That all makes sense but I still don't think guaranteeing a specific number is possible. Say they had 4 successful births an are going for a 5th to reach the limit. We'll they'll implant more than 1 because that's how IVF works and so more than 5 could be born. I definitely get that 17 means they just ignored his wish entirely. I was just trying to point out that guaranteeing a specific number doesn't seem like a reasonable/possible thing to do.

the limit is typically measured in families, and within those families we’re usually not talking a dozen children each. a sperm bank that limits to 10 families per donor will probably end up in the ballpark of 10-20 children. (10 families is a very conservative limit - most banks go higher.) there can be a mad scramble to buy “sibling” vials from an otherwise retired donor if a family decides that they are done with extra vials.

ivf nowadays is also very much more strict about what you transfer. i did ivf a few months ago and we only transferred one PGS tested, day 5 embryo because a second one was not going to do anything good for me or the pregnancy odds.

2-3 decades ago both the tech and the feelings around donor identities and limits were very different. but nowadays we’re moving towards smaller limits and open identity of some sort, while fewer donor gametes are necessary for people to get pregnant. it’s curious.

It seems like he feels responsible for the ones he's met. They're no longer strangers. What would it be like for them to fall on hard times? He might be feeling the need to help them proactively, perhaps by putting them through college, and this is something he might need money from the lawsuit in order to do.