Triple Helix

The compelling story of one woman's journey to find out the truth about her paternity-and to come to grips with the rewriting of her own history and sense of identity.

'Now you're over twenty-one and back from overseas, I've decided it's time to tell you something.'

When Lauren Burns learns she is donor conceived she begins a turbulent journey to discover the identity of her biological father. Battling out-dated legislation and a medical culture of silence, she enters a political campaign to pass world-first laws overturning decades of donor anonymity. She must also grapple with the radical rewriting of her history and sense of identity when she finally finds her biological father and discovers she's part of a well-known Australian family.

Lauren's extraordinary story traverses the many moral and legislative dilemmas of assisted reproductive technology- the rights of the child and the donor, and the strange terrain to be navigated if and when the two parties ever meet.

More than a memoir, Triple Helix is also a detective drama and a critical examination of the fertility industry. It will open eyes, hearts and minds to the complexities of donor-assisted conception from the other side of the crib.

About the Author

Lauren Burns is an aeronautical engineer, advocate and writer. She has a PhD in aerospace engineering. Since discovering at age twenty-one that she is donor conceived she has worked to elevate personal stories to communicate to the public and policy makers the complex issues that can arise from assisted reproductive treatment for the people created. She has appeared extensively across print, radio and television media including SBS's Insight, ABC Radio's Law Report, The Drum and Fairfax newspapers. In 2014 her story was profiled in a two-part episode of Australian Story titled 'Searching for C11', which won the Walkley award for Social Equity Journalism. From 2016 to 2019 Lauren was a board member of the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority (VARTA), which is responsible for the regulation and oversight of Victorian assisted reproductive treatment clinics. She was the first ever donor-conceived person appointed to this position.