Arnhem gynaecologist secretly used own sperm to conceive at least 16 children
Arnhem gyencologist Dr. A. Schmoutziguer secretly used his own sperm to conceive at least 16 children through artificial insemination in the 1970s and 1980s, the Rijnstate hospital reported after an independent investigation. He did not inform the parents involved.
The doctor carries a hereditary condition. Rijnstate urged all donor children whose parents worked with this doctor to contact the Fiom expertise center.
The doctor worked at the Elisabeth Gasthuis Clinic in Arnhem, which merged with two other hospitals to become Rijnstate in the 1980s. He told researchers that he used his own sperm in cases where the parents’ chosen donor did not show up. At the time, clinics still used fresh sperm for donor insemination. He did not provide any further explanation.
The hospital pointed out that, until the 1990s, there were no laws or regulations governing fertility treatments. There were, however, professional guidelines and codes of conduct for doctors, and Schmoutziguer violated these. “We find the doctor’s actions, even in light of the times, unacceptable,” Rijnstate director Hans Schoo said. “There is no doubt that a doctor’s use of his own sperm in a patient’s fertility treatments violates these rules of conduct.”
“Every child has the right to know their lineage. All patients must also be able to trust that a doctor will do what has been agreed upon. Much went wrong in this situation. We are deeply sorry about what happened,” Schoo said.
The investigators also reprimanded Rijnstate for not sufficiently realizing the consequences of Schmoutziguer’s actions on the parents and children involved. Rijnstate considered artificial insemination a merely technical procedure and showed insufficient involvement when people came forward with questions and concerns. “People often felt that their questions remained unanswered. We regret that,” Schoo said. “We want to do everything we can to be a reliable source of information for donor children, parents, and donors.”
Rijnstate is working closely with genealogy expertise center Fiom and the Donor Child Foundation, which advocates for people conceived through donor sperm, to help answer questions and find closure.
Schmoutziguer is not the first Dutch doctor found to have used his own sperm to conceive children in fertility treatment. A 2022 study by the Donor Child Foundation found that at least 10 Dutch doctors have used their own sperm to inseminate patients, including Jan Karbaat, Jan Wildschut, and Jos Beek.
