A former doctor from the city of Arnhem (Netherlands) fathered 16 children using his own semen for artificial insemination of patients during the 1970s and 1980s. Anyone who suspects they are the gynecologist’s biological son is asked to provide their DNA.
According to an independent investigation carried out by the medical center where he worked, now called Rijnstate Hospital in Arnhem, the doctor admitted to investigators that used his own semen to inseminate women when the intended donor failed to show.
As a result, the former gynecologist generated at least 16 children without the mothers’ consent.
“It is not known why he did this and how many donor children there are”, emphasized, however, the medical center in its statement.
The hospital asked anyone suspected of being a biological child from the gynecologist who provide your DNA to Fiom – a Dutch organization specializing in paternity issues.
The investigation also determined that the expert is carrier of a hereditary diseasethe nature of which was not publicly disclosed.
Hans Schoodirector of the hospital, described the doctor’s conduct as “unacceptable even by the standards of the time” [os atos aconteceram durante as décadas de 1970 e 1980]noting that the ethical guidelines in force already stipulated that a doctor “should not interfere in the patient’s private life beyond what is strictly necessary”.
“Every child has the right to know their parents. Furthermore, all patients must be able to trust that a doctor will comply with what was agreed. In this situation, a lot went wrong in this regard. We deeply regret what happened”, added Schoo.
This is not the only case in the Netherlands
This is not an isolated case in the Dutch healthcare system, as numerous cases have come to light in recent years in which gynecologists and fertility clinic specialists have used their own sperm without authorization on women who wish to become pregnant.
The gynecologist Jan Karbaatpassed away in 2017, fathered dozens of children using the same procedure in clinics andm Rotterdam and Barendrechtin what is considered one of the Netherlands’ most serious fertility scandals.
The Netherlands Association of Gynecologists (NVOG) confirmed, following an investigation by public television, that the practices of fertility clinics in the country since 2004 have resulted in at least 85 donors who far exceeded the recommended limits.
The directive establishing a maximum of 12 families per donor It only became legally binding in 2018, and its implementation has been consistently poor in the past.
Until the 1990s, the Netherlands did not have specific legal regulations on assisted reproduction, a legal gap that facilitated practices that today would be considered a crime in many European jurisdictions.
