It sounds almost too twisted to be real, but unfortunately, Our Father is an investigative documentary, and Dr. Donald Cline is a real man. Even after taking a 23andMe DNA test and being matched as Ballards half sibling, Kramer couldnt bring herself to believe that she was not the biological daughter of the man she grew up believing was her father, Clines pal Farber. Should this issue arise again in the future, the patients and children are protected, White told WRTV Indianapolis. Each time she saw a new connection appear on her profile, shed steel herself before reaching out to deliver the news. Three more are pending.[9]. Where is Donald Cline? Although devastating, heartbreaking, and unnerving, Our Father . Jacoba Ballard in Our Father. Don Cline was also my fertility doctor, she tearfully confesses on camera. When she isnt writing or checking Twitter, shes probably watching the latest K-drama or giving a concert performance in her car. The results can be truly horrific. The healthy baby justified the lie. What made him, every day, wake up and decide to go into his work, masturbate, and place it, unknowingly, inside women without their consent? Ballard asks in the doc. 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. I dont deny that it was a sexual violation, a talking head states in the trailer. The attorney general then conducted an independent DNA test. 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. Ever since Netflix dropped the trailer for upcoming show Our Father last week, it's all anyone can talk about. 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. Donald Lee Cline (born December 10 . There is still no federal law on the subject. Las Vegas-based fertility specialist Quincy Fortier also used his own sperm to inseminate unsuspecting women and may have fathered hundreds of children. Keith Boyle as Dr. Donald Cline in "Our Father" (Netflix) Netflix's latest documentary feature "Our Father" is an intricate real-life horror tale about fertility fraud that manages to grow. "Because someone is in a position of power or authority, [it] doesn't always make them completely trustworthy," she says. There's no hiding.". He told his patients that the sperm donors were anonymous medical residents, and that no single donors sperm was used more than three times. In the meantime, you can watch the trailer below. There is a high presence of auto-immune disorders among Cline's donor-fathered children. 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. Shore worked with Cline for 13 years. Specifies the statute of limitations for civil fertility fraud. [3] As of May 11, 2022, Cline has been confirmed as the biological father of 94 doctor-conceived offspring. 402, This story has been shared 384 times. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital In 2017, he was brought to trial facing two counts of felony obstruction of justice, for lying during the investigation. But in 2014, within several blocks of Cline's clinic, Jacoba Ballard, a local resident, got her DNA test results back from genealogy company 23andme. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, And I will fight for every sibling that I have that I know, that I dont know, and for every woman you assaulted. [10] Ballard played the audio of the voice mail. Is 'Yellowstone' On Tonight? Several of Cline's children also live in Indianapolis, some within blocks of their biological father. "[13], Ganote told DeLaney that Cline was lying to them. The proposed complaint cites negligence, constructive fraud, battery, breach of contract, breach of express warranty, and negligent hiring or retention as to defendant and reproductive endocrinology associates. "[11] Ballard then pursued media coverage. A judge suspended the former doctor's sentence, though Cline did pay a $500 fine and court costs, which totaled $185. Through further investigation, it is revealed that they and many more are all connected at the root of their family tree by Dr. Cline. [5], In 2014 when Jacoba Ballard, a daughter of a former patient of Dr. Cline, reviewed the results of her at-home DNA test, she discovered a biological connection to eight previously unknown half-siblings. (The documentary also features reenactments of parts of the story, with actor Keith Boyle playing Cline himself.). The stories of some. Netflix's latest true-crime documentary, "Our Father," centers on the fraudulent fertility practice of . After confirming that she and Harmon were half sisters, the pair connected with their half brother Matt White through the online biology database. 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Two had kids on the same softball team. 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. Doctor Donald Cline's crimes were brought to light thanks to an investigation by FOX59's Angela Ganote. There was no consent. But where is he now? [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. So where is Dr. Don Cline now? [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. The documentary does point out that Cline was extremely religious, with numerous Christian sayings decorating his office, and is an elder in his church. The Netflix documentary follows the investigation into Dr. Donald Cline after it's uncovered that he inseminated patients with his sperm without her knowledge. Our Father includes interviews with eight of the 94 siblings. [20] On May 17, 2019, Indiana became the first state to designate fertility fraud as a Level 6 felony. "It's okay to raise any flags or questions throughout your treatment to try to ensure that you are receiving ethical and proper care. According to Fox59, Cline has paid over $1.3 million in settlements to his victims and their families. Ballard's half sibling Heather Woock, 36, learned that Cline was her father at the same time she learned she was donor-conceived in 2017. Lucie Jourdan makes her directorial documentary debut with the film, which comes from Netflix and Blumhouse Pictures. In 2019, Indiana passed a state law (opens in new tab) in response to Cline's actions, with several of his victims and biological children helping push it through. Once upon a time, Dr. Donald Clinewho is exposed in the new Netflix documentary, Our Father, which began streaming todaywas considered to be one of the best fertility doctors in 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. 