Children who were conceived via the use of donated eggs or sperm may be given access to information that would identify their biological parents, health ministry officials said Thursday.
A panel of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry is debating whether children should be given the right to pursue this information. A policy established in 2000 by a panel of the then Health Ministry already grants some information disclosure, though not enough to identify a child's biological parents.
The panel is reportedly divided over whether the policy should be relaxed.
Members who are pushing for broader disclosure rules have argued that children have the right to know who their biological parents are. Opponents, however, believe this could scare off potential donors and could lead to an increase in illegal transactions involving sperm and eggs, according to the officials.
Other members have meanwhile stated that the children should be given access to the information only when the donors have given their consent.
All of the panel members agree that children and donors will need counseling in the event the information is disclosed, the officials said. The panel is expected to hammer out a report on the issue in the fall.
Sweden enforced a law in 1984 that allows children conceived via the use of donated sperm to learn the identity of their biological fathers. It will probably introduce similar legislation for children conceived via the use of donated eggs in the future.
Information access of this kind is also allowed in some Australian states.