Serial sperm donor Jonathan Jacob Meijer banned from continuing to donate

A Dutch man believed to have fathered over 500 children has been formally banned from donating sperm over fears that he is increasing the risk of accidental incest among his spawn.

Jonathan Jacob Meijer, 41, was forbidden by a Dutch court on Friday from continuing to donate his semen to clinics.

Meijer, a musician, is also required to ask clinics in other countries to destroy any of his semen they may still have, excluding samples previously reserved by patients who already conceived children with him.

If he violates the order, Meijer faces a $110,000 fine.

The court ruling comes several weeks after Meijer was sued for allegedly lying about the number of children he has fathered — and increasing the risk of his children accidentally engaging in incest with his prolific donations.

He is believed to have donated sperm to at least 13 clinics, including 11 in The Netherlands. Meijer was blacklisted from donating in his native country in 2017 after it was revealed that he had fathered 102 offspring – well over the official 25-child limit.

“If I had known he had already fathered more than 100 children I would never have chosen this donor,” the plaintiff, “Eva,” who gave birth to one of Meijer’s children in 2018, said in March.


Jonathan Jacob Meijer.
Jonathan Jacob Meijer has fathered between 500 and 600 children.
CEN

A sperm sample.
Sperm donors are limited to 25 children or 12 different mothers in the Netherlands.
Getty Images/iStockphoto

“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.”

The Dutch DonorKind Foundation alleged in the suit that Meijer, who lives in Kenya, continued to donate sperm to clinics in Denmark and Ukraine. He is thought to have fathered between 500 to 600 children in total.

He has also reportedly offered himself as a donor to prospective parents on matching websites, sometimes under an alias.


Jonathan Jacob Meijer,
Meijer has also reportedly donated to clinics in Ukraine and Denmark.
CEN

Jonathan Jacob Meijer.
Meijer currently lives in Kenya.
CEN

DonorKind attorney Mark de Hek said the lawsuit was initiated after women repeatedly begged Meijer to stop donating his sperm.

“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 explained.

With Post wires