Who could have envisioned 40 years ago that TSBC families would lead the way in openness in donor conception and acceptance of diverse families?
We invite you to partner with us in supporting families built with the assistance of TSBC, including donor-conceived people, many of whom are now adults, current and future parents, and donors, by joining our sustaining circle with a monthly donation. We ask you to put a value on the openness and information sharing that your family has experienced over the years and pay it forward.
"I choose to support TSBC because their good work helped my wife and me create our beautiful family, for which I will always be grateful. I want to help ensure other people can also create the families they dream of. Even more than that, though, I believe the way TSBC leads this field in research, policy development, and care for everyone involved in the process--donors, recipients, and especially donor-conceived people--reinforces that we chose the right sperm bank to help build our family." -J, TSBC mom
Our founders were visionaries who dreamed and birthed into being a world where women could choose to be mothers regardless of their partner’s gender or of even having a partner. Over the past 40 years, our ideas about reproductive freedom have expanded further, now including an even broader spectrum of gender and relationships in our transformed vision of what makes a family.
Our unwavering commitment to the well-being of all members of our community remains strong. TSBC’s comprehensive programs come with increasing costs–costs not covered by the vial and service fees charged 5, 15, 25, 35+ years ago. We could not have foreseen these increases, nor the ways the pandemic impacts our operations. We seek financial support to maintain and expand our supportive programs for our families and donors, and our advocacy for DC people and families.
Our small, community-based, nonprofit organization started programs in response to TSBC parent requests–most notably pioneering the option for donor-conceived people to learn the identity of the donor. These programs, now backed by published research, have changed how donor conception is practiced across the country and around the world. From the beginning, we were committed to improving existing sperm bank standards with rigorous donor and recipient informed consent, diligent record-keeping, and changing the power dynamic by having recipients (not doctors) choose their own donors using information we provided–all unthinkable then, and now standard practice in the field.
We continue to support families, donor-conceived adults, and donors by providing mutual consent openness options like our groundbreaking Identity-Release® Program and Family Contact List. More than 3500 families have been assisted by TSBC program donors–with 38% participating in the Family Contact List. Since 2001, 298 donor-conceived adults have received their donor’s identity which represents 130 donors. Since 2014 all new donors have agreed that TSBC can share their identity with donor-conceived adults who request it.
We support our TSBC community in less visible ways as well. We conduct pregnancy audits to maintain our ten family limit–the lowest in the field. We hired our first staff mental health professional in 2019 to expand our donor counseling and screening, and to support donor-conceived adults through the process of requesting the donor’s identity. Genetic and medical advisors review new medical information reported by parents, donors, and donor-conceived adults so we can share medical updates that include an assessment of risk to others.
We do this under our guiding principles of equity, access, and inclusion. From a program started for lesbian couples and single women, we have evolved into a program that serves the full rainbow of the LGBTQ+ community, solo parents, parents with multiple partners, and heterosexual couples who are seeking an open and comprehensive approach to donor conception. Knowing most families seek a donor who shares ethnicity with one or more parents, in 2018 we developed our Equity Policy to preserve access for those with fewer options. And our staff take extra care and pride in supporting trans* people, including youth (and their parents) who are storing genetic material prior to gender affirming treatments.
More recently legislative advocates have come to us for our research and experience. This summer, we testified to support Colorado legislation–the first in the US to require donors to share their identity with requesting donor-conceived adults and limit the number of families per donor. In October, TSBC Executive Director, Alice Ruby, MPH, MPPM and Research Director, Joanna Scheib, PhD participated in an unprecedented stakeholder meeting bringing together donor-conceived adults, LGBTQ+ and reproductive justice advocates, gamete donation organizations, mental health professionals, attorneys, and researchers.
Can you put a value on what your family has gained from contact with others who share your donor, assistance with second parent adoption, notification of new medical information, the 2022 speaker series, or resources on our website?
What is the value of donor-conceived adults receiving support in learning more about the donor or, for donor-conceived children, knowing there is the option to get more donor information if they want it?
These are ongoing services we want to continue to provide free of charge. Join our sustaining circle with a monthly donation and help us provide one-of-a-kind, supportive services to families regardless of ability to pay.
If you can’t afford a monthly contribution, a one-time donation helps, too! One-time (and larger donations) support our research program, educational resources, and advocacy.
Mission: The Sperm Bank of California is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing ethical family building options to our diverse community. We have an unwavering commitment to the well-being of parents, children, and donors.