The Hague, Netherlands A Dutch court on Friday ordered a man who judges said has fathered between 500 and 600 children worldwide to stop donating sperm.
The court ruling said the 41-year-old Dutchman was prohibited from donating more semen to clinics. He can be fined 100,000 euros ($110,000) for each violation.
The court also ordered the man to write to clinics abroad asking them to destroy any of the semen they had on hand, except for doses meant for parents who already have children.
The decision came after a civil case was initiated by a foundation representing the interests of the donor children and Dutch parents who used the man as a donor.
They argued that the man’s continued donations violate the right to a private life for the donor children, whose ability to form romantic relationships is hampered by fears of accidental incest and inbreeding.
The man’s group donations first came to light in 2017 and he was banned from donating to Dutch fertility clinics, where he has already fathered more than 100 children.
However, he continued to donate abroad, including to the Danish sperm bank Cryos which operates internationally.
The man also continued to present himself as a donor on websites that match potential fathers with sperm donors, sometimes using a different name, according to Algemeen Dagblad daily.
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