Man banned from sperm donations in Israel says siring children a ‘mitzvah’

As Jewish-American man, Ari Nagel, jostles with the Israeli Health Ministry over his continued desire to donate sperm after fathering over thirty children to separate women, he told i24NEWS on Wednesday that a rabbi amounted his actions to that of a ‘mitzvah’, the Hebrew word for a religious good deed.

Forty-two year-old Nagel, a mathematics professor, who has been comically nicknamed “The Sperminator” has recently come to heads with the Ministry of Health after a request for his sperm by a further seven Israeli women, in addition to the 33 he has previously impregnated, was denied.

In a statement released, the ministry claimed the ban was on the grounds of “limits” to the “receipt of sperm donations from the same donor” as well as issues surrounding Nagel’s lack of anonymity - where neither donor or recipient can know the identity. The only exception is if the donor agrees to co-parent the child.

“The Ministry of Health has issued instructions against receipt of donations from this donor and against their use,” the statement said, after the private Israeli clinic Nagel attended destroyed his sperm sample and informed the authorities.

Whilst Nagel’s notoriety is partially the reason for his unsuitability, according to the New York Post, it is his reputation that makes women seek him out in Israel.

Nagel told i24NEWS that despite the criticism he has received from the Israeli government, a rabbi told him he was doing a “big mitzvah.”

He also lauded the positive relationships he had maintained with the individual women he had donated sperm to. “If you speak to the women, they won’t call me their donor, they will call me family,” he said during the interview. “They even call me the greatest addition to their family,” he added, explaining that he has “every intention of being a father figure.”

Of his 33 offspring who are all under the age of ten-years-old, seven children were born last year, and another 10 are on the way. In some cases he has had sexual relations with the women, in other instances he has simply provided the seed donations.

Nagel told i24NEWS that he is not currently married, acknowledging the complications surrounding his situation, “you can’t be in a marriage and help other women,” he said. However, he admitted he had married some mothers for legal reasons and others for religious reasons, ending the purpose-built marriages with divorce.

His comments came following a Father’s Day get-together last Sunday where Nagel said he had lunch with 13 of the children and their mothers, which he described fondly as a “wonderful afternoon.” However, he explained that the contact is usually up to the families, which ranges from mere video-chats to personal visits.

"I have a close relationships with most of my children," says serial sperm donor Sperminator @ProfessorAri to @theemilyfrances on his experience as a father of multiple children. Nagel has been been denied donation to women in Israel due to a legal prohibition: pic.twitter.com/JWZJIYIIRF

— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) June 20, 2018

The issue of “anonymity” when it comes to sperm donation has sparked moral questions across the globe, especially with regards to the impact it may have on the donor’s children and their right to know their heritage.

Sperm donation laws vary from country-to-country and Israel is far from alone in its emphasis on anonymity with Japan, Canada and France all employing similar rules. However, in Germany donor anonymity has been lifted altogether and in other countries, children can ask for the identity of their donor once they turn 18-years-old.

Limits to the amount of individuals that can receive a donors seed also differs across states, in the United Kingdom the cap is 10 and Switzerland it is 8.

“It’s not really a law, its guidelines,” Nagel told i24NEWS, claiming that he had complied with all laws surrounding his sperm-giving undertaking each step under the guidance of a lawyer. He criticized the body for not reaching out to him to resolve the issue.

“The matter has also reached the courts. We are prohibited from detailing the proceedings, except for the fact that at this stage the claim was dismissed,” the ministry's statement concluded.