Dr. Donald Cline was not convicted with fraud or medical malpractice at the time he stood trial because, in the eyes of the law, he had done nothing illegal. Its safe to say that Cline was far from being in the best shape and its a chilling fact that stays with you after watching. Donald Cline has two children from his marriage with Audrey and reportedly 94 other children from insemination. As further DNA tests are concluded, the number is expected to increase a worrying concern for each of the siblings, many of whom happen to live within close proximity to one another. Mr. White and Ms. Ballard now both continually check websites like 23andMe to see if any new half siblings will emerge. His actions [] FIR Number. Dr. Donald Cline has fathered 94 children and counting. I want laws changed, I want medical professionals to be held accountable, Ms. Ballard said. Jacoba is a mentor for Right To Know, an organization that pushes for legislatures to pass fertility fraud laws. Jacoba Ballard is Our Fathers protagonist, as the documentary traces her initial discovery, at 35-years-old, that she had seven half-siblings by taking a DNA test. 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. They said in the complaint that, in researching their origins, they had discovered through a genetic testing website that they were half siblings, and had all been conceived using sperm from Dr. Clines office. Jacoba Ballard reported in 2017 that she found more than 20 of her siblings since she discovered Dr. Cline was her father. But former friend and colleague Mark Farber also shares that Cline had rheumatoid arthritis that threatened his career. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Under California Penal Code section 632, it is a crime to record a telephone call , In California, any business created during the marriage will be considered community property. She and her siblings also work closely with organizations like Right to Know, who fight for fertility fraud laws. Ms. Ballard said the lack of more serious charges was disheartening.. The film uses a series of interviews and reenactments to recap the events that transpired. Women's Health may earn commission from the links on this page, but we only feature products we believe in. In 'Our Father,' Dr. Donald Cline's wife is referred to as Susie, but in reality, her name is Audrey. By Gina Tron. Wage growth is slowing. 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. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Together, alongside their mothers and other advocates, they successfully campaigned to have laws passed criminalizing Clines' deeds. Fearing the worst had come true, Jacoba and a few of her half-siblings met with Cline and the son he shared with his wife. To date, 94 siblings have been found, not including Cline's children with . The accusations against Fertility fraud is the failure on the part of a fertility doctor to obtain consent from a patient before inseminating her with his own sperm. Advocate Name. others also investigated their ancestry through DNA tests and learned their It does not store any personal data. Did you never consider that? In addition to Jacoba Ballard, Our Father features half-siblings Julie Harmon, Matt White, Heather Woock, Lisa Shepherd-Stidham, Jason Hyatt, Carrie Foster, and Alison Kramer, who all share their own stories of discovering their true paternity. 2023 Ghanafuo.com & DM Network. The investigation into Dr. Cline began in 2014 and 2015, when a group of women including Ms. Ballard filed a complaint against Dr. Cline with Indianas attorney general, whose office investigates consumer complaints against physicians. Though he fathered almost a hundred people without their parents consent, Dr. Donald Cline was still living in his home town of Indianapolis, Indiana, as recently as 2019, according to The Atlantic. Premiering on May 11, ' Our Father ' chronicles how a woman's DNA test led to the sickening discovery that the once lauded Dr. Donald Cline secretly fathered dozens of his patients' children at . Below, catch up on where a few of the 94 half-siblings are now: During her investigation, Jacoba met Cline and his family in person. Order Date. What happened to the 94 babies from Our Father? Appearing alongside Jacoba are Julie Harmon (sibling #14), Matt White (#17), Heather Woock (#22), Lisa Shepherd-Stidham (#33), Jason Hyatt (#48), Carrie Foster (#53), and Alison Kramer (#61). In some instances, state prosecutors said, Dr Cline even told women that he was using their husbands' sperm but provided his own. While pleading guilty to the two counts of obstruction of justice, he admitted to his non-consensual insemination of his clients. One person, Jacoba Ballard, took the initiative to find out how many siblings she really had. Donald Cline was once a respected fertility doctor from Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Cline later acknowledged that he did use his sperm. Dr. Donald Cline is the subject of Netflix's latest true crime documentary, Our Father, which puts him in the spotlight for fathering close to 100 children during his stint as a fertility clinic owner. When Dr. Cline was accused of inseminating multiple women , Audrey denied being aware of her husbands actions. She appears alongside Julie Harmon (sibling 14), Matt White (17), Heather Woock (22), Lisa Shepherd-Stidham (33), Jason Hyatt (48), Carrie Foster (53), and Alison Kramer (61). He was fined $500, sentenced to a year of probation, and lost his medical license, although hed already been retired for nearly a decade. Case Number. He did, however, lie to the attorney generals office when they inquired about his activities, and for that, he was charged with two counts of felony obstruction of justice in 2016. He also does not acknowledge the paternity of his 94 children, exclaiming in one recording: "I don't look at these people and consider them to be my children.". In other news, Peaky Blinders's Cillian Murphy and his wife Yvonne McGuinness keep love life discreet. You donate your sperm by ejaculating into a sterile container. They have even organised an annual picnic, held over Fathers Day weekend. And how Dr Donald Cline illegally stimulated more than 90 children. "We just had Mother's Day last weekend, so I'm sure that even just as a result of that, we'll find another sibling or two.". