Key Points
- Jonathan Meijer, 41, has fathered between 500 and 600 children around the world.
- The ban follows a civil case by a group representing the interests of donor children.
- Mr Meijer could be fined $167,167 per infraction.
A Dutch court has ordered a man who judges say has fathered between 500 and 600 children around the world to stop donating sperm.
The 41-year-old Dutchman, identified by de Telegraaf newspaper as Jonathan Meijer, was forbidden from donating more semen to clinics, the court ruling said.
He could be fined 100,000 euros ($167,167) per infraction.
The court also ordered Mr Meijer to write to clinics abroad asking them to destroy any of his semen they have in stock, except doses reserved for parents who already had children by him.
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The decision came after a civil case started by a foundation representing the interests of donor children and Dutch parents who had used Mr Meijer as a donor.
They argued Mr Meijer's continued donations violated the right to a private life of his donor children, whose ability to form romantic relationships is hampered by fears of accidental incest and inbreeding.
Mr Meijer's mass donations first came to light in 2017 and he was banned from donating to Dutch fertility clinics, where he had already fathered more than 100 children.
However, he continued to donate abroad, including to the Danish sperm bank Cryos which operates internationally.
Mr Meijer also continued to offer himself as a donor on sites matching prospective parents with sperm donors, sometimes using a different name, according to the Algemeen Dagblad daily.
