Secrets We Keep

• By Any Means - Episode 3 - 700 Siblings

  Systemic secrecy and loose record-keeping in the early days of IVF is coming to light, and it's clear that some sperm donors were abusing the system. In this episode, Amelia hears from adult donor-conceived people whose lives have been altered because of secrecy and negligence. From people finding out they have an unknown large number of siblings, to inherited health conditions, and the anguish of not knowing your medical history. If you don't want to wait for the next episode, all episodes of By Any Means are available for free on the LiSTNR app. Listen to Episode 4 now. If you know more, or want to share your story, email [email protected] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• By Any Means - Episode 2 - Russellpalooza

  In the early 2000s, the advent of DNA test kits opens the Pandora’s Box of conception secrets. As the identities of many previously anonymous sperm donors are suddenly revealed, their biological children’s lives are upended upon learning the truth about how they’d been conceived. Amelia speaks to Darren, a medical student who’d donated his sperm anonymously in the 1980s, and Guy, a man who found out in adulthood he had been conceived with anonymous donor sperm, following Victoria’s decision to become the first state in Australia to establish a registry for donor-conceived children. Every episode of By Any Means is available exclusively on the LiSTNR app. You can listen to Episode 3 now. If you want to get in touch email [email protected] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• By Any Means - Episode 1 - That Infertility Feeling

  An intriguing email propels journalist Amelia Oberhardt to investigate the fertility industry in Australia, its history and methods, and the outcomes for the children born during the early days of IVF – when secrecy around conception and anonymous sperm donation was the norm. Amelia’s starting point is her best friend’s mother – one of the first women to go through infertility treatment in Queensland and successfully give birth to one of the state’s first ‘test tube babies’. Amelia speaks to the doctors who pioneered IVF in Australia, to understand the thinking behind the fertility industry’s early choice of persuading their patients to keep the truth of conception secret from the children born from anonymous sperm donations. You can listen to all episodes of By Any Means now on the LiSTNR app. If you want to get in touch, email [email protected] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Introducing By Any Means

  Egg donation, sperm donation and surrogacy – assisted reproduction technologies have made it easier than ever to have a baby but created an ethical and identity minefield. From finding sperm on Facebook, to finding out you might have 700 siblings, Secrets We Keep: By Any Means examines the multibillion-dollar fertility industry that fills wombs. Journalist Amelia Oberhardt speaks with parents, adult children and clinicians about the ‘wild west’ of the modern fertility landscape, confronting complex questions about consent, identity and human rights. Only available on LiSTNR. Download the app and listen for free: https://play.listnr.com/podcast/secrets-we-keepSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Should I Spit? - Episode 9 - Eye of Sauron

  Claire discovers how the Australian Federal Police are embracing FIGG, but with no regulation to safeguard against the privacy concerns which come with increased genetic surveillance. And in the final episode of Should I Spit?, the true market value of DNA databases is revealed and we find out how the personal information amassed by companies like Ancestry is being facilitated by Australia’s National Archives. The Angie Dodge murder is finally solved but a final tragic twist shocks everyone involved. Lifeline 13 11 14 Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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