Picture caption, Jonathan Jacob Meijer declined to participate within the docuseriesArticle informationAuthor, Steven McIntoshRole, Leisure reporter4 hours agoA Dutch sperm donor who fathered a whole lot of youngsters has described a brand new documentary about him as “deceptive”.A Netflix docuseries, launched on Wednesday, focuses on the ladies who’ve had kids utilizing the sperm of Jonathan Jacob Meijer. One girl has mentioned she felt “betrayed, unhappy and indignant” after discovering out what number of different kids Meijer had fathered.However Meijer advised the BBC the documentary is misleading as a result of it provides prominence to those that are sad somewhat than the numerous households he says are grateful to him. Responding to the interview, its govt producer described the declare that almost all of households are blissful as “fully unfaithful”. Within the interview, Meijer additionally mentioned he sees “completely nothing flawed” with fathering a whole lot of youngsters.”They intentionally known as [the documentary] The Man With 1,000 Children, when it must be ‘the sperm donor who helped households conceive with 550 kids’,” he advised the programme.”So already from the beginning they’re intentionally deceiving and deceptive.”He continued: “I feel Netflix did an amazing job at choosing 5 households [who are unhappy] out of the 225 households that I’ve helped, they usually [the other families] will certainly inform you one thing else.”Netflix advised Girl’s Hour it could not touch upon Meijer’s interview, however Natalie Hill, the documentary’s govt producer, did converse to the programme. “I’ve spent the final 4 years talking to households who’ve been impacted by Jonathan’s lies. I’ve personally spoken to 45 or 50 households,” she mentioned. “Fifty households made influence statements to the court docket about his lies, and pleaded with the decide that he cease. So this continued platform for Jonathan to speak about it being a handful of girls is totally unfaithful.”Picture caption, Suzanne (left) and Natalie are among the many dad and mom who had a baby utilizing Meijer’s spermMeijer has been a donor for 17 years. In lots of circumstances, he made donations privately, which meant coping with the households instantly somewhat than through a personal clinic.Some ladies who selected him as a donor say he didn’t clarify to them the extent of what number of different kids he had fathered. “I am conflicted as a result of he advised me again then that he was donating to 5 households,” one mom, Natalie, advised Girl’s Hour. “It turned out in 2021 I learn an article in a newspaper that it was a whole lot of households. That is why I am conflicted and do not agree along with his strategies.”Some ladies he has donated to have described him as “a narcissist”, whereas others have urged he represents a public well being threat.Requested if he thought his estimate of 550 kids was quite a bit, Meijer mentioned: “It’s for a standard man, however not for a sperm donor. “For a sperm donor it is fairly widespread. They go up into the a whole lot of youngsters. They [the clinics] will ship the donor semen to a number of nations.”‘Outdated views’The docuseries acquired intensive protection forward of its launch.”It’s undoubtedly fascinating viewing, albeit in a really grim manner – and the revelations about sperm donation (and Meijer’s manner of doing it) horrifying,” she mentioned.The Telegraph’s Anita Singh mentioned: “The film-makers strive too onerous to show this right into a Tinder Swindler-style story of girls exacting revenge, and there’s a late twist. However even with out that it’s an honest story that prompts larger questions in regards to the donor business.”Some ladies have expressed considerations that their baby might unknowingly meet and get right into a relationship with a half-sibling sooner or later.Mom Natalie mentioned: “The most important concern is that these kids are going to run into each other, and fall in love with each other, as a result of they recognise one thing in one another they usually’re not conscious of the truth that they’re from the identical donor dad. “That is the most important threat I see, as a result of he talks about being an open and identified donor, however he has donated to quite a few clinics across the globe, and never all of the clinics share the identical values about being open and trustworthy in direction of kids.”Meijer pushed again on this suggestion, telling presenter Nuala McGovern the priority was primarily based on circumstances the place nameless donors had been used, whereas his id was simply obtainable.”I can assure you that, now there are low cost DNA exams, and I’m on the DNA database, to allow them to discover out,” he mentioned.”Additionally, the dad and mom will inform their kids they’re from a donor. So as a result of all of them know my id, even when the prospect occurs that they might meet one another, they will merely ask, ‘Are you a donor baby?’, and secondly, ‘Is your donor father Jonathan?'”These outdated views, we must always cease projecting them on these kids. They’re very conscious they’re a donor baby. They know how one can reply.”Court docket caseHe continued donating in different nations till 2023, when one girl and a basis supporting her filed a civil go well with in opposition to Meijer, arguing he was growing the danger of incest for his kids.In his testimony, Meijer admitted having between 550 and 600 kids. Nonetheless, the court docket mentioned he might have fathered as much as 1,000 throughout a number of continents.The decide finally banned Meijer from donating sperm to new dad and mom, and mentioned he can be fined 100,000 euros (£85,000) per donation if he did so. Meijer advised Girl’s Hour: “I already stopped donating for brand spanking new recipients in 2019. I solely donated for siblings. The court docket case was principally ineffective as a result of I already stopped, and the court docket case didn’t prohibit me to assist present households.”Requested if he noticed any downside along with his actions, Meijer mentioned: “I see completely nothing flawed with it. I feel it is excellent. I see that they [the children] have many mates, they meet with one another. “And I can not converse for them, however from what I’ve seen, they’re very blissful that they’ve so many siblings. As a result of they [the half-siblings] meet on donor days, they meet with one another and go on vacation collectively.”Discussing his causes for turning into a sperm donor, Meijer mentioned: “The misperception is I had some kind of plan. Mainly I used to be in faculty and there was a pal of mine who was infertile. “It had a big effect on me, as a result of I noticed the impact that it had on his life. So I began to have an interest… and I began to assume, might I be a donor?”When McGovern requested if Meijer understood the best way the ladies felt, he mentioned: “Why ought to they be uncomfortable? It is what they selected.”If you’d like exclusivity, you go to the clinic, you pay 10,000 euros after which your donor is unique. For those who do not wish to share as a mom, why did you select this path?”Defending the docu-series, Hill advised Girl’s Hour: “The documentary collection, which we have spent a very long time making and researching fastidiously, has feedback and analysis from a number of households all internationally. And to counsel that he is aware of all these households and that they are all blissful shouldn’t be true.”Within the collection, you possibly can see how Jonathan has been capable of lie with the dearth of authorized panorama and the dearth of transparency in fertility total. And the implications to the households is rather well introduced out within the documentary collection.”Chatting with Radio 4, Rachel Reducing, director of compliance and knowledge on the HFEA, added: “Fertility remedy within the UK may be very regulated, and that is not at all times the case globally… Inside the UK, we’ve a 10-family restrict. “However what can occur is donors can donate outdoors the UK, so whereas we’ve management within the UK, the HFEA doesn’t have any jurisdiction outdoors the UK, or what occurs with non-public donations, which is why we encourage ladies to go to a licensed HFEA clinic.”