Man Fathers 550 Children Via Sperm Donation, Courts Asks Him To Stop

To donate is considered a virtuous job and people do it for the benefit of others without wanting anything in return. Sperm donation is a job that is deemed to be a gift to women or couples who want a child but are unable to conceive.

There are many men who regularly donate their sperm. But here is a case of a 41-year-old Dutch man who has fathered over 550 children worldwide through sperm donations. Now, a court has ordered him to stop.

If he continues or tries to donate his sperm again then he could be fined a heavy amount. Reports say that he was banned from donating to fertility clinics in the Netherlands in 2017 but he continued to donate sperm abroad and online.

The man has been identified as Jonathan M in local media due to privacy rules while he has reportedly also used other names.

He could be penalised if he ignores the ruling. An advocacy group and the mother of one of his children asked the court to protect the rights of the affected families.

A Dutch court ruled Friday that a man who fathered more than 550 children is no longer allowed to donate sperm. A woman who had a child with Jonathan M’s sperm had applied for a restriction against him. She has cited clinical guidelines which say a donor should not father more than 25 children in 12 families to prevent incest.

Since 2007, he has donated his sperm to fertility clinics, sperm banks, and also to countless couples via internet forums, the court heard. More than 100 of his children were born in clinics in the Netherlands and others privately.

The Hague court warned that a penalty of euros10,000 ($11,000) per case could be imposed if the man fails to comply.

It is not known how many children he has fathered abroad.

(With agency inputs)