Ties van der Meer is 47 years old and was conceived at a private fertility clinic using sperm from an anonymous donor. After years of searching, he managed to track down one half-sibling, but he knows there could be many more he will never meet. His story is not unique: other donor-conceived people have discovered they have tens or even hundreds of half-siblings. "It does make you feel a bit mass-produced," said one person who found they had 25 half-siblings.
ESHRE's proposal for a global cap
To address this issue, the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) has put forward an innovative proposal: establish international limits on the number of children a single donor can father. The idea is to prevent a donor from having a disproportionately large offspring, with psychological and social consequences for both donors and donor-conceived individuals. According to experts, the global spread of clinics and the ease of transporting samples make a supranational agreement necessary.
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The potential benefits of an international agreement
A shared limit could reduce the risk of accidental meetings between half-siblings and ensure greater transparency. Currently, different countries have widely varying regulations: some cap the number of children per donor at 10, others at 25, and still others have no limit at all. Harmonization could protect the rights of donor-conceived people, who often grow up uncertain about how many siblings they have. It could also discourage fertility tourism, the practice of traveling to countries with more permissive laws.
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Challenges and pitfalls to overcome
Despite good intentions, the proposal has some gaps. The main obstacle is the lack of a global monitoring mechanism: how to verify the number of children generated by a donor across different countries? Moreover, the fertility industry is heavily privatized, and economic interests could hinder the adoption of strict limits. Some critics argue that too low a cap could reduce donor availability, lengthening waiting lists. Finally, there is no consensus on what the ideal maximum number should be.
Ethical and social implications of sperm donation
The issue is not only medical but touches on deep themes of identity and belonging. Donor-conceived people often struggle to learn their origins, and an excessive number of half-siblings can further complicate their journey. ESHRE hopes the proposal will spark a global debate, pushing governments and clinics to collaborate. Meanwhile, stories like Ties van der Meer's continue to remind us of the urgency for change. For further reading, check the related article on how AI is learning to simulate real physics, another frontier of research raising ethical questions. An external in-depth source is available on BBC News.
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Source: https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/07/13/1140339/the-download-sperm-donor-limits-ai-world-models
