Ramses II, the ancient Egyptian pharaoh, reportedly fathered more than 100 children. He lived until his 90s and had over 200 wives and concubines. Dylan Stone-Miller, a former software engineer, has fathered at least 96 children, all by the age of 32.
Stone-Miller was a regular sperm donor throughout his college years. When his marriage broke down and his wife moved out with their child, he was at a low point in his life. It was then that he received a message on Facebook: “I really hope you don’t feel violated in any way, but it’s Canadian Thanksgiving and I wanted to tell you how grateful my family is to you.”
The message was from Alicia Bowes, one of two women raising one of his children conceived through sperm donation. According to the Wall Street Journal, “Stone-Miller then asked Bowes if he could join a Facebook group of parents called Xytex 5186 Offspring, named after his sperm bank ID. She agreed to form a new group for those interested.”
The rest of the report details Stone-Miller’s natural desire to know his children and the various social, emotional, and practical limitations on his doing so. It’s a sad story of how Big Fertility profits by creating broken families, and a reflection on how little we value fatherhood.