A sperm donor insisted “I did a good thing” after being criticized by a judge for fathering 15 children to lesbian women without telling them he has a genetic condition.
James MacDougall, who offered his services free on social media, claimed he had been left “angry and upset” after the judge hit out at his lack of honesty.
According to the Independent, the 37-year-old went ahead with the private donations despite knowing he suffered from Fragile X syndrome, an inheritable, incurable condition that can lead to low IQ and developmental delay.
MacDougall‘s identity came out in a family court battle in the United Kingdom after he applied for parental responsibility and child arrangement orders for four of his children – even though he initially signed an agreement saying he didn’t want contact with some of his children. His application was heard at Derby Crown Court, where he was told he would not be able to contact three of his kids.
A judge allowed him to be identified to protect other people planning to use private sperm donors. At the hearing, the judge said that the normal approach in family courts was to “anonymize” parents so the identity of children was protected. However, she added that there were “strong grounds” for naming MacDougall to stop other women from using him as a sperm donor.
Three mothers had opposed MacDougall’s attempts. The children, the tabloid reports, are between three years old to a few months old.
In some legal agreements, MacDougall does list his condition, but without explaining it.
“Although the agreement does refer to fragile-X, [MacDougall] took no steps to explain the condition to [the women] and no steps to ensure they understood. [He] took advantage of these young women’s vulnerability and their strong desire to have children,” Lieven said in her ruling. “This failure to take responsibility for his own condition and to have any apparent concern for the long-term impact both on the mothers and potentially the children, is a factor in concluding that [he] should not be given parental responsibility for the children.”
MacDougall was arrested for attacking one of the mothers whose daughter with him has developmental delays.
In another court, MacDougall won a court order to have regular contact with one of the children he fathered, but the child was returned from MacDougall with non-accidental bruises, Lieven said. The judge has postponed the case until she receives a social services report.
Additionally, Lieven ruled that MacDougall cannot apply to the court again for three years, saying that doing so would be a traumatic experience for the mothers.
Sources: AWM, Independent
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