A 66-year-old man Clive Jones from Burton in the UK has claimed that he is the “world’s most prolific sperm donor”, and has fathered 138 children in the last nine years. “I’m probably the world’s most prolific sperm donor with now being at 138 ‘babies’, well, 129 babies born, nine ongoing pregnancies. I might continue for another few years. Get to 150 anyway,” Jones told DerbyshireLive.
“I know of clinics and sperm merchants with greater numbers but they don’t donate, but rather sell semen,” he added.
He feels happy seeing the babies and happy parents. “I think people would understand more if they saw the messages I get and the photos of the babies with very happy mothers. I feel the happiness it brings. I once had a grandmother message me thanking me for her granddaughter,” Jones said.
“I do it for free, though sometimes ask a bit for petrol. It’s illegal to charge and doesn’t seem right to take money when I have more than them,” he added.
The retired teacher moved to Chaddesden four years ago and he has three children of his own. Jones could not become an official sperm donor as he started donating at the age of 58. Sperm banks have an upper age limit of 45. So, he started connecting with people who could not have children through Facebook.
“For some people, having children is very important as it was for me,” he told DerbyshireLive. “I read in some newspapers the plight of some people that can’t have children. Reading the newspaper, it explained how people were using Facebook to make arrangements,” he said.
“I thought I could help so I put a post on one of the sites. I wasn’t expecting any response with me saying how old I was, but I had a lady in Derby contacting me within an hour asking me to help that evening. I’ve not advertised I’m a donor in years. It has not quite worked out as I had guessed, I’m just as busy now and have so many people contact me through people just talking, referring,” Jones added.
Health experts, however, have said that all donors and patients should be treated at a licensed UK clinic. A spokeswoman for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority was quoted by The Sun as saying: “As the regulator of UK fertility treatment and research we don’t have the powers to stop people from making their own arrangements for sperm donation but we do want to help them get the information and advice they need to make the best-informed choices, which is why we always encourage both donors and patients to be treated at a licensed UK clinic.”