[10] Then Indiana attorney general Tim DeLaney declined to prosecute because "there was no law forbidding Clines conduct. His shoe size averages 10 (U.S) and 9 (U.K). The individuals touched by this were very emotional and had a feeling I [was there] to deliver catharsis. An only child who was donor-conceived, she was always curious about whether she had any half siblings. 470, This story has been shared 436 times. Cline's case is the subject of Our Father, a new documentary about what happened when one of Cline's biological children took an at-home DNA test, discovered the shocking truth and attempted to get justice through the legal system. Should this issue arise again in the future, the patients and children are protected, White told WRTV Indianapolis. It teases the story of Dr. Donald Cline, a former fertility doctor who used his own sperm in donations which resulted in his fathering at least 50 children throughout the 1970s and '80s. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Ballards mother, Debbie Pierce, sought Clines help with getting pregnant in 1979, after it was determined that her husband couldnt have children naturally. Don Cline was also my fertility doctor, she tearfully confesses on camera. By the time the children of Clines former patients began to uncover the extent of his crimes in 2015, he was well into retirement, living in Indianapolis, Indiana. Jacoba Ballard in Our Father. In a statement, Our Father director Lucie Jourdan wrote that there are at least 44 additional male doctors from around the world who did the same thing as Cline. "[13], Ganote told DeLaney that Cline was lying to them. White went to Purdue at the same time as one of his half brothers. 384, This story has been shared 344 times. 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I mean, here she was, this young woman just wanting to have a family like anyone else., In the film, Liz says when she learned that her son shared Clines DNA she felt like I was raped 15 times and I didnt even know it.. Netflix's new true crime documentary "Our Father" will introduce the world to an . She considers this adultery. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. It sounds almost too twisted to be real, but unfortunately, Our Father is an investigative documentary, and Dr. Donald Cline is a real man. Shop your favorite products and well find the best deal with a single click. [7][8] Cline is now known to have covertly fathered at least 94 offspring. '1923' Episode 7 Recap: "The Rule of Five Hundred". In 1979, Cline opened his clinic on 2020 West 86th Street in Indianapolis and specialized in reproductive endocrinology & infertility. . We've received your submission. Ballard, who performed a home DNA test in 2014, said she was shocked to discover that her biological father was Dr. Donald Cline, the prominent fertility specialist who treated her mom in 1979. His sperm wouldnt even have been allowed to be a donor because of that, Hyatt said, noting the intense health screening most sperm donors undergo for any inheritable diseases or deficiencies. . Our Father, produced by Blumhouse Television, is streaming now on Netflix. Did you never consider that?' As a result, he fathered at least 50 children in the 70s and 80s. 'Did you not consider we all live in a relatively close area?' There is still no federal law on the subject. [21] S.E.A. This is despite the victims interviewed in the documentary saying that they never would've consented to him being the sperm donor, and that they felt violated by what he did. [14], On November 30, 2016, Elizabeth White and son Matthew White filed a proposed complaint for damages and demand for jury trial with the State of Indiana Department of Insurance. In Our Father, Ballard draws a link between Cline and Quiverfull, but it's not a strong one. Through further investigation, it is revealed that they and many more are all connected at the root of their family tree by Dr. Cline. If that. [a] Her genetic genealogy research ultimately revealed Cline, her mother's fertility doctor, as her biological father. He told us that he would match us with a donor that looked like my husband, said Pierce. Cline was a successful fertility doctor who practiced medicine in Indiana, providing treatments such as IVF for hundreds if not thousands of patients, according to IndyStar. Gonna lose my wife. Dr. Donald Cline fathered at least 50 of his patients children. And I will do this until the fking day I die., 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, White rhino born at San Diego Zoo means significant step toward saving endangered species, I found out my gynecologist was my secret dad and he knew it, Florida woman awarded $5.25M after doc used own sperm to impregnate her, Brazil scientists test frozen jaguar semen to help species, wrongfully impregnating hordes of his patients with his own sperm, lied to investigators with the Indiana attorney generals office, pleaded guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice, wouldnt even have been allowed to be a donor. Sibling Matt White suggests in the film that someone must have known that Cline was inseminating women with his own sperm. As Ballard and her newfound siblings realized theyve barely begun to untangle his dark web of deceit, their pursuit of justice lies at the heart of this profoundly unsettling story about an unimaginable