The Country Has Had Guidelines For Recording Donor Information These were loose Enforced, Worsening Chaos For Children

Fears over genetic issues as data shows Dutch sperm donors fathered over 25 each

In the Netherlands, some men have unknowingly fathered dozens of children through sperm donation — with at least one individual linked to as many as 125 offspring.

These striking findings come from a newly established national registry aimed at tracking sperm donors in the country. Preliminary data released this week revealed 85 so-called "mass donors," each with more than 25 children attributed to them.

The data indicates that children conceived through artificial insemination may have far more half-siblings than previously estimated by the Dutch government. This raises concerns about potential inbreeding and genetic disorders as these individuals grow up, form relationships, and start families of their own.

In a letter to the Dutch Parliament on Monday, Vincent Karremans, the Minister for Youth, Prevention, and Sport, attributed the situation to inadequate oversight and poor record-keeping at fertility clinics. This has allowed some donors to unknowingly father dozens of children. To address the issue, a new law that came into effect on April 1 mandates stricter monitoring of how donated sperm is used.

"I deeply regret that these excesses have come to light," Mr. Karremans said, expressing sympathy for the parents who sought treatment at the clinics, and whose children may now have dozens of half-siblings.

Since 2018, Dutch legislation has capped the number of children that can be born from a single sperm donor at 12. Prior to that, the legal limit was 25.

According to registry data, nearly 24,000 sperm donation procedures for in vitro fertilization were recorded between 2004 and 2018—the earliest period for which clinics have maintained records. Although donor recordkeeping guidelines have been in place in the Netherlands since 1992, enforcement has been lax, says Donorkind, a volunteer organization that supports families formed through sperm donation.

“For donor-conceived children, it’s pure chaos,” said Inge Poorthuis, a board member at Donorkind, during a phone interview.

Donorkind has received emotional appeals from both distressed mothers and donors, some of whom are overwhelmed by the realization that they may have fathered dozens of children, Ms. Poorthuis said. On Tuesday, the organization urged the Dutch Parliament to disclose the exact number of individuals affected by excessive sperm donations. Donorkind also called on authorities to consider implementing regulations for the importation of donor sperm into the Netherlands.

Since the birth of the first IVF baby in 1978, sperm donation has become a global industry—but one that remains largely underregulated. While some countries, like the Netherlands, have laws limiting the number of offspring per donor, there are no unified international standards. Many nations export donor sperm, further complicating oversight. In the Netherlands, donors typically receive minimal compensation—often under 100 dollars per donation—whereas fertility clinics may charge prospective parents thousands.

Donorkind is also contemplating legal or regulatory action against private fertility clinics, arguing that they should be more tightly controlled. Scrutiny of the industry has intensified, especially following two high-profile cases in the Netherlands involving men who deliberately fathered hundreds of children. One such case—Jonathan Jacob Meijer, who is said to have fathered over 500 children worldwide—inspired a Netflix documentary.

“The industry is far too profit-driven,” said Ms. Poorthuis. “They aren’t treating the creation of life with the care it deserves.”

According to a statement issued Monday by the Dutch Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the new registry has confirmed that fertility clinics failed to adhere to established guidelines. In some instances, clinics used the same donor for multiple clients or shared donor sperm among facilities without proper safeguards.

According to the Dutch Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, some individuals were able to donate sperm at multiple clinics without the clinics being aware—partly due to strict privacy laws in the country. In other cases, mothers may have intentionally chosen the same donor for multiple children, and clinics failed to properly track how many children the donor had already fathered, leading to limits being exceeded.

“We sincerely apologize on behalf of the profession,” said Marieke Schoonenberg, head of the society, in a statement to the Dutch news outlet NOS. “We have not acted responsibly.”

A newly introduced law—the Artificial Fertilization Donor Data Act—aims to address these issues by assigning a unique code to each donor and mother, allowing better tracking of where and how donor sperm is used. Clinics and professionals who fail to comply with these regulations may face penalties through the Dutch civil court system, according to Tim Bennebroek, a spokesperson for Minister Vincent Karremans.

However, the law does not cover imported sperm.

“There is currently no support for this at the European level,” Mr. Bennebroek added.