Jonathan Meijer: Serial sperm donor who fathered 550 children sued over incest risk
LONDON, UK: Jonathan Jacob Meijer, a musician, and regular sperm donor are being sued for increasing the possibility of accidental incest. The Dutchman is estimated to have fathered around 550 children around the world where it is reported that he donated to 13 clinics, including 11 in the Netherlands, and was blacklisted in 2017 for fathering 102 children. The Times of London published that as per Dutch guidelines, donors are not allowed to father more than 25 children or impregnate over 12 women to prevent inbreeding, incest, or psychological problems for children who find out they have myriad siblings.
As per The Dutch DonorKind Foundation report, Meijer is presently based in Kenya and continues to donate his sperm outside the Netherlands, comprising Denmark and Ukraine, and now faces a civil lawsuit against him. The group alleges that the serial donor has lied about the number of children he has fathered. “We are taking action against this man because the government is doing nothing. He has a global reach via the internet and he does business with large, international sperm banks,” DonorKind Chairman Ties van der Meer told the Telegraph.
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'I am sick to my stomach'
The suit was filed by a Dutch woman who gave birth to one of Meijer’s children in 2018. “If I had known he had already fathered more than 100 children I would never have chosen this donor,” said Eva, as per the Times of London. “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,” she further said. DonorKind attorney Mark de Hek said the court action was initiated after women repeatedly pleaded with Meijer to not donate sperm anymore. “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,” he said.
'I think it’s disgusting'
An Australian mother who recently bought Meijer’s sperm for over $6,500 by paying to a Danish fertility clinic said, “We chose him because he was worldly, creative, and very intelligent. He was open to meeting his donor children and he looks like my partner". “He won’t be stopped. I think it’s disgusting and I’m incredibly angry and disappointed. I can’t believe I have to tell my child that he has hundreds of siblings,” she further added. Earlier, Meijer told the Times of London, “I like to see that there are children of mine all over the world.”