breach of trust.. "Because someone is in a position of power or authority, [it] doesn't always make them completely trustworthy," she says. Absolutely not." Netflix: The 43 Absolute Best Movies to Watch, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The doctor's actions were revealed by one of his children, Jacoba Ballard. She allowed the physician to select what she thought would be a suitable donors sample for the insemination procedure. published June 02, 2022 The new Netflix documentary Our Father tells the unsettling story of Dr. Donald Cline, a fertility doctor who was found to have inseminated dozens of women with his. However, in 2016, Cline lied to investigators with the Indiana attorney generals office, claiming he never used his own sperm to inseminate a patient. It teases the story of Dr. Donald Cline, a former fertility doctor who used his own sperm in donations, which resulted in his fathering at least 50 children throughout the 1970s and 80s. Hes known in our community as a philanthropist. The gynaecologist weighs about 87 kgs, roughly 191lbs. Cline was a prolific fertility doctor who operated from his Indianapolis clinic from 1979 to his retirement in 2009. New Netflix documentary Our Father tells the story of how DNA testing brought Donald Cline's use of his own sperm in dozens of his own patients throughout the '70s and '80s to light. I [told my husband], Unfortunately, Dr. Cline didnt use your sperm, he used his own. The film interviews several of Cline's genetically linked children, including Jacoba Ballard, who took an at-home DNA test as an adult and discovered she had seven half-siblings. (The documentary also features reenactments of parts of the story, with actor Keith Boyle playing Cline himself.). Due to this fact, it preaches procreation and abstention from sterilization and contraception. Although Cline reigns as the most prolific US physician to wrongfully inseminate patients with his semen, he is hardly alone. A disgraced fertility doctor has fathered 94 children and counting by impregnating his patients with his own sperm. Julie Manes, Dianna Kiesler v. Anonymous Health Care Provider d/b/a Anonymous, John Doe, CR - Direct Appeals (Non Capital, Non-LWOP), Elizabeth White, Matthew White v. Anonymous Physician 1, Indianapolis Infertility, Inc. and dba Reproductive Endocrinology Assoc. New York, [4], Cline received his undergraduate degree from Indiana University and his M.D. Cline was handed a one-year suspended sentence for the two counts of obstruction of justice, and because state law hadn't specifically prohibited fertility doctors from using their own sperm, no other charges were brought against him. And you made me realize what my purpose is, too.. In 2016, Cline was charged with two charges of felony obstruction of justice: for lying to the attorney general's office about using his sperm with two victims; and for threatening Ballard with lawsuits for "slander and libel". Unfortunately for White, Ballard and the rest of the clinicians descendants, sickness, they claim, runs through Clines blood. Jacoba who felt she didn't belong in her family took a DNA test at the age of 33 in 2014. [15] They then filed a multi-count complaint in Marion Superior Court. [27][28] In an extended profile piece in The Atlantic, reporter Sarah Zhang wrote: The donor children have begun cataloging the ways their own paths have crossed, too. Ever since Netflix dropped the trailer for upcoming show Our Father last week, it's all anyone can talk about. Our Father tells the story of a violation so apparently novel that until the siblings and parents affected by Clines crimes brought their case to court and lobbied for protections, there was no law prohibiting his actions. [10] During her investigation, Ganote learned that Cline had lied to the attorney general's office in their investigation. Shore worked with Cline for 13 years. She says the Indiana Attorney General's Office sent her emails, she looked up the people who replied and everyone copied on the emails, and through that, she found that "one of the people with the state" had a "Quiverfull" email address. Jennifer Lawrence Just Embraced the Controversial Y2K Drop-Waist Trend, Christina Applegates Red-Carpet Appearance Came With a Powerful Message, 'Hogwarts Legacy' Seemingly Introduces Trans Character Amid J.K. Rowling Controversy. As for why he did what he did, no one knows for sure. and Indianapolis Infertility, Inc", "Ex-fertility doctor who used own sperm must face civil lawsuit, COA affirms", "Fertility doctor Donald Cline pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice related to claims he inseminated some patients", "Fertility Fraud: A Fertility Industry Danger", "A press for justice on reproductive fraud", "6 questions for woman who brought down fertility doctor", "Zipping into statutes: Overview of new laws for 2019", "Legislative Update: Fertility fraud and deception", "Fertility Doctors Used Their Sperm to Get Patients Pregnant. Netflix's latest true crime documentary Our Father unpacks the chilling case of Dr. Donald Cline. As more and more people learn the former Zionsville doctor is their biological father, outraged victims search for answers, legal and existential", "Doctor's victims seek fertility fraud law", "Our Father: Who is Dr Donald Cline and where is he now? 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