If that. Dr. Donald Cline has been famous in the media as the fertility doctor who inseminated his sperm into several women without consent. In a voiceover near the end, "Donald" says, "Was there a sexual connotation to it? "Donald Cline unfortunately isn't the only fertility doctor who has committed this unspeakable violation and I want to hopefully prevent it from happening again. Woock says she hopes the documentary will "prompt Cline's former patients to have an open conversation with their children, so they can take DNA tests to confirm their genetic identities. Cline was a prolific fertility doctor who operated from his Indianapolis clinic from 1979 to his retirement in 2009. In 1982, she had no clue that her infertility specialist then lauded as one of the best in the field had somehow discarded her husbands sperm sample and used his own to impregnate her. Robert Colver, Cline's former partner at work, and Jan Shore, his former nurse, deny having any knowledge of Cline's actions. Unfortunately, Cline is one of several doctors who have been discovered to use their own sperm in multiple patients over the past few years. "I feel like he's hiding something more sinister.". Over the next eight years, she found a staggering 94 (and counting) fair-haired brothers and sisters and one man at the root of their sordid family tree. Magazines, Digital Our Father suggests Cline may have been motivated by ideology born of his affiliation with an extremist Christian sect called Quiverfull, which encourages followers to reproduce as prolifically as possible to meet Gods mandate to be fruitful and multiply, and install adherents in positions of power. Ballard, 41, and her half siblings' quest to find answers and justice is the focus of the new Netflix documentary, Our Father, produced by Blumhouse Television, which is streaming now. ET An explosive documentary on Netflix takes a new look at the life and work of Dr. Donald Cline, an Indiana University graduate who opened his infamous fertility clinic in Indianapolis, Ind., in 1979. Cline sibling Julie Harmon makes another wild connection, saying Quiverfull, at the time of the siblings' conception, focused on producing more members of the white race. Paris Hilton Explains Why She Chose to Welcome Her Baby Boy Via Surrogacy, R. Kelly Has Been Sentenced to 20 Years for Sex Crimes Against Minors. Spice up your small talk with the latest tech news, products and reviews. With the help of her newfound family members and their moms, Ballard worked to successfully pass legislation in Indiana making illicit donor insemination illegal. At the time, Indiana law didn't specifically prohibit fertility doctors from using their own sperm. She recently graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where she wrote for her college newspaper, The Daily Texan, as well as for state and local magazines. A judge suspended the former doctor's sentence, though Cline did pay a $500 fine and court costs, which totaled $185. Following his felony conviction in 2018, Cline surrendered his medical license. The lug nuts disappeared off Ballards car one day, she shares in the film. 2022-05-06 12:12:49 - Paris/France. Netflix's brand new documentary Our Father has arrived, exposing the horrors of the twisted fertility doctor, Dr Donald Cline. But theres eight of us, whats going on here?. (The documentary also features reenactments of parts of the story, with actor Keith Boyle playing Cline himself.). She's introduced pretty early on, and over the course of the film, the sibling count rises. such as the widely covered case of Dr Donald Cline in . In 2014, Jacoba Ballard decided to take an at-home DNA test. The obstruction of justice charges meant that no evidence related to Clines actions toward his former patients was admissiblethough those actions constituted the injustice for which the siblings and their parents were truly seeking restitution. Donald Cline opened his clinic ( top) in 1979, when fertility was a relatively new specialty. Come on," he says. For years, he had been inseminating his female patients. Dr. Donald Cline was once a respected fertility doctor from Indianapolis, Indiana. He had his staff recite prayers together, advised patients to pray on their treatment choices, decorated his office with Christian sayings, and had an affinity for the verse Jeremiah 1:5 (Before I formed you in your mothers womb I knew you.), which is often featured in material extoling the Quiverfull lifestyle. 779, This story has been shared 541 times. Netflix's new documentary exposes the shocking plot that Dr Donald Cline implemented in the late 70s and 80s - but where is he now? 436, This story has been shared 402 times. The documentary follows her journey to find as many of her half-siblings as she can and bring Dr. Cline to justice. "It's okay to raise any flags or questions throughout your treatment to try to ensure that you are receiving ethical and proper care. Nonetheless, Our Father doles out a stinging serving of Netflix justice, laying bare the renowned physician's practice of deceptively inseminating patients with his own sperm, the result being the birth of 94 children and counting. Many of the donor-children live within a 25-mile radius of each other. But Clines wrongdoings, tragically, felt even more personal for Kramer. Her search led her to a shocking discovery. Ballard learned at age 10 that she was conceived via donor sperm. More than 50 U.S. fertility doctors are accused of fraud related to sperm donation. 