European Sperm Bank’s director has spoken publicly for the first time about a police report filed against the company over sperm from 81 donors sold to more Danish women than the law permits.
DR reported on September 10 that documents obtained through an access to information request show the scope of the case. The Danish Patient Safety Authority, Styrelsen for Patientsikkerhed, reported the Danish company to police up to a year ago.
According to DR, the sperm bank’s own records show that donations from 81 men were sold to more women than Danish rules allow. The 81 men have not been informed, and only the sperm bank knows their identities.
Two weeks before publication, DR called director David Truels Hansen and asked whether the affected donors had been told. He asked why they should be, and said that upholding the legislation was the company’s problem, not the donor’s.
Asked whether donors had been informed that the company intended to exceed the limits, Hansen said he would guess they had not. He said he did not know what the men could use that information for. He did not consider it a breach of the agreements with donors.
Former donors say they lack answers
Hansen has since declined to give an interview, and the company sent longer written statements to DR instead. In them, he wrote that he regrets not expressing himself clearly on the phone. He added that he is genuinely affected that some donors exceeded the family limits.
Hansen also wrote that he did not know about the breaches when he took over as director in November 2024. European Sperm Bank maintains that it is not aware of any breach of donor agreements.
DR has been in contact with several men who previously donated sperm to the company. They say they do not know how many children their donations have led to, in Denmark or abroad, because the sperm bank handled distribution. They urge the company to contact the men whose sperm was used in breach of the rules.
One of them is Sebastian, a former anonymous donor who appears under his first name only. He said he does not know whether the correct amount was used, or whether he is above the limit. DR states that it knows his full name and identity.
The sperm bank told DR by email that donors are entitled only to the total number of children worldwide. It added that it would respond if the Danish Data Protection Agency, Datatilsynet, reached a different assessment. The men will therefore not learn whether their sperm was sold in breach of Danish law.
Hansen wrote that European Sperm Bank has not yet received or been given access to the police report. He said that limits how far he can comment, but that the company takes the situation very seriously.
DR asked Copenhagen Police for a status on the investigation and whether charges have been brought. Police replied that the case is being handled, and that they could not provide further information.
