the archives,” says Streif. Four years passed, but eventually he successfully targeted his donor father. There were only two brothers left to choose from as possible donors. Both were already dead.

Hannes Streif wrote a beautiful letter to his descendants. That was about a year ago. «I knew that with my research I was changing biographies. That’s why I was careful. I was lucky and my half-sister wrote back.”

If Streif had not made progress on this point, he could theoretically have gone to court. With opportunities intact. “If there is still uncertainty about the genetic paternity of a donor despite an existing DNA test, the chances of enforcing the right to know are high,” says law professor Regina E. Aebi-Müller.

But: “Even if genetic parentage has been established, there is no right to establish a personal relationship with the genetic father.” In plain language: Information: yes; personal meetings: no.

When the knowledge about the producer is suddenly available

Streif learned a lot about his deceased donor father from his descendants. The knowledge of one’s own origins suddenly came. And then?

“Not much has changed,” says Streif. «My social father is still my father. But because I now know a lot about my donor father, I can better classify certain character traits of mine.” Streif also underwent medical tests to check whether he suffered from the same disease as his donor father.

He also met other half-siblings through online DNA testing. “There are now ten of us.” The eight donor children and the two official children of the donor father meet their families once a year. Hannes Streif tells his own children everything. “I think transparency is important.”