Love, Law and the Quest for Biological Identity in France


When French donor‑conceived parents Audrey and Arthur fell in love in 2010, they faced a question that could derail their future: were they half‑siblings? Both had grown up secretly searching for potential biological fathers, a longing that intensified when Audrey, a lawyer specialized in bioethics, learned that her donor had likely used multiple donations. The risk that their donors overlapped was real, given the few sperm banks operating in Paris at the time.


Navigating a Legal Labyrinth


France’s 1994 laws forbid private individuals from ordering or using at‑home DNA tests and restrict donor data to researchers and clinicians. Home kits from 23andMe, Ancestry or MyHeritage are unavailable, and possession can trigger fines exceeding €3,500. In a bold move, the couple hired a southern French doctor, paying €900 for a supervised test that unofficially confirmed they were not related. However, the doctor broke the law by sharing the result with them, deepening the couple’s apprehension.

Despite repeated legal challenges, the French court system denied their petitions. Undeterred, they continued to seek transparency, leading to a breakthrough: the doctor accessed the donor’s encoded data and confirmed their donors were born in different years, eliminating the possibility of shared paternity.


The Legacy of Their Legacy


With no genetic link confirmed, Audrey and Arthur married in 2013 and built a family of three children together. Their journey, illustrated by DNA tests taken alongside eight other donor‑conceived activists, revealed a startling pattern: four of the ten tested shared a single donor, underscoring the risk of hidden familial ties. Their advocacy culminated in amendments to French donor‑conception law, effective April 2025, allowing adults to access identifying information about their donors.

Yet the fight persists. Local and international NGOs maintain that every person deserves the right to know their origins and medical heritage. Their continued activism stands as a reminder that legal frameworks must evolve alongside science to protect personal identity and health.



Audrey and Arthur Kermalvezen posing together in Paris
Audrey and Arthur Kermalvezen met at a gathering of donor‑conceived activists.


Based on an episode of The Gift on BBC Radio 4.