Sperm with cancer-causing gene used to conceive almost 200 children

携带致癌基因的精子已用于孕育近200名儿童

Newshour

2025-12-10

47 分钟
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A sperm donor who unknowingly harboured a genetic mutation that dramatically raises the risk of cancer has fathered at least 197 children across Europe, a major investigation has revealed. Also on the programme, 5alf a million people have been forced from their homes in Thailand and Cambodia as their deadly border conflict escalates; and, the politics of typeface fonts. (Photo: Getty)
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  • Hello and welcome to News Out from the BBC World Service.

  • We're coming to you live from London.

  • I'm Sean Lay.

  • Around 200 children across Europe born from sperm donated by the same donor face an elevated risk of cancer.

  • Some have already died.

  • The donor who began giving sperm as a student in 2005 was unaware at the time of a genetic mutation found in one-fifth of his sperm.

  • Those born from the affected sperm face a 90% risk of developing cancer before their 60.

  • The sperm was sold by Denmark's European Sperm Bank and used by 67 fertility clinics across 14 countries.

  • Celine, which is not her real name,

  • is a single mother in France whose child was conceived 14 years ago.

  • She received a call from the fertility clinics used in Belgium,

  • urging her to get her daughter screened.

  • Her words are voiced by one of our production team.

  • We don't know when.

  • We don't know which one.

  • And we don't know how many.

  • I understand that there's a high chance it's going to happen, and when it does, we'll fight.

  • And if there are several, we'll fight several times.