World News for Students of English

04-05-2023 07:00

A Dutch court has issued an order to a man, identified as Jonathan Meijer, who has allegedly fathered between 500 and 600 children worldwide, to stop donating sperm.

The court ruling prohibits Meijer from making further donations to clinics and imposes a potential fine of 110,000 dollars for each violation. The court also directed Meijer to request the destruction of his stored semen from foreign clinics, except for doses reserved for parents who already have children from him. The decision follows a civil case initiated by a foundation representing the interests of donor children and Dutch parents who utilized Meijer as a donor. They argued that his ongoing donations infringed upon the privacy rights of his donor children, who face concerns regarding accidental incest and inbreeding.

Despite being banned from donating to Dutch fertility clinics since 2017, Meijer continued donating abroad, including to the Danish sperm bank Cryos.

Difficult words: utilize (to employ or make use of), incest (sexual relations between closely related people), inbreeding (the production of babies by closely related individuals).

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