The case of the serial sperm donor who fathered over 550 children

A Dutch sperm donor, accused of fathering 550 children, was sued in March 2023, over fears his prolific giving could increase the risk of accidental endogamy, The Dutch News reported.

Jonathan Jacob Meijer (pictured), a musician from The Hague (Netherlands), was described as an "obsessive" sperm donor by the Dutch gynecologists' society, who first issued a warning about Meijer in 2017, according to the Dutch news outlet.

Photo: East Africa TV

Meijer was sued by the mother of one of the children he fathered, as well as Donorkind, a Dutch organization for children conceived via sperm donations.

The mother, known as Eva, had a child using Meijer's sperm in 2018. She claims that Meijer promised her he had only fathered a maximum of 25 donor children, reported The Telegraph.

Eva told The Telegraph: "When I think about the consequences this could have for my child, I get a bad gut feeling and I become uncertain about his future: how many more children will be added?"

Photo: Unsplash - Alicia Petresc

According to Dutch regulations, the use of each donation per person is limited to the fertility process of 12 women or the birth of 25 children.

Among the concerns shown by Donorkind and the mother who sued, is the threat of accidental endogamy (relations between siblings) that could result in children with genetic problems.

The cap is aimed at avoiding precisely these problems, but also psychological ones that can arise  when people find out they have hundreds of half siblings,  Donorkind said.

Photo: Unsplash - National Cancer Institute

Meijer, who now lives in Kenya, was placed on a Dutch donation blacklist after The New York Times published an investigation into his case in 2021.

Photo: Unsplash - Ben Wicks

But despite the restriction, Meijer continued to donate his sperm abroad, including in Denmark and Ukraine, according to The Telegraph.

Photo: Unsplash - Calvin Hanson

As if that were not enough, Meijer  also offered his services on specialized websites or on social networks, which took his seed all over the world, according to the plaintiffs.

Photo: Unsplash - Glenn Carstens-Peters

Among the requests made in the lawsuit, it was asked that all clinics where Meijer donated be investigated and that his sperm be destroyed if it is still preserved.

Meijer defined himself in the trial as a "donor father, vaccinated and very healthy" and argued that the petition of the plaintiffs was something like a "legal castration", according to Spanish paper El País.

In fact, the defendant assured in court that his donations are "a service with added value", arguing that he is in contact with some of his children and goes to see them on designated dates.

Photo: Unsplash - Bonnie Kittle

Donorkind lawyer Mark de Hek described Meijer's behavior as "dangerous for the mental well-being and health of donor children."

In the lawsuit, Donorkind requested a fine of 100,000 euros from the "donor father" each time he repeats his donations.

Photo: Unsplash - Dylan Nolte

Luckily, in April 2023, a Dutch Court ordered him to stop, prohibiting Meijer from donating his semen to new prospective parents, the BBC reported.