Echt?! Dutch sperm donor Jonathan, who has hundreds of children in the Netherlands and in other countries, wants to father even more children. However, his exploits have now lead to worries of incest.
Stichting Donorkind (Donorkind foundation) and a mother to one of Jonathan’s children have filed a lawsuit to stop the 41-year-old man, who calls himself “Donorpapa Jonathan” (😳), from donating any more of his sperm.
According to RTL Nieuws, while in court in The Hague, Jonathan would often say a lot but not answer questions clearly.
“It is not my intention to be a very active donor,” Jonathan answered about whether he would stop donating now. “But sometimes I still need the freedom.”
Possible inbreeding
You might think 550 children is a lot for one man, but helaas pindakaas, that’s not all! Seven more women are currently pregnant with Jonathan’s offspring.
READ MORE | 8 things to know about having a child in the Netherlands
In fact, the real number of children fathered by Jonathan could be up to 600. On top of donating to clinics, he also sold his sperm online.
This means that it would be heel moeilijk (very difficult) to find out the exact number of children he has fathered.
Why is this an issue? The fear is that these donor children could meet, not realise they are half-siblings, and start a relationship.
‘Serial’ sperm donor accused of fathering 550 children sued in Netherlands – TheCable Lifestyle https://t.co/zsNnlnBgx5— Donorkinderen (@donorkinderen) March 28, 2023
A threat to sexual freedom
Given the huge number, the donor children don’t know who all their siblings are. It’s being argued that this takes away their sexual freedom, as they’re going to have to make sure they’re not related to someone before starting a relationship.
Mark de Hek, the lawyer for the Donorkind Foundation, told the court that due to this, “Jonathan’s donor children are already experiencing emotional problems.”
Jonathan disagreed about possible incest among his children, saying, “I don’t believe in evolution, I believe in creation.” Ehm…ok, Jonathan.
A big happy family?
Jonathan’s lawyer, Richard van der Zwan, states that “many donor children who know each other have a great time together and even go on holiday together.”
According to his lawyer, Jonathan gets many gifts on Father’s Day. He also goes on outings with some of his children and visits them in other countries.
Van der Zwan believes this is proof that it’s only an issue for a small “angry group” of people.
No agreement
What Jonathan did is not punishable by law, so the judge gave the two parties a chance to come to an agreement themselves. However, this didn’t happen, even after 30 minutes alone.
As a result, it’s now up to the judge to issue a written decision on April 28.
While he wishes to continue donating, Jonathan also states that “This is a new situation for everyone, a new concept. As a society, we must also help donor children to deal with this.”
De Hek believes this is a very dangerous situation, describing what Jonathan is doing as “a test he is conducting with 550 children as guinea pigs.”
What do you think of the serial donor’s behaviour? Tell us in the comments.