A French couple who were both conceived using sperm donors spent years fearing they could be half-siblings after falling in love, highlighting the emotional and legal challenges faced by donor-conceived people seeking information about their biological origins.
Arthur Kermalvezen said he grew up constantly wondering whether the men he encountered could be his biological father. His uncertainty became even more complicated when he met Audrey, another donor-conceived person from Paris, and the pair developed a relationship.
They first met in 2010 at a gathering involving activists campaigning for the rights of donor-conceived people. Audrey described their connection as “love at first sight”, but the possibility that they could share the same biological father meant they could not simply pursue their relationship without finding out whether they were related.
At the time of their births, only two sperm banks operated in Paris and some donors had made multiple donations, making the possibility of half-siblings a genuine concern.
However, French laws surrounding genetic testing and donor anonymity made obtaining an answer extremely difficult. Home DNA testing is illegal in France, with only authorised medical professionals, researchers or judges permitted to order and supervise genetic tests.
People can face fines of more than €3,500 for possessing a home DNA testing kit, while major companies such as 23andMe, Ancestry and MyHeritage do not officially provide their kits in the country.
After an extensive search, Arthur and Audrey eventually found a doctor in southern France who carried out a genetic test for €900 in cash. The result indicated that they were not related, but the couple remained uncertain because the doctor had potentially breached the law by revealing the result.
Audrey, a lawyer specialising in bioethics, subsequently launched a series of legal challenges from 2010 in an effort to obtain information about her biological donor and determine whether he was still alive and willing to disclose his identity.
She also sought access to non-identifying details, including information about the number of times the donor had given sperm and whether Arthur could potentially be among her half-siblings.
After three years of legal action, her final appeal was rejected by France’s highest administrative court in 2015. Despite the uncertainty, the couple eventually decided to take what Audrey described as a “leap of faith” and married in 2013.
Before the birth of their first child, a doctor investigated their donor records and discovered that their respective donors had been born in different years, confirming they could not have been the same man.
Even then, Arthur remained concerned that they could have different donors who were related to each other. The couple eventually took a home DNA test despite the legal restrictions, which again confirmed that they were not related.
The results then led to an unexpected discovery for Audrey. One of her DNA matches was Sophie, a woman she had previously represented in court in a case involving similar rights for donor-conceived people.
Audrey discovered that Sophie was actually her biological sister.
Among 10 donor-conceived activists who took DNA tests together, four were found to have the same sperm donor: Audrey, her brother Peter, Sophie and Sophie’s brother David. The discovery demonstrated how multiple donations by individual donors could result in large networks of biological half-siblings.
Arthur later managed to identify and contact his biological father on Christmas Day in 2017 after decades of uncertainty.
Audrey eventually traced her own donor, Philippe, through a genetic match in the United States, although she learned that he had already died. Philippe’s family welcomed her, allowing her to see photographs and videos of him and learn more about her biological family’s medical history.
Audrey’s mother also wrote to Philippe’s family, thanking them for what she described as an “immeasurable” gift.
The couple’s experiences, together with Audrey’s legal campaign and Arthur’s book about his search for his biological origins, contributed to changes in French donor-conception laws.
Under the newer rules, people conceived through donor assistance after April 2025 will be able to access identifying information about their donors once they reach adulthood.
However, France remains one of the few European countries where consumer DNA testing at home is prohibited, meaning the debate over donor anonymity, genetic identity and the right to know one’s origins continues.
For Audrey, the issue remains deeply personal.
“Every person has the right to know their origins and the right to know their history,” she said.
