Jonathan Jacob Meijer, a 41-year-old musician and serial sperm donor from Hague, has been summoned to court in the Netherlands after being accused of fathering more than 550 children. The Donorkind Foundation, a Dutch organization representing donor-conceived children, has brought the case to court in an attempt to prevent Meijer from donating any more sperm. The accused, who has been charged with misleading hundreds of women, will appear in court in April.
Meijer was first reported to the Dutch Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 2017, by which point he had already fathered almost 102 children in the Netherlands after donating sperm in ten clinics. He was later blacklisted in his home country, but resorted to donating sperm abroad instead. The Donorkind Foundation hopes that the court case will result in the destruction of Meijer's remaining stored sperm.
Ties van der Meer, the chairman of the Donorkind Foundation, criticized the national government for not taking action against Meijer, who has a global reach via the internet and does business with large, international sperm banks. Mark de Hek, the lawyer for the foundation, said that Meijer had broken a pledge to father no more than 25 children.
Meijer's actions have raised concerns about the mental health of the children of serial sperm donors, who may suffer from anxiety over the possibility of incest and inbreeding.
A woman called Eva, who gave birth to a child conceived with Meijer's sperm in 2018, said she felt sick of Meijer’s actions and was worried about their consequences and the effect it will have on her child.
She said: "If I had known he had already fathered more than 100 children I would never have chosen him. If I think about the consequences this could have for my child I am sick to my stomach.”
"Many mothers have told him he needs to stop but nothing helps. So going to court is the only option. I have to protect my child,” she added.
Meijer has a YouTube channel with over 4,000 subscribers and the description read: “Crypto, dividend investing, precious metals."
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
