A Dutch court has banned a man from donating more sperm due to fear of accidental incest for all his children, Reuters reports.
Jonathan Meijer, allegedly the father of roughly 500 to 600 children worldwide via sperm donation, was forbidden from donating more semen to clinics, Reuters reported Friday.
Father of hundreds gets sperm donation ban from Dutch court https://t.co/8satYom2rq pic.twitter.com/yNK4K10Hzd
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 28, 2023
A fine of 100,000 euros (roughly $110,000) could be imposed upon the 41-year-old Dutchman for every potential infraction of the ban, according to the outlet.
The court also told Meijer to request that clinics in possession of his semen destroy their samples, Reuters reported. The command applies to all doses except for those reserved for parents who already have his offspring.
The civil case started when Donorkind Foundation, a Dutch advocacy organization for donor children, filed a lawsuit against Meijer, Vice reported in March.
Donorkind chair Ties van der Meer alleged Meijer used at least 13 clinics to father at least 550 children worldwide, the outlet reported, citing a statement from van der Meer. Meijer allegedly sought out prospective parents through donor websites and social media platforms. (RELATED: Some Ukrainian Soldiers Are Freezing Their Sperm Before They Head To The Front Lines)
“We are taking action against this man because the national government is doing nothing,” van der Meer said at the time, according to Vice. “He has a global reach via the internet and he does business with large international sperm banks.”
Meijer was initially prohibited from donating sperm in the Netherlands in 2017 when the Dutch Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology discovered he allegedly had 102 children via sperm donation, Reuters reported. In the Netherlands, sperm donors are limited to fathering 25 children among 12 mothers, according to NBC News.
The lawsuit against Meijer alleged he provided misleading information about his donation history to potential mothers, the outlet reported.
“Eva,” a Dutch woman who allegedly gave birth to a child in 2018 using Meijer’s sperm, released a statement regarding the court action, according to NBC.
“I hope that this ruling leads to a ban on mass donation and spreads like an oil slick to other countries. We must stand hand in hand around our children and protect them against this injustice,” she said, the outlet reported.
Meijer’s lawyer reportedly said he sought to help future parents who were struggling to conceive on their own, according to NBC.