A documentary exposed a horrifying reality in Quebec: three men from the same family had fathered over 600 children, prompting lawmakers to consider action.
Journalists Marie-Christine Bergeron and Maxime Landry released a documentary in which they initially thought two men from the same family were fathering children as sperm donors, only to discover a third man was part of the scheme as well. The three traveled across the Canadian province impregnating women. When the documentary, “Father 100 Children,” was initially released, geneticists expressed serious concern about what this would mean for the children being created, even before the third donor was identified.
“We all carry around ten variations in our genome which can be linked to a genetic disease. […] This brings a significant concentration of potential genetic variants that we all have,” Catherine Laprise, professor of genetics at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi (UQAC), explained. “There is a multiplier effect of dissemination of these potential variants which will change the face of population genetics in Quebec. If we transmit it to half of our descendants, the frequency of the mutation, to what extent it increases in the population, what will be the control for these children? We can meet our half-brother or half-sister without knowing it.”
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At least some of the women impregnated by the sperm donors appeared to be unaware of the scheme, according to follow-up episodes in the documentary. “My daughter’s future will be impacted,” one mother said through sobs. “I told [her] about the documentary. I told her that I possibly knew who her donor was and that she would have many half-brothers, half-sisters, etc.”
It was after hearing from horrified mothers that the journalists investigated more, and discovered the third donor.
“We got a lot of feedback from many mothers, so we realized it was a bigger story. So, we continued investigating, and we discovered another sperm donor from the same family,” Noovo Info anchor Marie-Christine Bergeron told CTV News. “Now, there are more than 600 children from these three men and it’s really a never-ending story.”
Two of the donors also have tyrosinemia, a genetic disorder affecting the liver and kidneys. Though the condition has a good prognosis, children who inherit this disease will need to follow a specific diet and take medication their entire lives to remain healthy.
Dr. Luc Boileau, the public health director in Quebec, said he was “shocked” after seeing the documentary. “We didn’t see this coming,” he said. “On the Canadian scene, no one saw this coming either. This is a new situation. For us, this is a significant public health issue and concern.”
Boileau said they are now considering putting a maximum number of donations in place per sperm donor, but for many of the families affected, it’s too little, too late. Boileau said they will be working with the families to best figure out how to explain the situation to the children, as there is a real concern about “inbreeding,” as well as the psychological effect the information will surely have.
