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Children’s cancers are caused by genetic mutations inherited from sperm donors. Credit: Anna Tarazevich. Pexels
Unknowingly, a Danish sperm-donor carrying a cancer-risk gene fathered 67 children in Europe. This sparked outrage and calls to tighten sperm donation regulations.
The scandal was revealed in 2025 at an European Society of Human Genetics conference by Dr Edwige Kasper. At least 10 children born from donors had been diagnosed with Cancer.
Sperm donor spreads cancer gene mutation
The donor carried a TP53 gene mutation associated with Li-Fraumeni syndrome – a rare disorder that dramatically increases the risk of early-onset cancers. According to EuronewsDr Kasper stated: “It’s a Li-Fraumeni disorder, which causes multiple cancers, with a wide spectrum. Therefore, children who carry this variant must be closely monitored.”
Of the 67 known conceived children, 23 have the gene. Ten of the 67 known children have already been diagnosed with cancer. This includes four haemopathies and four brain tumours.
Calls for reform of EU sperm donor laws
Europe has no unified sperm donor policy. The number of children that can be born to a donor varies from 1 in Cyprus up to 15 in Germany. Some countries, including France and Greece enforce donor anonymity while others, like the Netherlands, don’t.
You can also find out more about the following: European Sperm Bank The limit is 75 families for each donor. Dr Kasper said: “We’ll end up with a genetic disease spreading abnormally.”
The ethics councils of Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway have called for an EU-wide framework that will reduce the spread of genetic diseases. Sven-Erik Söder, President of Sweden’s Medical Ethics Council, told Euronews: “The first step is… a limit of families per donor… The second step is to create a national register. And the third… a European register.”
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