5 Towards an Understanding of Embryo Donation ... 121genetic connections between donors, their children, and the donor-con-
ceived child were regarded as bestowing immutable social connections
that needed to be recognised. Further, genetic knowledge was regarded
as important in terms of developing a healthy sense of identity and to
promote psychological well-being. While donors were very clear that
the donor-conceived child was not their child, and that they assumed
no legal parenting rights, most still reported a sense of responsibility
towards and interest in the child. This makes donation a relational or
social practice.
Roberts reasons that donation to others is facilitated by constructs of
the embryo that relate to ‘life ethics’ (potential child or life) in which
the embryos are ‘stripped of social ties’, and thus ‘may circulate to
other families or to research and become valuable either way’ (cited in
Svendsen 2007 : 31). In contrast, when embryos are framed in terms of
‘kin ethics’, donation becomes problematic. It is interesting, then, that
our research in New Zealand suggests that ED occurs within the lat-
ter context of ‘kin ethics’: New Zealand’s legislative framework gives
significance to genetic connections by acknowledging the importance
of whakapapa and our study on donors’ understandings suggests that
offspring are still being regarded as, in a sense, the donors’ child. As dis-
cussed in the next section, donors are able to proceed with donation
from this position, but also within the context of seeing ED as a form of
adoption as it is practised in New Zealand.
Embryo Donation and the ‘Open’ Adoption
Metaphor
While much has been made of the relationship between views of the
embryo and decision-making, some authors such as de Lacey ( 2005 )
have suggested that the metaphors that donors and recipients draw
on in relation to ED as a practice may be more significant in decisions
about ED. Two predominant metaphors have been identified: a ‘dona-
tion metaphor’, where ED is regarded as akin to gamete and organ
donation, and an ‘adoption metaphor’, where ED is seen as similar to
the relinquishment of a child by birth parents.
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