Dutch fertility doctor Jan Karbaat secretly used his own sperm to father 49 children – and DNA tests may reveal even more
- Publicity surrounding case means extended family may grow even larger as more people seek to check their DNA against Karbaat’s.
- Case, which has riveted the Netherlands, highlights culture of silence around sperm and egg donations in earlier decades
Martijn van Halen has every right to be angry at Jan Karbaat. The Dutch fertility doctor lied to his parents and used his own sperm to inseminate Van Halen’s mother.
But, somehow, the 39-year-old Dutch landscape gardener does not seem to harbour too much resentment.
The case of Dr Karbaat, who died in 2017 at age 89, has riveted the Netherlands, due to its mix of unethical medical behaviour, privacy issues, DNA testing, legal wrangling and the rights of children to know who their parents are.
Last week, DNA results confirmed that Karbaat had fathered at least 49 children. The real number could be higher and spread beyond the Netherlands, even as far as the United States.
Ties van der Meer of the Dutch Donor Child Foundation, which supports such children, says Karbaat could have fathered many more. He said Monday that three more people contacted him over the weekend because they suspect they may also have been conceived using Karbaat’s sperm.