(K)information

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Openness regarding sperm and egg donation, along with the regulation of donor anonymity, is a relatively new phenomenon. This ethnography explores how families, clinics, and regulators manage information about gamete donors and the implications for kinship formation in Germany and Britain. It offers a comparative analysis of kin-formation and social change, revealing a contemporary shift in the values surrounding privacy, information-sharing, and connectedness in relation to kinship information. The study emphasizes that transparency, rather than genetics, has become the moral imperative. Findings indicate a trend towards “transparentization” rather than a straightforward “geneticization,” reflecting a shift in authority over kinship from the reproductive medical profession to concerned groups, parents-by-donation, and policymakers. When couples conceive using donated gametes, they face challenges in navigating the knowledge of the donation in their daily lives. Klotz investigates how kinship is constructed in this context, painting a picture of family formation in the 21st century that prioritizes transparency and the free flow of information over genetic knowledge. This work was recognized with the Humboldt Prize in 2013 by the Humboldt University of Berlin.