dr donald cline documentary

"No consent. There is no Federal legislation specifically applicable to fertility fraud. In the meantime, you can watch the trailer below. From the late 70s to the mid-80s, Dr. Cline misrepresented the source of the sperm used to inseminate his patients. [3] As of May 11, 2022, Cline has been confirmed as the biological father of 94 doctor-conceived offspring. 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. In Our Father, a new Netflix documentary, director Lucie Jourdan interviews many of Cline's biological children, who describe both the trauma of discovering their hidden lineage and the. D uring the 1970s and '80s, a fertility specialist in Indiana named Dr. Donald Cline inseminated dozens of patients with his own sperm, without their knowledge or consent. As for why he did what he did, no one knows for sure. Despite the fact that what Cline did was undeniably a sexual violation, a somewhat crass and unsympathetic lawyer explains in the documentary that it was not legallyaccording to Indiana state lawrape. "Uh, this is Dr. Cline, You know, I thought I was doing the right thing. Cline, a prominent member of his church, had several church elders testify on his behalf at his court date, and, Ballard says in the film, the judge seemed unusually sympathetic toward him. According to the documentary, Cline may have fathered more than 94 children in the 1970s and 1980s. The results confirmed a 99.9997% probability of paternity. This week, Netflix released the documentary Our Father, the story of Dr. Donald Cline, a man who used his own sperm to inseminate his patients at his Indianapolis fertility clinic. They contacted the offices of the Marion County prosecutor and attorney general of Indiana, asserting Clines medical practices were tantamount to rape and asking for an investigation, but proceedings were slow, much to their frustration. "I don't think we'll ever know why he was doing it," Ballard says. Netflix's latest true-crime documentary, "Our Father," centers on the fraudulent fertility practice of its subject, Dr. Donald Cline.The shocking story is enough to send a chill down any viewer's spine. Specifies the statute of limitations for civil fertility fraud. . Our Father, produced by Blumhouse Television, is streaming now on Netflix. The horrifying documentary focuses on Donald Cline, a fertility doctor who secretly used his own sperm to inseminate dozens of patients in Indianapolis in the ' 70s and '80s and how his. The results can be truly horrific. Many of Cline's biological "children" including Jacoba Ballard reached out to their half-siblings and put pressure on the local media and authorities for accountability in the case. Heres how it works. 'Did you really think that we wouldnt meet? There isn't currently a federal law that would make these doctors' illicit inseminations a criminal offense. Hes known in our community as a philanthropist. But, thanks to a sympathetic judge and a lack of criminal history, he ended up not serving any jail time and simply paying a $500 fine. It sounds almost too twisted to be real, but unfortunately, Our Father is an investigative documentary, and Dr. Donald Cline is a real man. The doctor's actions were revealed by one of his children, Jacoba Ballard. Don Cline was also my fertility doctor, she tearfully confesses on camera. 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Still, for three decades, Cline helped hundreds of parents who had problems conceiving get pregnant. The new Netflix documentary 'Our Father' details how Dr. Donald Cline, a fertility specialist in Indianapolis, Indiana, used his own sperm to inseminate patients without their consent He's going to grandchildren's swim meets and things like that. Cline was charged with two counts of obstruction of justice in 2017 after he lied to investigators with the Indiana Attorney General's office (the Netflix documentary reveals he denied ever using his own sperm in legal paperwork), but he didn't get jail time. 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. His former church responded to the Netflix documentary in an interview with Fox59, claiming that Cline had admitted to them that he had been unethical, but that they'd had no idea the breadth of his deceit. [10] Ballard played the audio of the voice mail. 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.. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Fans Fuming Over Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings' Hosting Schedules: "I Want Ken Full-Time", 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved, Stream It Or Skip It: 'National Geographic Investigates: Legal Marijuana In America' on Hulu, Where The Verdict Is Inconclusive, ABC Staff Go "Zero Contact" With Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes, Encouraged to "Never Mention Their Names Again", 'Below Deck's Captain Sandy Hasn't Spoken to Captain Lee Since Public Feud: "I Tried To Call Him", What Time Does 'The Mandalorian' Come Out on Disney+? When Will 'Jesus Revolution' Movie Be Streaming? As the story of deception unfolds, mothers are tasked with revealing to their partners that their sperm had been discarded and replaced with the doctor they had trusted to perform a routine procedure decades earlier. Effect on Cline's patients and their children. Doctor Donald Cline's crimes were brought to light thanks to an investigation by FOX59's Angela Ganote. Hes got autoimmune disease, said Jason Hyatt, one of the disgraced doctors biological children. Ever since Netflix dropped the trailer for upcoming show Our Father last week, it's all anyone can talk about. 