THE HAGUE (Reuters) – A Dutch court on Friday ordered a man who judges said has fathered between 500 and 600 children worldwide to stop donating sperm.
The court ruling said the 41-year-old Dutchman, identified by De Telegraaf as Jonathan Meijer, was prohibited from donating more semen to clinics. He can be fined 100,000 euros ($110,000) for each violation.
The court also ordered Meagher to write to clinics abroad asking them to destroy any available semen, except for doses intended for parents who already have children.
The decision came after a civil case was filed by a foundation representing the interests of Dutch donor children and parents who used Meijer as a donor.
They argued that Meijer’s continued donations violated the right to a private life of his donor children, whose ability to form romantic relationships is hampered by fears of accidental incest and inbreeding.
Meijer’s group donations first came to light in 2017 and he was banned from donating to Dutch fertility clinics, as he had already fathered more than 100 children.
However, he continued to donate abroad, including to the Danish sperm bank Cryos which operates internationally. Meijer also continued to present himself as a donor on websites that match potential fathers with sperm donors, sometimes using a different name, according to Algemeen Dagblad daily. ($1 = 0.9102 euros)
(Reporting on Stephanie van den Berg) Editing by Christina Fincher
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