Working as an obstetrician and gynecologist in Leiden, Netherlands between 1973-1986, Dr. It turned out that Jos Beek used his own sperm during fertility treatments and fathered at least 21 children.
Jos Beek has become the third doctor in the Netherlands to be determined to use their own sperm instead of donors for women who want to have children.
The incident came about because the Fiom Foundation, which helps people find their biological families, discovered that 21 children had DNA matches.
As a result of the research, it was determined that 21 mothers gave birth after being treated by gynecology and obstetrics specialist Jas Beek at Elisabeth Hospital.
The Fiom Foundation notified the hospital after the DNA of one of Beek’s “official” children from his own marriage matched the 21 children born after the treatment.
Peter Jue, director of the hospital, which merged with Elisabeth Hospital to become Alrijne, said all files were destroyed, so it is not known how many women Jas Beek treated.
The doctor is more likely to father more children, according to the hospital director. That’s why the hospital wants everyone treated by gynecologist Jas Beek to contact them.
Hospital director Jue told local channel Omroep West, “The doctor’s behavior is unacceptable. We were shocked to hear about it. It is a sad situation for parents and children alike.”
The hospital contacted both the children and their families and started to discuss with them what needs to be done.
According to the hospital administrator, because fertility treatments were still new in the early 1970s, there was less control and doctors could move more freely.
It is thought that Jas Beek used his own sperm, as treatment with donor sperm was not very common at that time and there was difficulty in finding donors.
The hospital states that today, fertility treatment is completely different and that donor sperm has not been used for a long time.
Jas Beek, who worked at Elisabeth Hospital for 25 years, passed away in 2019.
Jos Beek is the third gynecologist in the Netherlands known to use his own sperm in treatments. Dr. Jan Karbaat was the first person known about it. He is the biological father of at least 81 children of Karbaat, who died in 2017.
Another Dutch gynecologist, Jan Wildschut, used his own sperm on women undergoing fertility treatment at Sophia Hospital in the city of Zwolle.
It turned out that Wildschut, who died in 2009, was the biological father of at least 47 children.