A sperm donor who fathered 15 children despite having an inheritable genetic condition has been banned from contacting some of them in the future. James MacDougall advertised on a social media page for lesbian woman seeking donors, having first acted as a sperm donor to help a friend.
In the last four years, MacDougall has acted as a sperm donor through private arrangements on a number of occasions and told a family court that he was the father of 15 children, all aged between nearly four and a few months old. The most recent child was born in February of this year.
The 37-year-old suffers with Fragile X syndrome, an inheritable genetic condition that causes a range of developmental problems, including learning difficulties and cognitive impairment. He is described as a "complex" person and has been diagnosed with having learning difficulties and as being on the autistic spectrum.
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Despite signing an agreement that he did not want any contact with some of his children, MacDougall applied to the Family Court for parental responsibility and child arrangements orders, allowing him to spend time with four of his children. Three mums were opposed to MacDougall's application and judge Mrs Justice Lieven has ruled he should not have parental responsibility for the children as it would cause harm to them.
The MailOnline reports that MacDougall's mum lives in her family home in Nottinghamshire and says her son is "kind hearted but gullible". She added: "He wanted to be part of their lives, he wanted to see his children. He is kind hearted and would do anything for anybody but he is gullible.
"He just wanted to help those people, help those women in a gay relationship fulfil their dreams and become parents. He didn't seek any money, as far as we are aware, for providing that service, he just did it.'"
In court, MacDougall is said to have lost control and become agitated and aggressive when he did not get his way, having "no insight" into how his behaviour affected others. The court was told that there are "significant concerns" about the development of one of his children, as at three years old they are not verbal and are 'behaviourally challenging".
The judge referenced MacDougall's "apparent inability to control his frustration at not getting what he wants" and said "there is clear evidence of his making frequent phone calls and messages to try to achieve his goal". She referenced McDougall's "fundamental irresponsibility" to act as a sperm donor while knowing he had Fragile X syndrome, without at least making it clear to the mothers involved the implications of the condition.
MacDougall has been forbidden from applying to the court for the next three years, because of the trauma it would cause to the mothers and his lack of insight into his actions.
Deciding to name MacDougall publicly, Mrs Justice Lieven said: "Although JM [James MacDougall] told the court that he had ceased to act as a sperm donor, a social media message from February 2022 suggested that he was still offering his services at that date. In the light of JM’s lack of honesty to his own mother and his belief that he has done nothing wrong, he said he would be a sperm donor for any of the existing mothers so the children would have a “sibling connection”, I have no confidence that he will not act as a sperm donor in the future.
"I equally have no confidence in him fully explaining to any woman the true implications of his Fragile X Syndrome. There is therefore a very specific benefit in him being named in the hope that women will look him up on the internet and see this judgment."
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