Monday 9 April 2012

Scientist fathered 600 kids

A British scientist fathered about 600 children by donating his sperm at his own fertility clinic.
Biologist Bertold Wiesner, who set up the fertility clinic in  the 1940s, supplied his sperm to partners of infertile men, reported 'Daily Mail'.DNA tests were carried out in 2007 on 18 people conceived at the clinic between 1943 and 1962 and 12 of them were Wiesner’s children.
David Gollancz, a barrister, on learning he was born from a sperm donor discovered through DNA tests that he is Wiesner's child. He would have made 20 donations a year, meaning he is likely to have fathered between 300 and 600 children, Gollancz estimated.

Gollancz is involved in a campaign to stop sperm donors being anonymous. "I would like to see birth certificates also carrying the name of the sperm or egg donor."
His wife Mary Barton later destroyed medical records, meaning most of those conceived there – and their thousands of subsequent offspring –have no idea of their true family history and blood ties.
Austrian-born Wiesner died in 1972, aged 70. His wife died 11 years ago.

No comments: