Dutch fertility clinic faces legal consequences over false information
In the media image: Julia Koblitz on Unsplash
The largest fertility clinic in the Netherlands lied to women, sperm donors, and the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate. On ‘Nieuwsuur’, Mirjam Sombroek van Doorm, Professor of Law and Health, foresees legal consequences: 'The situation is too serious.'
Medisch Centrum Kinderwens (MCK) in Leiderdorp – the largest fertility clinic in the Netherlands – provided false information to the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ) and consciously withheld information. The clinic deliberately ensured that some donors had many more children than is permitted in the regulations. MCK also did not adhere to the age rules that apply and used sperm from men who were actually too old. Not only that, the clinic used their sperm, against the express wishes of donors, to father children with women abroad.
Mirjam Sombroek van Doorm says that serious mistakes have been made at the clinic. ‘The trust of women treated there has been violated. And lying to the inspectorate is of course a very serious matter.' She adds that MCK did not abide by medical guidelines and both sperm donors and women treated there were unaware of this. The professor also points out that a doctor may only deviate from a guideline if doing so would provide better care for the patient in a specific situation: 'That must be completely transparent and fully substantiated.'
Sombroek van Doorm therefore does not rule out the possibility that the outcome of the inspectorate’s new investigation will have legal consequences. ‘Mere recommendations for improvements won’t do. The situation is too serious for that.’
More information?
Read the full article on the NOS website (in Dutch)
Watch the full news item on Nieuwsuur (in Dutch)