Health Minister orders urgent inquiry into fertility clinics as mum fears donor could have fathered as many as 1000 children

A “super” sperm donor could have fathered as many as 1000 children, triggering serious incest fears for his kids.

• Editor’s view: Qld women deserve answers

Every fertility clinic in Queensland will be investigated after shocking revelations that a Queensland sperm donor could have fathered as many as 1000 children.

The systemic investigation, ordered by Health Minister Shannon Fentiman, follows numerous allegations exposed by The Courier-Mail, including a shocking baby swap where a couple claim they were given the wrong sperm to conceive two of their sons.

The latest horror claims come from mother-of-five Shannon Ashton who believes her children, all from the same donor, could have as many as 1000 siblings after she uncovered he had donated hundreds of times in four years.

Ms Ashton said her family, including her three teenagers, live in constant fear they will become romantically involved with a biological relative.

“It makes me physically sick that my kids will for the rest of their lives have to fight off the fear of incest,’’ she said. “They will have to get background checks on anyone they might be even slightly interested in. Just last week my teenage son came across someone he is likely biologically related to.’’

Queensland Health Minister Shannon Fentiman has ordered a systemic investigation. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

This week, Ms Ashton and two other mums met with Ms Fentiman to outline major problems within the fertility industry and to share their personal horror stories. All three women have lodged complaints with the Office of the Health Ombudsman.

Ms Fentiman ordered the ombudsman to launch an urgent investigation into the industry after the meeting, promising to rid the state of “cowboy” operators.

Ms Fentiman said she was “appalled by the alleged behaviour of some fertility providers” and had given the ombudsman the power to investigate any clinic in Queensland.

She also promised, with the help of Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath, to introduce legislation to regulate the industry by 2024, bringing Queensland into line with NSW, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Northern Territory.

Queensland does not have legislation in place to regulate the lucrative fertility industry. There is also no legal limit to the number of donations allowed per donor.

Clinics can set their own ethical guideline, which at some clinics is that a single donor can only help 10 families.

Ms Ashton obtained copies of fertility giant Queensland Fertility Group’s donor semen freezing data under Freedom of Information laws, and discovered her children’s biological father, known as 188, had been a “super donator”.

Shannon Ashton from Raceview discovered her children’s biological father, known as 188, had been a “super donator”. Photo Steve Pohlner

He donated 239 times in just four years and the document shows samples could be divided into four separate ampoules.

More than one embryo can be created from one ampoule.

“It is clear to see that 188 donated 239 times in just four years, and many ampoules can be made from one specimen,” Ms Ashton said.

“The document shows that his sample made four ampoules on one day but in some cases a donation could be split as many as 16 times. But just keeping it at the lower possibility my children’s donor could have 956 kids or even more than 1000 children.

“I always knew he was a popular donor and my own investigations had shown he probably had dozens of kids, but these numbers have broken me.

“I feel so guilty. I would never have used him if I had any clue of what was going on. It is no fault of the donor, but I did trust the process.”

But according to QFG’s own documents, acquired from the Health Ombudsman’s Office through a Freedom of Information request, Ms Ashton’s donor has not been the only one to give a high number of donations.

Queensland Fertility Group managing director Melanie Sibson told The Courier-Mail that she had knowledge of Ms Ashton’s OHO complaint, but did not respond to her allegations of the possibility of the donor fathering 1000 babies.

The documents suggest the donor could have fathered close to 1000 children. Picture: iStock

“We are aware of the OHO complaint. Today’s QFG donor conception guidelines only allow a 10-family limit,” she said.

Ms Fentiman said she was shocked at how little information is provided to families in these cases.

“I want to thank these brave women for bringing this issue to light,” Ms Fentiman said.

“I am appalled by the alleged behaviour of some fertility providers here in Queensland and have directed the Health Ombudsman to conduct a systemic investigation.

“This complements the work Queensland Health is currently doing with the Department of Justice and Attorney-General in relation to introducing donor conception laws and strong regulation for ART. I have also raised these critical issues with the Federal Health Minister.”

Ms Ashton, whose children are now 19, 17, 13, nine and six, said she was grateful to her donor and feels lucky to have been able to have a family.

“Don’t get me wrong, I consider myself lucky to be a parent,” she said. “That in itself isn’t the issue. The issue is the deception and misrepresentation regarding sperm donors and their usage. The rights and needs of the human beings being created should always have been paramount.

“Many sperm donors chose not to donate to single women and lesbians in the early 2000s, meaning that those who were became hot property.

“But what happened to the 10-family 1997 ethical guideline? If I had known that my donor was going to be pimped out en masse no way would I have used him. No way would I do that to my kids.”