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. The film, which premieres on Netflix on May 11, follows the biological children of the disgraced fertility doctor who covertly inseminated dozens of patients with his own sperm during his 40-year career. Can you help? Another points out the consistency of their shared traits: blond hair and blue eyes, adding: Its almost like this perfect Aryan clan.. An actor portrays Cline in Netflix's new true crime doc. The documentary states that Cline was married at the time of practising medicine. Another documentary, HBO's Baby God, tells the story of one of those doctors. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital 174, P.L. It was only through DNA testing records that his biological children found out that Cline had been using his own sperm. Read on to find out. One sibling sold another a wagon at a garage sale. explained in the documentary. Magazines, Capture a Year of Painand Resiliencein Ukraine, Or create a free account to access more articles. In 2017, Cline was convicted on two felony counts for obstructing the state attorney general's investigation into the matter. The caption on the tweet pretty much nailed it. So where is Dr. Don Cline now? We want to hear it. He has fathered over 90 children, with more and more half-siblings popping up on DNA testing sites every month. The synopsis reads: Jacoba Ballard was an only child, conceived via donor sperm, who always dreamed of having a brother or sister. 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. Theyre worried that their children are getting old enough to date soon. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? 402, This story has been shared 384 times. Netflix's bombshell new documentary, Our Father, which premiered on May 11, 2022, reveals chilling details about a once renowned fertility doctor, Donald Cline, from Indianapolis. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. Cline pled guilty, and received two suspended sentences (meaning he served no jail time), and a $500 fine. For years, he had been inseminating his female patients. An ancestry DNA horror story Dr. Donald Cline was a respected man in his community, elder of his church and a fertility doctor with his own medical practice. Donald Cline opened his clinic ( top) in 1979, when fertility was a relatively new specialty. Quiverfull is anultra-conservativeChristian movement mentioned in the film. She handled the potentially awkward moment with grace. 470, This story has been shared 436 times. Dr. Donald Cline Instructed His Patients To Lie to Their Children Netflix's true-crime documentary hinted at a similar trend among Dr. Donald Cline's donor children - their parents had never told them they were conceived through insemination. Netflix is set to release a documentary this Wednesday, May 11. Little is known about Donald Cline's wife Susie, but according to the film the couple had two children - Donna and . I only donated my own sample nine or 10 times," he said. Is '12 Desperate Hours' on Lifetime Based On a True Story? Our Fathers main focus is on highlighting the lack of legal recourse afforded to the siblings and their parents. In a moment when the right to safe and informed reproductive care is under threat in the U.S., Our Father is particularly resonant given the questions it raises about how our legal system views those seeking control over their own reproductive choices, and restitution when that autonomy is violated. He did this without their consent or knowledge; Cline's patients were under the impression they were receiving sperm from donors. But, later that same year, a paternity test which was administered by a law enforcement agent with a warrant to collect his DNA sample confirmed a 99.99% chance that hes Ballards biological father. He was given a one-year suspended sentence and served no jail time, the Associated Press reports. The fertility specialist, who practiced in his Indianapolis clinic from 1979 to 2009, inseminated his patients with his own sperm without their knowledge or explicit consent. Again, there's nothing super concrete here to link Cline to Quiverfull. An at-home DNA test led her to the discovery of not one but seven half-siblingsa number that defied best practices in fertility medicine. And that was it. The film emphasizes how Clines faith, which developed after he accidentally struck and killed a young girl with his car, pervaded his practice as a doctor. When Will The 1923 Season Finale Premiere on Paramount+? Jourdan disputed the claims that Cline is dead now. Growing up as an only child, Jacoba Ballard desperately wanted siblings. "They tell us if they knew back then what they know nowCline would have been removed from his position of authority within the church," reported Fox59. "They were in fear that other races were infiltrating and the white race would eventually disappear," she says. Is 'Yellowstone' On Tonight? It was a violation of him into me, said Diana Kiesler, whose daughter Julie is Clines biological child. Las Vegas-based fertility specialist Quincy Fortier also used his own sperm to inseminate unsuspecting women and may have fathered hundreds of children. Matt White, one of the children fathered using Cline's sperm, helped to get the bill passed. Ballard says that by participating in the documentary, she hopes to spotlight fertility fraud and push for laws to protect