A coalition of EU health ministers wants to set international limits on the number of children a single sperm or egg donor can produce, putting an end to the “super sperm donor” phenomenon.
The proposal, in the form of an information note, was introduced in Luxembourg on Friday by Sweden and Belgium during a meeting of EU health ministers, and it is backed by four other countries: France, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Spain.
While many European countries, including Sweden – one of the lead proponents – have national laws that cap the number of children per donor, no international regulations currently exist.
Some commercial sperm and egg banks have set voluntary limits, such as 75 families per donor. However, others have no such restrictions.
As a result, it’s not uncommon for donor-conceived individuals to discover they have more than 100 genetic half-siblings, in stories that frequently attract public attention.
A Dutch sperm donor suspected of fathering over 550 children worldwide and Telegram CEO Paul Durov, rumoured to be the biological father of more than 100 children through years of sperm donation, are some of the better-known examples.
These and other similar cases raise “new concerns about the potential psychosocial impact on donor-conceived children and donors,” Swedish Health Minister Acko Ankarberg Johansson said.
More recently, further calls were made to limit the number of donations after another Dutch donor whose sperm carried a rare cancer-related genetic variant was used to conceive at least 52 children, some of whom have been diagnosed with cancer.
Call for a cross-border donor register
Explaining their proposal, the ministers have argued that international action is needed not only due to ethical concerns but also because of demographic trends, including declining fertility rates and delayed family planning.
These trends have compelled many EU countries to increasingly rely on commercial gamete banks that operate internationally, making it harder to enforce donor limits.
Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke said that international limits would only be practical if supported by a comprehensive cross-border donor register.
“We badly need a Europe-wide quota supported by an EU register to ensure proper implementation,” he said.
“It is unacceptable that children or parents have to discover through genetic testing that they could have 70 or more half-siblings across Europe or even globally. That is unethical and a risk factor,” he continued.
While several member states support the initiative, the European Commission is, for now, proceeding cautiously.
Proponents have called for an update to the EU regulation on substances of human origin. However, this legislation was revised only recently, in June 2024.
Speaking at the meeting, the European Commission’s top health official, Director-General for Health and Food Safety Sandra Gallina, called the issue a recurrent concern for member states and patients.
She pointed out, however, that regulating donor offspring numbers falls mainly under national jurisdiction, as the EU’s mandate in this area is limited to safety and quality standards.
“The EU can help raise awareness among in-vitro fecundation professionals about national donor limits,” Gallina explained.
She also announced that the Commission would respond to Sweden and Belgium’s request by organising a discussion involving national authorities and the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), the continent’s main professional body in the field.