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JERUSALEM (AP) — Serial sperm donor Ari Nagel, an American who has fathered 33 children, with 10 more on the way, has been banned from donating his sperm in Israel, where he first fathered a child using artificial insemination.
Nagel told The Associated Press Monday that he recently learned that he could no longer donate sperm in Israel. He said he was told at a clinic that the health ministry had banned the use of his sperm.
Nagel, nicknamed "The Sperminator" by some media outlets, is well-known for his frequent donations.
Israel's Health Ministry said according to law, a woman can only use a sperm donor if done anonymously, and that there is a limit to the number of donations donors can make. They indicated that several women had approached clinics asking for donations from Nagel, and that this "goes against the laws and regulations on the issue."
Nagel said that he never received direct communication from the ministry, but was told after attempting to donate at a clinic in Israel in December, that he could be arrested if he did not stop donating. He has flown to Israel three times in the past year to donate.
"The Ministry of Health is saying, well how can you be a father to all these children, well you know, I'm not a father to all these children," Nagel said. "Obviously I can't be a full-time dad to all of them."
Nagel says he often meets up with some of his biological children and their parents for group playdates, and emphasizes how important it is that they know their biological siblings.
His Jewish Orthodox family is ashamed of what he does, according to Nagel, and would prefer that he "settle down and have a traditional marriage."
But Nagel says its "impossible" to be in a relationship while trying to help other women conceive, and he doesn't plan on stopping any time soon.
"My heart does tell me to continue. I know and feel that I'm doing the right thing. If what I was doing was wrong, it wouldn't feel so right," Nagel said.
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