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Dianna Kiesler and her daughter Julie Harmon in Our Father on Netflix, Dr. Donald Cline is Julie Harmon's biological father. Indiana became the first state in the U.S. to make it illegal for fertility doctors to use their own sperm without a patient's consent. Speaking to The Guardian ahead of the Netflix release, Jacoba Ballard revealed a new sibling had been identified via 23AndMe. The Cline kids find it interesting to discuss his motives: Was it a science experiment, a god complex, a fetish? Netflix. He then reassured his children that there were only 15 siblings in total, no more than that. At the time of Cline's December 2017 trial, there were only 22 known half-siblings that he had fathered. However, when The office did not answer questions as to whether Dr. Cline had been investigated for fraud, but said that Dr. Cline was not being criminally investigated anymore. This is usually performed in a private room at the sperm banking facility, but can be done at home (we will talk more about how to do this at home later). She shared: We actually had a new sibling pop up the day the trailer dropped. The trailer for Our Father dropped on in mid-April 2022. Their Children Want Answers. Since his own DNA results connected him to Cline, Matt and his mother Liz have fought tirelessly to get fertility fraud laws on legislative dockets across the U.S. .css-26w0xw{display:block;font-family:NationalBold,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-26w0xw:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-26w0xw{font-size:1.18581rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-26w0xw{line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-26w0xw{font-size:1.28598rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-26w0xw{font-size:1.575rem;line-height:1.1;margin-bottom:-0.5rem;}}How To Avoid Unexpected Health Bills, Where Is Elizabeth Holmes Now? When Indiana fertility doctor Dr. Donald Cline was charged with obstruction of justice in the fall of 2016, . Sulley Muntari, Agyeman Badu, Asamoah Gyan, others visit Christian Atsus family home, VIDEO: Government will be fully involved in providing Christian Atsu a befitting burial Dr. Bawumia, Christian Atsus mortal remains arrive in Ghana via Turkish Airlines, Maybe I created enemies along the line Kofi Amoabeng on UT Banks collapse, Christian Atsu was one of Ghanas finest personnel Akufo-Addo, This is some food chain story Archipalago shamed for chasing clout with Christian Atsus death. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - 13 Investigates has talked directly with another family who believes they are likely the very first victims of Indianapolis fertility expert Dr. Donald Cline. But the secretive nature of sperm donation and infertility treatment meant that there was ample opportunity for malpractice as in the case of Dr. Cline. Cline fathered at least 94 biological children, according to the documentary, but the exact number of children conceived is impossible to know. On May 11, 2022, Netflix released a documentary titled Our Father that retells Donald's misdeeds. How can I check my divorce . Dr. Donald Cline acknowledged that he used his own sperm to inseminate patients at his fertility clinic near Indianapolis, and now more than three dozen people think he is their biological father. He apparently keeps a low profile and still has many supporters in the community. Pic: Kelly Wilkinson,/The Indianapolis Star via AP. "It took a lot of guts and emotion for us to participate in this documentary," Heather tells WH. Donald Cline WTTV-TV On May 11, 2022, the documentary Our Father dropped on Netflix, effectively horrifying viewers with the story of a fertility doctor who crossed roughly a million lines and ended up biologically fathering nearly 100 babies. This normally occurs in the context of people using assisted reproductive technology (ART) to address fertility issues.. Our Father is unmissable. Despite Susie, Donald Clines wife, not being a major part of the Netflix documentary, it is revealed that she also received treatment from her husband at the fertility clinic. Four of the half-siblings filed a complaint about Clines actions to Indianas attorney general, leading to a criminal investigation. Jacoba Ballard is Our Father's protagonist, as the documentary traces her initial discovery, at 35-years-old, that . than three times. At first there were just . He was ordered to pay a $500 fine but the one-year jail sentence against him was surprisingly suspended, due to the numerous letters the court . It is very sickening to think he ran his practice up until the time he was about 70, said an unidentified donor child. Burny Mattinson cause of death: How did Burny Mattinson die? He believed all of the records of the patients he inseminated were long gone, but he apparently stopped the practice of using his own sperm in the late 1980s as infertility science evolved. The fertility doctor inseminated lots of women with his own sperm without their knowledge or consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. At that meeting, Cline admitted to being their biological father. In 2014, Jacoba uncovered the truth about Donald when she looked further into her ancestry. Also, towards the end of the documentary, Angela Ganote, a Fox59 reporter who was one of the first to cover the story, urges any woman who has a child and who saw Cline, even if they were not experiencing problems with fertility, that their child takes a DNA test. May 22, 2022 4:38 p.m. PT. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. What if their children then accidentally date their own relatives? sperm about 50 times starting in the 1970s, a probable cause affidavit said. However, he quickly realized that his passion was for working with individuals going through the difficult process of divorce. The film explains how Jacoba turned her personal investigation into a media frenzy and, eventually, real legislative change. , they successfully campaigned to have laws passed criminalizing Clines ' deeds Helpline! 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