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LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 23: A selection of IVF hormone bottles and syringes are seen, at the Science Museum on July 23, 2018 in London, England. On 25th July 1978, Louise Brown became the first baby to be born using the In Vitro Fertilisation technique pioneered by British researchers Robert Edwards, Patrick Steptoe and Jean Purdy. The Science Museum in London is holding an exhibition entitled IVF: 6 Million Babies Later to celebrate the success of IVF.
A gynecologist who worked with several patients who underwent in-vitro fertilization from anonymous sperm donors has been revealed to be the father of more than 17 children as a result of the said procedures.
In what was dubbed as the latest IVF scandal to hit the Netherlands, the Dutch hospital that a doctor who is already deceased turned out to be the father of many children.
Identified as Jan Wildschut, the doctor worked in what was then known as Sophia hospital's fertility clinic. The hospital is currently known as Isala hospital and lies in the city of Zwolle.
According to the statement of the hospital, they condemned Wildschut's acts as "morally unacceptable after finding out what he had done in the past. Aside from his legal children, Wildschut has been proven to have 17 other children, if not more, ABC News reported.
Moreover, the hospital stated that at the time that he committed the act, the gynecologist was part of the artificial insemination program of the hospital. There is a certain program where sperm donors are needed, and this is where Wildschut got involved and used his own sperm.
At the moment, it is still not known if he has more children out there.
After finding out the truth only in 2019, the hospital announced that it makes changes to better improve its IVF process. It swore to be more transparent and improve its sperm donation process by making the news public in an agreement with his family.
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How was the information revealed?
According to CBS News, the anomaly was first discovered after a donor child discovered that his DNA matched with that of Wildschut's niece who has already died in 2009. However, one of the parents of the donor children stated that they never expected that the doctor was the donor of the sperm that was inseminated in them.
The parent also stated that the doctor projected an aura of commitment, friendship, and honesty.
Hospital and Health Authorities Refuse to Probe Deeper into the Case
Meanwhile, since the incidents happened decades ago when there were still no laws that regulate or govern these treatments, the Dutch Health and Youth Inspectorate declined to further open an inquiry on the case.
However, authorities have advised other donor children who were born following fertility treatment from the hospital at the time to check if Wildschut is also their father. To make the search easier, they have created a DNA profile of the deceased gynecologist.
In addition, the hospital stated that many of the gynecologist's children who have been confirmed through DNA tests have already come in contact with his family. It was also noted that the children and the family of their biological father have a good relationship.
This, however, is not the first time that something like this happened in the Netherlands. Only last year, it was discovered that a Dutch doctor from Rotterdam is the father of at least 49 children after he inseminated his own sperm to women who were seeking treatment.
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