Sperm Donor With Genetic Low-IQ Syndrome Fathered 15 Children Without Telling Mothers

A British man with a genetic syndrome that causes low IQ and learning disabilities fathered 15 children with women to whom he had not disclosed his condition, according to new reports.

“James MacDougall, 37, fathered children with lesbian women through private donations advertised on social media despite knowing he had incurable Fragile X syndrome, a genetic disorder that leads to low IQ and developmental delay,” the New York Post reported.

The man’s identity came out during court proceedings in Derby, United Kingdom, where he had applied for “parental responsibility and child arrangement orders for four of his children — even though he originally signed an agreement saying he didn’t want contact with some of his children. The mothers of the children were opposed to the applications,” the Post reported.

Derby Court Judge Justice Nathalie Lieven named MacDougall “to stop other women from using him as a sperm donor and ruled he should not have any responsibility for the children as it would cause them harm,” the paper said.

“There is a very specific benefit in his being named in the hope that women will look him up on the internet and see this judgment,” the judge said after refusing his lawyer’s request for anonymity. “The usual approach of anonymity in the Family Courts should not be used as a way for parents to behave in an unacceptable manner and then hide behind the cloak of anonymity,” the judge said.

His parents told the Daily Mail that their son had donated sperm because he’s “kind hearted” and “would do anything for anybody.”

“He wanted to be part of their lives, he wanted to see his children,” June MacDougall told the UK paper. “He is kind hearted and would do anything for anybody but he is gullible. He just wanted to help those people, help those women in a gay relationship fulfill their dreams and become parents. He didn’t seek any money, as far as we are aware, for providing that service, he just did it.”

“He had never had children of his own in a conventional relationship but he has fathered 15 in a different relationship as a sperm donor. That was his choice, and although it was shocking at first, we support his decision,” his mother said, adding that her son is a “victim of those girls.”

MacDougall had advertised on a Facebook page for lesbian women seeking sperm donors.

The judge forbade MacDougall from applying for parental rights for at least the next three years, “because of his complete lack of insight into his conduct, and because it would be traumatizing to the mothers, and said he should be named to stop other women from using him as a sperm donor,” The Mirror reported.

Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.