German Court Blocks Woman's Quest for Sperm Donor Sibling Data
A German court has ruled against a woman seeking details about her biological father's sperm donations. The plaintiff, conceived via donation, wanted to know how many times his sperm was used and how many children resulted. The Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main dismissed her claim as legally unfounded.
The decision marks the end of the case, as the ruling is final and cannot be appealed.
The plaintiff argued that knowing the number of half-siblings was crucial for her health, citing a genetic risk of autoimmune disease. The court rejected this, stating that such information had no bearing on her lifestyle or medical self-assessment.
Records showed that the defendant—a former doctor at University Hospital Giessen and his own clinic—used the same donor's sperm to conceive 53 children. However, some files were destroyed after the legal retention period expired. The doctor admitted he could not provide a complete list of half-siblings, as not all may be registered in databases. The plaintiff also claimed she needed the data to avoid accidental incest or to establish sibling relationships. The judges ruled that even if the information were available, it would not guarantee certainty about all half-siblings. German law, they noted, does not require clinics to track how often a donor's sperm is used or how many live births result. While the court recognised her right to know her origins, it found this did not extend to the specific details she sought. The German Sperm Donor Registry Act, they clarified, does not oblige clinics to disclose the number of conceptions per donor.
The ruling confirms that donors and clinics are not legally required to provide such records. The plaintiff's request was denied because the law does not support claims for this type of information. Without a legal basis, her case could not proceed further.
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