Father of hundreds banned from donating sperm

A Dutchman who fathered more than 500 children around the world was ordered by a court to stop donating sperm, British media reported.

As per the national guidelines in the Netherlands, sperm donors are allowed to father a maximum of 25 children with 12 mothers, according to Sky News.

The 41-year-old prolific donor, identified only as Jonathan M under Dutch privacy rules, provided sperm to several Dutch fertility clinics, a facility in Denmark and people he met through advertisements and online forums, the Hague District Court said in a written judgement.

His lawyer said his client wanted to help people who would otherwise be unable to conceive.

But the judge who heard the civil case said the donor "deliberately lied about this in order to persuade the parents to take him as a donor," according to a statement from the court.

The Dutch court added the parents of the children are "now confronted with the fact that the children in their family are part of a huge kinship network. with hundreds of half-siblings, which they did not choose".

This "has or could possibly have negative psychosocial consequences for the children," it said.

It added: "It is therefore in their interest that this kinship network is not extended any further."

The case was about "conflicting fundamental rights," the court's statement said.

"On the one hand, the right to respect for the privacy of the parents and the donor children... and on the other hand, the same right of the donor," it added.