If you’re an intended parent, you may have seen the recent headlines about Senate Bill 224, a landmark piece of reproductive legislation implemented in Colorado that ends anonymous egg and sperm donation within the state. Although the bill was passed in June 2022, it officially took effect on July 1, 2024, and will apply to children conceived on or after January 1, 2025. For intended parents who are planning to build their families with donor eggs, this change introduces new considerations that are important to understand.
And while the law currently applies only in Colorado, its implications could reach beyond state lines. As conversations around donor-conceived rights, genetic transparency, and accessible DNA testing continue to evolve, many intended parents are asking a bigger question: What does this shift mean for anonymous donation more broadly across the United States?
What is Senate Bill 224?
Senate Bill 224, the Protections for Donor-conceived Persons and Families Act, is the first law of its kind in the United States. It represents a meaningful shift in how donor conception is approached and regulated. At its core, the law grants donor-conceived individuals the legal right to access their donor’s identifying information at age 18, while allowing intended parents to access relevant medical and health information earlier.
In other words, anonymous donation is no longer something that can be offered or promised in Colorado.
What the Senate Bill 224 requires
Under this legislation, several new requirements now apply to egg and sperm donation in the state of Colorado:
- Donors must consent to having their identity and medical history released to donor-conceived individuals once those individuals turn 18
- Donor agencies and fertility clinics are required to collect, securely maintain, and regularly update donor contact information and family medical history, checking in with donors at least every three years
- Donors must be at least 21 years old and may not donate to more than 25 different families, a measure intended to reduce the number of potential biological half siblings
In practical terms, this means that any child born from an egg donation arranged in Colorado after 2025 will have the legal right to request identifying information about their donor once they reach adulthood.
Why Colorado passed Senate Bill 224
The legislation is rooted in the belief that donor-conceived people deserve access to their genetic origins, including identifying information and medical history. This information can be meaningful for both emotional well-being and long-term health decisions.
Supporters of the law also point to a modern reality. With the rise of at-home DNA testing, true anonymity is no longer guaranteed. Many donor-conceived individuals are now able to identify genetic relatives through services like Ancestry and 23andMe, regardless of the preferences or expectations of either party at the time of donation. Senate Bill 224 simply brings the legal framework in line with today’s genetic landscape.
What impact could this have beyond Colorado?
While Colorado is the first state to formally eliminate anonymous egg and sperm donation, many experts believe it’s unlikely to be the last. Conversations about donor-conceived rights have been developing for years, driven by advocacy from donor-conceived adults, advances in genetic technology, and a growing emphasis on transparency in family building. As these discussions continue to gain visibility and traction, other states may begin to evaluate whether similar legislation makes sense within their own legal frameworks.
For intended parents, this signals a broader shift in how donor conception is being approached. Openness, thoughtful disclosure, and long-term considerations about a child’s access to their genetic information are becoming increasingly important factors, even for families building outside of Colorado.
What this means for intended parents
If you’re considering building your family with donor eggs, this shift means that understanding the landscape matters more than ever. Reading this article is a great place to start, and there are plenty of research-backed organizations and advocacy groups focused on donor conception and donor identity that can help you continue learning from.
It also means being thoughtful about who you work with. As regulations evolve, it’s important to vet clinics, agencies, and platforms to understand how they handle donor identity, medical record keeping, long-term contact policies, and compliance with current and emerging laws. Asking questions about disclosure practices, data security, and how donor information is maintained over time can help ensure you’re partnering with an organization that is prepared for the future.
A note for Colorado residents
If you live in Colorado or are working with a clinic based in Colorado, it’s especially important to ask how donor programs and agencies comply with state-specific regulations. Laws like Senate Bill 224 may require certain organizations to be licensed or to meet specific disclosure and record-keeping standards, so asking these questions upfront can help you understand how donor information is handled over time.
What this means for egg donors
With laws like Senate Bill 224, egg donors may be required to share identifying and medical information, consent to long-term record keeping, and understand that donor-conceived individuals may have the legal right to access certain information in the future.
This makes informed consent more important than ever. Donors should understand how their information is collected, stored, updated, shared over time, and what rights donor-conceived people may have as laws continue to evolve. While intended parents are not required to disclose personal information under these laws, donors often carry a greater regulatory responsibility, making transparency and long-term support essential.
How Cofertility approaches anonymity in family building
At Cofertility, we built our model from the start around the reality that the world of egg donation is moving beyond anonymous donation, and Senate Bill 224 is a clear reflection of that shift. True anonymity cannot be guaranteed today because of widespread access to at-home DNA testing and other online tools, and many donor-conceived adults express a strong desire to understand their genetic identity and medical history.
Read more: Why We Don’t Believe in Anonymous Egg Donation
Instead of treating egg donation as a purely anonymous transaction, Cofertility’s no-cash-compensation, egg-sharing model centers on transparency, respect, and the long-term well-being of everyone involved, including the future donor-conceived child.
We generally recommend disclosed donation arrangements, and this position comes from extensive research and, most importantly, from listening to donor-conceived individuals themselves. The US Donor Conceived Council has been clear: donor-conceived individuals having access to information about one’s genetic origins is valuable for identity formation and emotional well-being.
However, we understand that every family situation is unique. While we advocate for disclosure, we respect that after careful consideration, some families and egg donors may choose an undisclosed arrangement. Our role is helping intended parents understand the disclosure options available to them and what they can mean for family life down the road.
We believe matching with an egg donor should be a human-centered experience built on ethics and transparency. Putting openness and honest expectations at the center of the process aligns with the direction reproductive care is heading and helps families prepare emotionally and practically for conversations they may have with their children years later.
Is Cofertility in compliance with Senate Bill 224?
Yes, Cofertility is fully compliant with Senate Bill 224 and thoughtfully aligned with the direction this legislation represents. If you have questions about what compliance looks like in practice, or how donor identity and disclosure are handled, our team is here to help.
And if you’re wondering how Senate Bill 224 may or may not apply to your specific situation, we’d love to help. Get in touch or create an account to be paired with a dedicated Member Advocate who can help you understand the law, talk through your options, and offer guidance tailored to your individual family-building plans.
