A 28-year-old woman conceived through sperm donation had her first day in a Vancouver court Monday in a bid to learn the identity of her biological father.

Olivia Pratten, who was born in B.C. but now lives in Toronto, is suing the province and the B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons to end sperm donor anonymity.

Pratten told reporters outside B.C. Supreme Court that a decision in her favour would be welcomed by the children of sperm donors across North America.

"I've never met anyone who's been happy with anonymity, and what people need to remember is that a donor chooses to be a donor.... We don't choose this," she said

She said that it is up to the court to determine the rights of donors, but added, "If you don't want to be identified at a later date, don't be a donor."

Pratten also wants to prevent sperm donor records from being destroyed.

"It's about medical history and it's also about identity. It's about social history. It's about knowing where you came from," she said.

The doctor who performed the insemination procedure for Pratten's mother has said that he disposed of the associated documents years ago, but the two women say they believe that the records still exist.

The province had petitioned for Pratten's claim to be dismissed because of the apparent destruction of the medical records, but a judge rejected that bid earlier this month, ruling that the lawsuit is in the public interest.

Pratten has been fighting for access to records about her conception for more than a decade. She said Monday that children of sperm donors should be able to know more about their family medical histories -- but also about their identities.

"I want the choice of knowing that I can meet him," she said of her own biological father.

As many as 50,000 children in Canada have been conceived through sperm donation.

B.C., along with Ontario, Alberta, Newfoundland and the Yukon have enacted laws that allow adoptees to access information about their birth parents when they turn 19. Manitoba enacted legislation that opened records for new adoptions in 1999, but all those that occurred earlier are closed. The remaining provinces have created voluntary registries only.