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How a 104-year-old doctor became the father of 9 thousand children: an incredible story
The fact that he had such a large number of children became known absolutely by accident. Not all of his children knew that they were related to the doctor by family ties.
Philippe Peven has worked in a gynecological clinic for 40 years. There were no complaints about him: on the contrary, only gratitude. He was approached by hundreds, if not thousands of women who could not conceive naturally. With the help of donor sperm, everything worked out for them: they became pregnant and gave birth to beautiful healthy children. True, young mothers often did not even know who was the biological father of their children.
The truth was revealed almost by accident. One day, a 60-year-old woman named Jamie Hall decided to undergo a genetic test and use a special service to find her brothers and sisters by DNA. She knew that her biological father was a family friend – the man who became her de facto father, raised and raised her, was sterile. But the test showed that Jamie has at least several hundred genetic siblings. And they were all born in the same hospital, their mothers were given birth by the same doctor – Philip Peven.
And then on the same website, Jamie found Dr. Peven’s grandson. It turned out that their DNA matches 12,3 percent. Yes, they were definitely relatives, there can be no coincidence here. This could only happen in one case – Dr. Peven was the real biological father of Jamie and many of her other siblings.
“My parents had no idea that Dr. Peven had replaced the donated sperm with his own,” says Jamie. “They were convinced that I was a gift from a family friend.”
In addition, genetic analysis revealed that Jamie was half Ashkenazi Jewish. There were no Jews among her ancestors or among the ancestors of her supposed biological father. Moreover, in the DNA of her older sister there was not even a hint of something like that. That is, they were not as close relatives as they themselves believed.
For a whole year, Jamie has carefully pieced together her genetic history. She had an insane number of stepbrothers and sisters. According to the most rough estimates, there are no less than nine thousand of them! Together with one of the newly-minted relatives, the woman decided to meet with Dr. Philip Peven face to face.
“He admitted that he had inseminated all these women with his own sperm. When I asked why he replaced the donor sperm with his own, he said that the donors had not been tested – it was impossible to vouch for their health. And he and several other doctors who also donated sperm passed all the necessary tests, ”Jamie said. Considering that at the time of their meeting the doctor was already 104 years old, his health is really excellent.
“I do not feel any negative towards him – if it were not for Dr. Peven, I would never have been. But I believe that all these women and their children have a right to know the truth. After all, we all live in the same area, which means that closely related marriages can happen. This is not good, ”says Jamie.
However, not everyone was so peaceful. Many of Peven’s children have felt cheated and have every right to do so.
“Dr. Peven was totally unethical. But I don’t think it’s because he had some kind of God complex. It’s just that at that time, fertilization with donor sperm was considered something innovative, so it was primarily driven by research interest. Secondly, the desire to do your job in the best possible way, ”says Jamie.
The largest donor fathers in the world
Bertold Wisner – British biologist, founder of the reproductive medicine clinic for the middle and upper classes in London, who is believed to be the father of about 600 children.
Matteo VallesThe star of the American version of “The Bachelor” is one of the most famous sperm donors in the United States. According to him, he has already had 114 children.
Joe Donor – an anonymous donor claims to be the father of 150 children. With women who are interested in donor sperm, he is written off via Facebook. It is noteworthy that most of his children were conceived naturally.
Winston Blackmore – 64-year-old leader of a polygamous Latter-day Saint sect in Canada. He has 151 children from 27 wives.
Cecil Jacobson Is a fertility specialist from Salt Lake City. It is believed that he became the biological father of approximately 75 children.