Childhood cancers caused by gene mutation inherited by sperm donor. Credit: Anna Tarazevich, Pexels
A Danish sperm donor unknowingly carrying a high-risk cancer gene has fathered at least 67 children across Europe, sparking outrage and calls for tighter sperm donation laws.
The scandal, revealed in late May 2025 by Dr Edwige Kasper at a European Society of Human Genetics meeting, exposed major gaps in regulation, with at least 10 donor-conceived children already 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 Euronews, Dr Kasper said: “It’s a syndrome called Li-Fraumeni syndrome, which will give rise to multiple cancers with a very broad spectrum, so children who are carriers of this variant need to be monitored very closely.”
Of the 67 known children conceived, 23 have inherited the gene. Ten have sadly already developed cancer, including four haemopathies, four brain tumours, and two sarcomas.
Calls for reform on EU sperm donor regulations
Europe has no unified sperm donor policy. Limits on the number of children per donor range from one in Cyprus to 15 in Germany. Some countries, like France and Greece, enforce donor anonymity, while others, such as the Netherlands, do not.
The European Sperm Bank reportedly set a limit of 75 families per donor. Dr Kasper warned: “We will end up with an abnormal spread of a genetic pathology.”
Ethics councils from Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway are demanding an EU-wide framework to reduce the risk of spreading 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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