Netherlands faced with sperm donor predicament

The Netherlands is dealing with a predicament of enormous proportions, which could have a huge impact on its population.

It seems like sperm donation has been a thing in the country for decades, with assertions now that most children there are probably ‘half-siblings’.

This might sound bizarre, but according to the Dutch national gynaecology and obstetrics organisation at least 85 sperm donors in the Netherlands have fathered 25 or more children, which is a violation of the country’s law.

This was discovered when medical experts found, in a new registration system, that fertility clinics have been breaking existing rules on sperm donation for over 20 years – resulting in the donor each fathering between 26 and 75 children, respectively.

It is understood that between 2004 and 2018, regulations limited each donor to a maximum of 25 offspring, which has since been reduced to 12.

Gynaecologist, Marieke Schoonenberg, says at least 10 fertility doctors have also been found to have fathered multiple children.  One of them is alleged to have illegally fathered at least 81 children at his clinic.

It has also been revealed that some clinics deliberately used sperm batches more than 25 times.

To show how brazen the operation was, some of the clinics are said to have also exchanged sperm without the paperwork or donors’ knowledge, and allowed the same donors to donate sperm at multiple health centres.

The Netherlands has a population of about 18 million and its citizens are now concerned that they would likely encounter more problems as they grow older. They are worried that their children will have to do DNA tests before getting into romantic relationships just to make sure they’re not going out with a close relative and won’t have to contend with their children’s genetic disorders later in life, which are highly likely in incest cases.

The country’s most prolific donor is Jonathan Jacob Meijer, who is said to have fathered at least 550 children worldwide. He was also the subject of a Netflix documentary, ‘The Man with 1 000 Kids’.

He has now been banned from donating sperm.

A new registry in the Netherlands reveals that sperm donors have fathered up to 125 children, sparking concerns about consanguinity and genetic risks. The April 1 law seeks improved tracking, responding to poor oversight in fertility clinics. pic.twitter.com/GpMJ7xvnOj

— Nyra Kraal (@NyraKraal) April 15, 2025

3. Dr. Jan Karbaat (Netherlands)
fathered at least 80 children some estimate it’s up to 200 by secretly using his own sperm instead of that of anonymous donors. He falsified donor records. A wicked criminal!

— Dami (@onosowobo)

How do the Dutch prevent the risk of half brothers and sisters marrying each other?

— ABC (@charl32647) April 14, 2025

“In an earlier case from 2013, another Dutchman, Ed Houben, who abandoned his plan to become a monk to be a sperm donor instead, fathered more than 120 children.” Now that’s what I call a 180. And to think, he could have been quietly making Chartreuse, instead of…. https://t.co/8Pl75s53CE

— Philip Duff (@philipduff) April 14, 2025