A Belgian man who donated sperm to a clinical trial in the 1970s discovered his sperm had been used to conceive two children without his permission.
The discovery was made by his 45-year-old genetic son, also based in Belgium, who received a MyHeritage.com DNA test gift from his wife after he discovered he was a carrier for a cystic fibrosis variant. He was aware he had been conceived using donor sperm, and set out to find his biological father. He discovered two relatives, his biological father and a half-brother in Luxembourg, and neither of them were aware of the use of donor sperm.
'Between 1974 and 1979, when he was studying at the VUB, he donated sperm four times a month, as part of a study by [Professor Robert] Schoysman on male fertility,' explained Steph Raeymaekers chair of Donorkinderen who contacted the 71-year-old donor on behalf of his 45-year-old biological son. 'He thought he was contributing to science and received some payment for it. To find that people were conceived with his sperm against his will and without any knowledge is incredibly difficult for him to accept.'
The fertility doctor in question, Professor Schoysman, was a pioneer of donor insemination in Belgium who practiced at several hospitals, including UZ Brussel, while running his private practice. He also taught at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), where he recruited sperm donors during classes. According to Donorkinderen, a non-profit organisation defending the rights of donor-conceived children in Belgium, Professor Schoysman faced previous allegatons, including over the alleged conception of triplets using sperm from two men. One of those triplets is Raeymaekers.
'I was in shock when I received an email from a donor child. I was deceived,' said the 71-year-old clinical trial participant. 'That doctor was downright unfair to me. I feel cheated. I hope today's IVF laboratories act more correctly. We as citizens now have the right to our own image, it seems obvious to me that we also have the right to our own genes.'
Since the initial case surfaced, Donorkinderen appealed to former students and patients of the fertility doctor, receiving 16 additional notifications. This included five men who donated sperm for research between 1975 and 1986, six donor-conceived children, and a woman questioning if her donated eggs were used for conception under Professor Schoysman's supervision.
Donorkinderen is calling for an in-depth investigation with collaboration from the Ministry of Health and Justice, Professor Shoyman's workplaces, the Belgian regulatory agency and the Order of Doctors. Meanwhile, the 45-year-old man seeks to raise awareness and supports lifting donor anonymity for future donor children.
'There is a 50 percent chance that I inherited it from him,' he said. 'I felt I should let him know that so that his other children can also get tested. For me personally, it's a closed chapter. I have answers to my questions. But I think raising awareness in society is important. I realise there are still a lot of children who probably don't know they are donor children.'
Sources and References
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'I feel cheated': Man's sperm was used to conceive children without his permission
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Man who donated sperm for research discovers 2 children conceived without consent
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Man die zaad gaf ‘voor de wetenschap’ ontdekt dat hij zeker één donorkind heeft: “Ik voel me bedrogen”
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Al 16 meldingen na nieuws van vruchtbaarheidsarts in Brussel die sperma van studenten 'misbruikte'
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Al zeker 16 meldingen na nieuws van fertiliteitsarts die sperma van studenten ‘misbruikte’
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Kinderen verwekt met sperma dat Belgische student doneerde voor onderzoek
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