Did Hollywood get it wrong on donor movie
Oscar is prepared to unleash its golden glow this Sunday on the movie “The Kids Are All Right.” Annette Bening is up for best actress for her portrayal of a lesbian mom, with Julianne Moore playing her partner.
In the movie, the lesbian couple’s two teenage children, conceived by donor sperm, decide to make contact with the donor. The movie deserves praise for its portrayal of a same-sex couple as a normal, functioning family, with ordinary joys and conflicts.
However, there is concern in the reproductive field about another message in the film: That donor-conceived children seeking their biological roots could find heartache at the end of their journey, and disrupt their family in the process. Read this review from Psychology Today
The movie is typical Hollywood fare, with exaggerated storylines for dramatic effect, including an unrealistic sexual hook-up.
There are thousands of donor-conceived children in America today curious about their genetic roots. More and more families are choosing to tell their children the truth about their conception. All signs point to this being a normal curiosity for a child conceived by donor sperm or donor egg. Research from the Donor Sibling Registry recently found that children say they seek out information about their donor for:
- Curiosity
- To learn what the donor looks like
- To learn more about myself/ my ancestry.
There is every reason to believe that these children benefit from these connections and value what they learn about their donors.
Why then, does Hollywood put out the message in “The Kid Are All Right” that the kids aren’t all right if they seek out this information to find out more about who they are? That’s my question.
What do you think?