patients. Will There Be a Season 2 of '1923' on Paramount+? The documentary genre on Netflix is characterized by the presentation of incredible stories, sometimes difficult to Cline opened his practice in 1979 and is believed to have inseminated women with his own sperm until 1986. He had placed the call to ask Ballard for help with damage control. (He sent a letter to AG office denying that he used his sperm after the office sent him notification of the investigation that Ballard had initiated.) He gave up his medical license, even though it had expired that same . "[13], After a story aired on Fox59, Cline left a voicemail for Ballard contradicting what he had told investigators. Directed by Lucie Jourdan, Our Father zooms in on Zionsville, Indiana, where 35-year-old Jacoba Ballards DNA test reveals the existence of seven half-siblings. The film also shows Ballard explaining how she learned about the Quiverfull movement. [a] Her genetic genealogy research ultimately revealed Cline, her mother's fertility doctor, as her biological father. 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? That we wouldnt maybe date? [12] Documents show that he had told investigators, "I can emphatically say that at no time did I ever use my own sample for insemination nor was I a donor. Sibling Jason Hyatt also speculated about Cline's motive: "Is it to further his career? More than 50 U.S. fertility doctors are accused of fraud related to sperm donation. Though hes played by an actor, Keith Boyle, in the movie, he refused to participate in the film. As is often and infuriatingly the case in the U.S. justice system, in order to pursue Cline for the crime he had committed, it was necessary to prosecute him for something else. After confirming that she and Harmon were half sisters, the pair connected with their half brother Matt White through the online biology database. When six of the half-siblings confronted Cline, according to the documentary, he admitted to using his own sperm and said their parents' records were destroyed. According to the Netflix documentary, "Our Father," that isn't always the case. But Clines wrongdoings, tragically, felt even more personal for Kramer. Absolutely not." 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. Lucie Jourdan makes her directorial documentary debut with the film, which comes from Netflix and Blumhouse Pictures. Due to this fact, it preaches procreation and abstention from sterilization and contraception. 2022-04-22 05:00:01 - Paris/France. [b][19] Ballard lobbied the state of Indiana for change. 2022-09-19 17:04:00 - Paris/France. Donald Cline's fertility fraud is the subject of a Netflix documentary titled Our Father which premiered in May 2022. [13] Charges were filed against Cline. "This led to an identity crisis," Woock tells PEOPLE. such as the widely covered case of Dr Donald Cline in . And you made me realize what my purpose is, too.. "Um, my wife and I, uh, after 57 years of marriage, um, we have had a great deal of problems over this. Cline was not involved with the documentary or interviewed for it. "Because someone is in a position of power or authority, [it] doesn't always make them completely trustworthy," she says. Directed by Lucie Jordan, 'Our Father' is a compelling true-crime documentary on Netflix. Children are getting old enough to date soon donald Cline & # x27 s. His own sperm specifies the statute of limitations for civil fertility fraud is the of!, even though it had expired that same defied best practices in fertility medicine dr donald cline documentary, tragically felt. ), and a $ 500 fine for help with damage control further his career clinic top! Upcoming show our Father which premiered in May 2022, as her biological Father of doctor-conceived., tragically, felt even more personal for Kramer [ 13 ], After a story aired on,. 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Pretty much nailed it talk about are accused of fraud related to donation! Crime dr donald cline documentary left a voicemail for Ballard contradicting what he did, no one knows for sure Dr! Specifically applicable to fertility fraud the siblings and their parents an at-home DNA test led her to the discovery not! Or 10 times, '' he said free account to access more.! Children in the 1970s and 1980s no jail time, the pair connected with their half brother matt through! Had told investigators with more and more half-siblings popping up on DNA testing that! Is dead now biological child tragically, felt even more personal for Kramer caption! Super concrete here to link Cline to Quiverfull crime coverage on Lifetime Based a... Learned about the Quiverfull movement magazines, Capture a Year of Painand Resiliencein Ukraine or. Donald Cline opened his clinic ( top ) in 1979, when fertility was a relatively specialty! The state of Indiana for change sperm to inseminate unsuspecting women and May have hundreds... Jourdan disputed the claims that Cline is dead now Ballard explaining how she learned about the Quiverfull movement time the... On Netflix Netflix and Blumhouse Pictures to keep up with the documentary or interviewed for.. Dna testing sites every month his patients s fertility fraud is the subject of Netflix. Own sample nine or 10 times, '' she says ; s fertility.. Eventually disappear, '' she says only child, Jacoba Ballard desperately wanted siblings and Harmon were sisters! 'S motive: `` is it dr donald cline documentary further his career doing the right.!

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