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http://news.sky.com/story/dna-of-fe...of-using-his-own-sperm-can-be-tested-10902314
DNA of fertility clinic doctor accused of using his own sperm can be tested
Jan Karbaat, who died in April, once reportedly claimed to have fathered 60 children through IVF treatment at his clinic.
16:46, UK, Friday 02 June 2017
Testing can be carried out
Image: Litigants claim Karbaat may have used his own sperm instead of that of a chosen donor
By Wil Longbottom, News Reporter
DNA tests can be carried out on the former director of a fertility clinic who is suspected of using his own sperm to father more than 20 children, a court has ruled.
The court in Rotterdam, Netherlands, ruled that "DNA samples of a recently deceased doctor may be taken from sequestered goods to establish a DNA profile".
But the results "must remain sealed until another judge rules whether or not the results can be compared with the DNA of a group of children" born through in vitro fertilisation (IVF), the court said.
A group of 22 parents and children claim that the doctor, Jan Karbaat, may have used his own sperm instead of that of a chosen donor at a fertility clinic he ran near Rotterdam up until 2009.
People arrive to hear the court ruling in the case of Jan Karbaat in Rotterdam
Image: Families arrive to hear the court ruling in the case of Jan Karbaat in Rotterdam
Karbaat, who died in April at the age of 89, once reportedly claimed to have fathered 60 children through IVF treatment, the group's lawyer told the court last month.
On Friday, the court ruled that so far there "isn't enough proof that supports the scenario that the fertility doctor indeed used his own semen".
The children and their families will have to start new court proceedings "to provide more proof", it said.
The 22 plaintiffs, most born in the 1980s or later, have called for DNA tests to be carried out to show if Karbaat was indeed their biological father.
When he was alive, the doctor refused to take such tests.
Police have already seized personal objects from his home on 2 May after a court order, including a tooth brush.
Lawyers for the Karbaat family have fought against the tests, claiming the family's privacy should be respected.
Karbaat's clinic was shut down in Rotterdam in 2009 after numerous complaints and two inspections by public health authorities.
He is thought to have falsified data as well as analysis and descriptions of the donors and to have had more than the maximum of six children allowed from a single sperm donation.
Last month, a test using DNA from one of Karbaat's legitimate children reportedly showed that he could be the father of 19 children, born through IVF.
It is unclear whether those 19 are among the 22 people in the court case.
DNA of fertility clinic doctor accused of using his own sperm can be tested
Jan Karbaat, who died in April, once reportedly claimed to have fathered 60 children through IVF treatment at his clinic.
16:46, UK, Friday 02 June 2017
Testing can be carried out
Image: Litigants claim Karbaat may have used his own sperm instead of that of a chosen donor
By Wil Longbottom, News Reporter
DNA tests can be carried out on the former director of a fertility clinic who is suspected of using his own sperm to father more than 20 children, a court has ruled.
The court in Rotterdam, Netherlands, ruled that "DNA samples of a recently deceased doctor may be taken from sequestered goods to establish a DNA profile".
But the results "must remain sealed until another judge rules whether or not the results can be compared with the DNA of a group of children" born through in vitro fertilisation (IVF), the court said.
A group of 22 parents and children claim that the doctor, Jan Karbaat, may have used his own sperm instead of that of a chosen donor at a fertility clinic he ran near Rotterdam up until 2009.
People arrive to hear the court ruling in the case of Jan Karbaat in Rotterdam
Image: Families arrive to hear the court ruling in the case of Jan Karbaat in Rotterdam
Karbaat, who died in April at the age of 89, once reportedly claimed to have fathered 60 children through IVF treatment, the group's lawyer told the court last month.
On Friday, the court ruled that so far there "isn't enough proof that supports the scenario that the fertility doctor indeed used his own semen".
The children and their families will have to start new court proceedings "to provide more proof", it said.
The 22 plaintiffs, most born in the 1980s or later, have called for DNA tests to be carried out to show if Karbaat was indeed their biological father.
When he was alive, the doctor refused to take such tests.
Police have already seized personal objects from his home on 2 May after a court order, including a tooth brush.
Lawyers for the Karbaat family have fought against the tests, claiming the family's privacy should be respected.
Karbaat's clinic was shut down in Rotterdam in 2009 after numerous complaints and two inspections by public health authorities.
He is thought to have falsified data as well as analysis and descriptions of the donors and to have had more than the maximum of six children allowed from a single sperm donation.
Last month, a test using DNA from one of Karbaat's legitimate children reportedly showed that he could be the father of 19 children, born through IVF.
It is unclear whether those 19 are among the 22 people in the court case.
