A Dutch musician and prolific sperm donor who has fathered about 550 children worldwide has been sued for increasing the risk of accidental incest.
Jonathan Jacob Meyer, 41, has donated sperm to at least 13 clinics, including 11 in the Netherlands, who were blacklisted in 2017 as the father of 102 children. The Times of London reported.
Dutch guidelines require donors to father more than 25 children or more than 12 women to prevent inbreeding, incest, or psychological problems in children who are found to have numerous siblings. is not allowed to become pregnant.
Meijer, who lives in Kenya, continues to donate his sperm outside the Netherlands, including in Denmark and Ukraine, according to the Dutch DonorKind Foundation, which has filed a civil suit against him.
The group claims that serial donors lied about the number of children they fathered.
‘We are taking action against this man because the government is doing nothing,’ says DonorKind chairman Ties van der Meer told The Telegraph.
“He has a global reach via the internet and does business with large international sperm banks,” he added.
The suit was brought to us by a Dutch woman who gave birth to one of Meijer’s children in 2018.
“Had I known he already had over 100 children, I wouldn’t have chosen this donor,” said a woman named Eva, according to the Times of London.
“I feel sick when I think about the impact this will have on my child. Going to court is the only way to protect my child,” she added.
DonorKind’s attorney, Mark de Hek, said the court case started after the woman repeatedly appealed to Meijer to stop donating his sperm.
“We and some mothers approached him. They asked him to stop. He refused. This is why legal action is the only option to protect the child.” He said.
The Foundation will ask the court to order Meijer to stop donating and destroy all stored sperm.
The Australian couple paid more than $6,500 to donate sperm to Cryos International, a Danish fertility clinic, under the pseudonym Ruud, the Times of London reported.
“We chose him because he was worldly, creative and very smart,” the Australian mother was quoted as saying. “He’s open to meeting donor children and looks like my partner.
“He can’t be stopped. I find it disgusting and incredibly angry and disappointed. I can’t believe I have to tell a kid that he has hundreds of siblings,” she added.
The couple were told the man’s sperm met Australian guidelines, according to the outlet.
Using a pseudonym, Meijer allegedly wrote a “motivational letter” to a Danish sperm bank telling future parents that he wanted to help people realize their dreams of having children.
Meijer declined to comment to Dutch newspaper AD and broadcaster NOS, The Telegraph reported.
According to the Times of London, he previously said, “I love seeing my children all over the world.