These scholars have shown how the cultural narrative around nuclear families has been stretched to accommodate children conceived through new reproductive technologies (see, for example, ). Scholars of new kinship studies have been particularly focused on the ways in which new reproductive technologies ground families in bio-genetic connections while also presuming that these connections could constitute family ties. Finally, as much as youth pick and choose intimates from their larger network, the article also argues that their collective identity as related-kin members remains.Ĭhildren conceived from donor gametes are born into nuclear families, but they are also born into an invisible (and potentially quite large) group of half-siblings who share half their genetic traits and also share deep questions about the roots of their own identity.

For those who report feeling close, youth describe how intimacy is sustained and negotiated at a distance. In the course of the analysis, the article also explores whether interaction with donor siblings affected individual’s sense of identity and whether feelings of closeness with donor siblings differ for youth raised as solo children versus those who have siblings with whom they share a household. Based on interviews with 62 youth aged 14–28, who had their own social media accounts and who had chosen to establish contact with their donor siblings, the articles discusses the three stages most donor siblings go through-“anticipation”, “first contact”, and “relationship building”-and the way those stages shape individual identity formation. Drawing on Garfinkel’s concept of indexing, or the use of familiar categories to make sense of new situations, these youth rely upon their personal knowledge of friends and family to figure out what kinds of relationship they can develop with donor siblings. This article examines how donor-conceived teens and young adults navigate relationships with their half siblings and form intimate relationships. Moreover, they are often challenged to figure out their relationship to newly discovered genetic relatives. However, donor siblings-children who share a sperm donor-lack social scripts for interacting with one another, particularly when they are raised in different households. A fundamental part of the adolescent self is formed through interaction with intimates, usually family members whose roles are reasonably well-defined.

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