A Danish sperm donor carrying a cancer-causing gene mutation has fathered at least 197 children across 14 European countries, an investigation by the European Broadcasting Union’s Investigative Journalism Network has found. Several children have already developed cancer, and some have died at a very young age.
The donor, identified as Donor 7069 or “Kjeld,” began donating sperm in 2005 while he was a student at the Copenhagen branch of the European Sperm Bank (ESB). He passed all medical tests at the time. His sperm was made available to 67 clinics across Europe between 2006 and 2023, when it was blocked after a mutation in the TP53 gene was discovered. The mutation increases the risk of cancer and is associated with Li Fraumeni Syndrome, a hereditary disorder that can be passed on to future generations.
The mutation could not be detected in initial screenings because it was present in only a small proportion of the donor’s sperm cells. The issue came to light after doctors identified children carrying the TP53 mutation. An international alert was issued to health authorities and fertility clinics, and the ESB immediately blocked the donor and notified clinics. Some parents, however, learned about the risk through networks of affected families before being contacted officially.
Edewige Kasper, an oncogenetics biologist at Rouen University in France, described the mutation as “a very, very severe and rare hereditary predisposition to cancer” affecting a wide spectrum of tumours. She said some children have already developed two different types of cancer.
The investigation revealed that the donor’s sperm was used to conceive 49 children in at least 33 Danish families and 50 children with non-resident women treated at Danish clinics. In Belgium, the same donor’s sperm resulted in 53 births, exceeding the country’s legal limit of six families per donor. Non-binding guidance in Denmark at the time recommended a maximum of 25 families per donor. Danish authorities confirmed that the donor’s sperm was also sold to Ireland, though no children were born from it.
Bente Møller, chief physician for Supervision and Guidance at the Danish Patient Safety Authority, said compliance with donor limits “is a trust-based system” and stressed that the scale of the case is “completely unacceptable.” She noted that while authorities monitor systems to track donor use, specific numbers are not routinely recorded.
The case has raised questions about cross-border fertility treatments and regulatory gaps in Europe. Experts argue that EU legislation does not adequately address ethical and medical risks when patients seek treatment in multiple countries. The global fertility services market, valued at over €45 billion, has grown in response to declining fertility rates and changing family structures, making ethical oversight a pressing concern.
The investigation highlights potential risks to children conceived through sperm donation and underscores the need for stricter international standards and monitoring to prevent similar cases.
