Netherlands Sperm Donation Scandal: 85 Donors Father Thousands of Children

A shocking sperm donation scandal has emerged in the Netherlands. It has been revealed that thousands of children have been born from only 85 sperm donors, raising national concerns about incest.

According to a report by The Guardian on the 14th, a shocking investigation has found that there are over 85 men who have fathered more than 25 children through sperm donation in the Netherlands.

The Dutch Obstetrics and Gynecology Society (NVOG) recently announced that at least 85 men have been identified as "large donors." Here, "large donor" refers to an individual who has fathered 25 or more children.

Most of these large donors have between 26 and 40 biological children, and some have been reported to have between 50 and 75 children.

Particularly shocking is the fact that at least 10 of the large donors were infertility specialists. This raises serious ethical questions within the medical field and has drawn criticism from experts.

Medical System Failures and Societal Implications

The NVOG has acknowledged that infertility clinics in the Netherlands have violated strict sperm donation procedures for decades.

Some clinics intentionally used the sperm of the same donor multiple times, and there have been instances where sperm was exchanged without the knowledge of the donors or by skipping paperwork procedures. Additionally, one individual was allowed to donate sperm at multiple clinics.

Marieke Schönenberg, the representative of NVOG, expressed in an interview with public broadcasting, "There should not have been large donors," and added, "On behalf of our profession, I want to apologize. We did not do this properly."

Ties van der Meer, the representative of the 'Stichting Donorkind' foundation, described the investigation results as a "medical disaster." According to new data, the number of people in the Netherlands with 25 or more half-siblings is at least 3,000.

Considering that the total population of the Netherlands was approximately 17.47 million as of 2020, this is a significantly high ratio.

The Case of Jonathan Meyer and Legal Actions

The most notorious large donor is Jonathan Meyer (43), who has been confirmed to have fathered 550 children. He is also a YouTuber and the subject of the Netflix documentary "The Man with 1,000 Children."

The confirmed number is 550, but it is speculated that the actual number is higher. Meyer has been donating sperm since he was 25 years old in 2007, and by 2017, he was found to have at least 102 biological children.

In 2023, a Dutch court ordered him to cease donating sperm and imposed a fine of 100,000 euros (approximately 160 million South Korean won) per violation. The court also ordered the disposal of all sperm samples that he had donated to hospitals at the time.

Despite the court ruling, Meyer continued to donate sperm overseas, including at sperm banks operating globally in Denmark.

Meyer expressed complaints about the Netflix documentary, stating that it is "misleading" and claimed that most families know him and are satisfied.

Image source: AI image for understanding the article / Bing Image Creator, Netflix documentary "The Man with 1,000 Children"