A recent case of a Dutch sperm donor who fathered 550 children through sperm donations has raised questions about whether anything similar could happen in Belgium.
The Dutchman, Jonathan M., broke a rule in The Netherlands by being a donor in 12 clinics. A donor in the Netherlands can only be responsible for the conception of 25 children, a limit Jonathan M. greatly exceeded. The court in The Hague that heard his case ruled that he must stop donating his sperm, with the man to be forced to pay a fine of €100,000 if he violates this prohibition.
Reports that the man could also have been actively donating in Belgium has caused some to question whether the country will also have to deal with the controversy here.
Experts consider this to be unlikely. According to an article published by RTBF, donations from the same donor in Belgium cannot lead to the birth of children in more than six different women, regardless of their country of origin. The number of donations per donor is limited to six to eight donations.
In addition, the conditions for donating sperm in Belgium are quite strict, RTBF reports. The donor must be between 18 and 45 years old and, obviously, in good health. He must also undergo thorough medical examinations.
The semen is kept in quarantine for six months before use, pending confirmation of negative serological tests. In practice, only one in ten sperm donations is admissible after the tests. Donating sperm is free and without remuneration although a compensatory allowance ranging from 50 to 100 euros (depending on the hospital) can also be granted, RTBF explained.
There has been a shortage of sperm donations in Belgium for some years now, to the point that a good part of the inseminations in this country come from foreign sperm banks, especially those in Denmark.
Statistically, there is therefore little chance that by donating sperm in Belgium, people will one day meet their offspring. It should be noted that since 2008, a law has prevented advertising for "tangible material", according to the RTBF article. Belgium therefore bans advertising for sperm donation, unlike other countries such as Denmark.
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That said, the "Jonathan M." case raises questions about controls. In Belgium, there has been talk for years of a database of sperm donors, which would ensure that a donor does not produce too many children. "It is unacceptable that this registry does not yet exist, but my bill on this subject will soon be discussed in parliament," RTBF reported Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke as saying.
The minister promised that the scheme would be in place by the end of the year. According to him, such a registry will allow centres to check in advance if a donor has children with more than six different women. He also wants a "waterproof guarantee" from Cryos – a Danish private bank – and other private sperm banks that they adhere to the "six-woman rule".
