A Dutchman who fathered at least 550 children before being sued over incest fears, is now planning to start a family of his own.
Jonathan Jacob Meijer’s children are all over the world. About 375 live in the Netherlands, 80 in Germany, 35 in Belgium, four in Argentina, and two in Australia, according to Mail Online.
His fathering spree began in 2007, when Meijer, 42, registered as a sperm donor at 11 clinics and at the Cryos sperm bank. He also joined Facebook groups for women and couples who want but cannot have kids.
Earlier this year, Julia, who want to start a family with her wife Ida, was ordered to stop donating sperm to prospective parents, or face a massive fine after it was discovered that he lied to everyone.
He told each clinic he would exclusively donate there, and also told each prospective mother he ‘only’ had about 10 children.
When asked by German media why he wants so many kids, Meijer replied: ‘I want to do something meaningful with my life.’
He added: ‘Yes, I lied to the women. That was wrong. I wanted to help them.’
Many mothers of children conceived with his sperm have furiously condemned Meijer after finding out about his donation addiction.
Mothers – with lookalike children sporting curly blond hair and piercing blue eyes – had even begun to meet by chance. Some started online groups to find other women who had also used the same samples.
Of them, 157 joined a Facebook support group called ‘Donorkind 102 JJM’.
When asked by German media about his hundreds of children, Meijer replied: ‘I like to meet them. But emotionally, they feel more like my nephews and nieces.
‘Otherwise, it would be too much for me.’
Meijer himself is one of eight siblings. He has worked as a civics teacher, a mailman, and a cryptocurrency consultant.
The Cryos sperm bank sold his donations for around £1,100 each, but Meijer claims he donates his sperm for free. He told German media: ‘I don’t ask for anything, but sometimes I receive £64, a plane ticket, or a camera as a gift.’
One mother of a child conceived with Meijer’s sperm sued the Dutchman in April, arguing that his actions have increased the risk of incest.
Eva, the Dutch woman at the centre of the court case, had a child by Mr. Meijer in 2018 and said it made her feel ‘sick to her stomach’ when she found out that he had fathered so many other children.
Earlier this year, she said: ‘If I had known he had already fathered more than 100 children I would never have chosen him. If I think about the consequences this could have for my child I am sick to my stomach.
‘Many mothers have told him he needs to stop, but nothing helps. So going to court is the only option I have to protect my child.”
A civil court in The Hague ruled that he is no longer allowed to donate his sperm. If he does so again, he will be fined 100,000 euro (£85,000).
The complainant was supported by the organisation Donorkind, whose CEO, 44-year-old Ties van der Meer, is himself a donor-conceived child.
Donorkind’s lawyer Mark de Hek said earlier this year: ‘This behaviour is dangerous for the mental wellbeing and health of donor children. By preferring his reproductive urge, the donor is acting unlawfully.
‘In addition, he violates the agreements with the clinics and with the prospective parents, because they trusted his promise that he would father a maximum of 25 children.’
