Man Who Fathered 500 Kids Via Sperm Donation Sued For Risk Of Unintentional Incest

Several families are taking legal action against a Dutch sperm donor over claims he may have increased the risk of accidental inbreeding among the hundreds of children he allegedly fathered.

Stichting Donorkind, a foundation based in the Netherlands that helps people find their sperm donors or half-siblings, is representing 25 families who are trying to get injunctions to stop the activities of Dutch musician Jonathan Jacob Meijer.

The 41-year-old, a native of the Hague who now lives in Africa, has donated his sperm to at least 13 clinics, 11 of which were in his home country, British newspaper The Times reported Monday.

Under Dutch guidelines, sperm donors are not allowed to father more than 25 children or impregnate more than 12 mothers to prevent inbreeding, unintentional incest or psychological problems for children who learn they have hundreds of siblings.

However, Meijer acted unlawfully by misleading clinics over the extent of his activities as well as "endangering" children psychologically and exposing them to the risk of incest or inbreeding if they inadvertently have a relationship with a sibling, the court action expected to take place within the next two weeks will claim.

Several mothers were also allegedly duped by Meijer, who approached some prospective parents on social media platforms and often carried out his activities under pseudonyms.

Meijer operated around the world, according to DonorKind chairman Ties van der Meer.

It is unknown just how many children Meijer has fathered, but he allegedly admitted to one mother that he has already fathered 500 kids.

He was blacklisted in the Netherlands back in 2017 for fathering 102 children in the country.

"If I had known that he had already fathered more than a hundred children, I would never have chosen this donor. When I think about the consequences this could have for my child, I am sick to my stomach. Going to court is the only way to protect my child," one woman part of Donorkind's court action said.

Lawyers of the mothers involved in the legal action are seeking the support of judges to stop Meijer.

The action will come after repeated pleas from the parents, some of whom have already paid Meijer in the past for him to stop donating his sperm.

"We and some of the mothers have approached him. They have asked him to stop. He refused. This is why legal action is the only option to protect children," Mark de Hek, the lawyer representing Donorkind, said.

The Netherlands is reportedly set to create a central registry of sperm donors after several scandals.

However, many international fertility clinics allow anonymous donations amid differing national rules and lax enforcement.

"This falls outside national legislation and guidelines. It is only a guideline within the Dutch borders," van der Meer said.