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. However, it turned out he had a sickening secret. Jacoba Ballard, from Indiana, discovered Dr Donald Cline was her father in 2014 . He also began obliquely threatening the siblings with retribution should they continue their effort to bring charges against him and take their story public. Dr. Donald Cline Received a One-Year Probation Sentence a Few Years Ago By Leila Kozma May 12 2022, Published 12:42 p.m. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital All rights reserved. As the group set out to learn more about their curious family tree, they soon discovered the sickening truth: Their parents fertility doctor had been inseminating his patients with his own spermwithout their knowledge or consent. 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. But Ballards lifelong dream of having a big family quickly warped as her half-sibling matches ballooned. The caption on the tweet pretty much nailed it. Though hes played by an actor, Keith Boyle, in the movie, he refused to participate in the film. The idea's name originates from Psalm 127, "Children are a heritage of the Lord, and fruit of the womb is his . Fox59 anchor Angela Ganote investigated her story. All rights reserved. Read on to find out. "Our Father" tells the story of Dr. Donald Cline. It reads: Establishes a cause of action for civil fertility fraud and provides that a prevailing plaintiff may be awarded: (1) compensatory and punitive damages; or (2) liquidated damages of $10,000. She handled the potentially awkward moment with grace. 1,076, This story has been shared 968 times. It wasn't until those sharing Cline's DNA began to connect the dots through the increasing availability of at-home DNA testing and social media that they realized they were half-siblings, and the chilling reality began to dawn on them. [10] Then Indiana attorney general Tim DeLaney declined to prosecute because "there was no law forbidding Clines conduct. As a result, he fathered at least 50 children in the 70s and 80s. The documentary does point out that Cline was extremely religious, with numerous Christian sayings decorating his office, and is an elder in his church. Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories? Netflix: The 43 Absolute Best Movies to Watch, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The attorney general then conducted an independent DNA test. Warning: If you haven't seen the documentary, this article contains spoilers and some material that may be upsetting. 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. 402, This story has been shared 384 times. We confirm if Donald Cline is still alive, reveal how many children he has fathered, and discuss other doctors who have committed the same act. Netflix is set to release a documentary this Wednesday, May 11. Delivered on weekdays. According to the Netflix documentary, "Our Father," that isn't always the case. Jacoba Ballard, who is featured in Netflix's "Our Father," is one of the many biological children of Dr. Donald Cline, a former fertility doctor who used his own semen to impregnate patients without their knowledge. But former friend and colleague Mark. Another documentary, HBO's Baby God, tells the story of one of those doctors. In Our Father, Ballard draws a link between Cline and Quiverfull, but it's not a strong one. 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.. She considers this adultery. I dont deny that it was a sexual violation, [but] Dr. After interning at Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital, he served two years in the Air Force and 12 years as inactive reserve. As for why he did what he did, no one knows for sure. I dont deny that it was a sexual violation, a talking head states in the trailer. Jacoba Ballard in Our Father. 2022-09-19 17:04:00 - Paris/France. A 2019 report by The Atlantic details how the half-siblings found one another and began to piece everything together. Our Father tells the jaw-dropping true story of Don Cline, a fertility doctor in Indiana who inseminated over 90 patients with his own sperm, without their consent. He also often repeated a Biblical phrase from Jeremiah 1:5, "Before I formed you in your mothers womb, I knew you." May 16, 2022 by Pallavi Bhadu. 2 Marion County women are suing the makers of the Netflix documentary "Our Father" for revealing they were secret children of Dr. Donald Cline without their . If you can stomach another tale about a rogue fertility doctor, the 2020 film is streaming on HBO Max. Here's what we do know. That rule was meant to help avoid too many people in a geographical area sharing bloodlines. When she isnt writing or checking Twitter, shes probably watching the latest K-drama or giving a concert performance in her car. Through further investigation, it is revealed that they and many more are all connected at the root of their family tree by Dr. Cline. Effect on Cline's patients and their children. Phil in December 2019 that she was finally able to accept the truth. He couldnt be criminally charged with rape or battery, explains former Marion County, Ind., prosecutor Tim Delaney in the doc, because, At the end of the day, theres just no crime that touches this particular act [in the eyes of the law], he said. . In a written directors statement for the Our Father press notes, director Lucie Jourdan said that Cline did everything in his power to silence [the siblings] and the making of this film. He reportedly told Jourdan, The world doesnt need to know., This story has been shared 1,794 times. 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