Dutch government commissions inquiry into sperm donation abuses

The Dutch government is commissioning an independent inquiry into abuses involving sperm donation, examining the experiences of those affected and the role of public bodies, including the health ministry itself. The ministry has secured €650,000 for the work, according to an ANP report published by Nieuws.nl on 25 September. [1]

The inquiry will cover the period from the beginnings of sperm donation in the mid-20th century through to a legislative amendment in 2025. ANP describes that amendment as limiting each donor to providing sperm for a maximum of 12 mothers. [1]

Health Minister Sophie Hermans said previous investigations had addressed individual cases, rather than a broad historical examination of this kind. Alongside the health ministry, institutions whose roles will be examined include the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate, known as the IGJ. These are planned areas of investigation, not findings of institutional wrongdoing. [1]

Responsibility for the inquiry is being placed with research funder ZonMw. A research team has yet to be selected and is expected to begin around mid-2027. The results are intended to be available before the current sperm-donation law is evaluated in 2030; no exact completion date was given. [1]

The report describes Hermans’s responsibility as covering donation in clinics and hospitals, and says she cannot intervene in private sperm donation. It does not establish whether private donations will be included in the historical inquiry. [1]