Parket investigates possible donor fraud in two fertility centers

The FAGG drug agency is heading to the public prosecutor’s office against two fertility centers due to the exceeding of the so -called ‘six -woman rule’. The Minister of Health, Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit), announced this in parliament. That rule stipulates that one donor can only fertilize one donor throughout Belgium. That is to prevent too many half -brothers and sisters from walking around, and that reduces the risk of hereditary disorders.

That action is a spur of the scandal that has broken out in recent days around a Danish donor (see block below). This shows that the six -wife rule has remained dead letter for years. Fertility centers themselves violate that standard. Moreover, the control of the FAGG appears to be very lax.

Parquet

Under pressure from this scandal, that FAGG is now decisively. Vandenbroucke says that the agency also informs the public prosecutor in the research into two fertility centers. Those two have already violated the six -woman rule in their individual center, and therefore may therefore risk a judicial investigation for this. It is the first time that the Fagg does that.

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Vandenbroucke did not want to say about which two it is. In one fertility center, more than six women would be fertilized with one donor. In the other case it would even be five donors, with which more than six women are fertilized. One would also be the Danish donor in question.

In one fertility center, more than six women would be fertilized with one donor. In the other case it would even be five donors, so that more than six women have fertilized

There is a third case that the FAGG has further investigated, but that only led to a warning. This concerned seven women, two of whom are Dutch ones. The center involved thought that the rules only applied to Belgian patients.

Tip of the iceberg

« This is just the tip of the iceberg, » warned Vandenbroucke in parliament when it came to the six -woman rule. He wants to raise even more exceedances in the coming months. A first sample already resulted in 22 exceedances.

Vandenbroucke wants to further expand that sample. Moreover, he wants to further expand the national database. That is a crucial instrument to check whether the six -women rule is being respected throughout Belgium. But it has only been there since last year and therefore does not contain all the data from previously. « It is a complex exercise to go back in time, but I’m going to do my utmost, » says Vandenbroucke.

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Why the FAGG in the past was so lax with the control of the six -women rule, is part of an audit that Vandenbroucke ordered. After the summer that audit should be ready. In addition, there will also be an audit to clarify the full operation of the Fagg. The results are expected in a year.