968, This story has been shared 854 times. He had placed the call to ask Ballard for help with damage control. . He was a monster in the guise of a savior, and Lucie Jourdan's outraged . Cline's current whereabouts, as far as we can tell, are unknown. 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". I [told my husband], Unfortunately, Dr. Cline didnt use your sperm, he used his own. Parents who desperately wanted. 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. But former friend and colleague Mark. In the trailer for Our Father, some of Cline's other children recall that they also learned about him through DNA kits. In the film, directed by Lucie Jourdan of Taken at Birth fame, Ballard and a handful of her siblings theorize that breeding an all-white brood in an effort to preserve the Caucasian race may have been Clines motivation for wrongfully impregnating hordes of his patients with his own sperm. Quiverfull is anultra-conservativeChristian movement mentioned in the film. Cline was not involved with the documentary or interviewed for it. He has fathered over 90 children, with more and more half-siblings popping up on DNA testing sites every month. When I opened up Ancestry, I had over 3,000 hits, says one. (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.) The new documentary from the streaming service giant centres around Dr. Donald Cline, a fertility doctor who secretly used his own sperm when inseminating his IVF patients. Jacoba Ballard's earnest quest to find her half-siblings turned into . Donald Cline Career, Our Father Documentary Netflix & TV Shows. Fertility Doctor Allegedly Used His Own Sperm 50 Times to Impregnate Patients, Cold Cases Heat Up: How Advances in DNA Technology Are Helping to Bring Justice for Victims, Our Favorite (Underrated!) Her devastated spouse howled, Hes taken everything away from me.. As the story unfolds and more brothers and sisters are found, the gravity of Dr. Donald Cline's scheme becomes all the more severe. (There's even another documentary about a similar case in Nevada, HBO's Baby God (opens in new tab).) 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. His practice was located in Indianapolis, where several patients would consult him regarding . We've received your submission. She handled the potentially awkward moment with grace. What happened after the events on Netflix's chilling documentary? It wasnt until seeing her half siblings share their stories on an episode of Dr. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Visit our corporate site. I only donated my own sample nine or 10 times," he said. 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. Hes got autoimmune disease, said Jason Hyatt, one of the disgraced doctors biological children. He also has a chest-to-waist and bicep ratio of 40-36-15. Jacoba Ballard is Our Father's protagonist, as the documentary traces her initial discovery, at 35-years-old, that she had seven half-siblings by taking a DNA test. He also has connections to Quiverfull, a Christian movement that encourages having as many children as possible. [21] S.E.A. Spice up your small talk with the latest tech news, products and reviews. Quinci LeGardye is a Contributing Culture Editor who covers TV, movies, Korean entertainment, books, and pop culture. The results confirmed a 99.9997% probability of paternity. Matt White, one of the children fathered using Cline's sperm, helped to get the bill passed. Harmon says she found her hard drive suddenly wiped clean of all mention of Cline, and all of her research vanished overnight. Unfortunately for White, Ballard and the rest of the clinicians descendants, sickness, they claim, runs through Clines blood. You really have no idea who you are anymore.. There isn't currently a federal law that would make these doctors' illicit inseminations a criminal offense. At the time The Atlantic's 2019 article on Cline was published, he was in his 80s and still living in his home town of Indianapolis, Indiana. 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. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cline now looms over their kids every innocent crush, their every prom date. ", "Indiana's Medical Licensing Board says Donald Cline may not reapply", "When you find out your mother's fertility doctor is likely your biological father", "Fertility Doctor Arrested for Allegedly Using His Own Sperm 'Around 50 Times' to Impregnate Patients", "Donald Cline paid more than $1.3M in civil suits", "Our Father: Angela Ganote talks about her role", "Tim DeLaney on The Prosecution of Dr. Donald Cline - Bose McKinney & Evans", "Baby God: how DNA testing uncovered a shocking web of fertility fraud", "Elizabeth Smart Confronts Alleged Fertility Fraud Doctor (Part 2)", "Fertility doctor who lied about using his own sperm avoids jail time", "Elizabeth White, Matthew White v. Donald Cline, M.D. "No consent. 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. In 2017, Dr. Cline pleaded guilty to two felony obstruction of justice charges after falsely denying to state investigators that he had been using his own sperm to inseminate patients. 00:00 00:00 An unknown error has occurred Author: WTHR.com staff As this doesn't really relate to Cline, I'm pretty confused (and I assume others will be, too) as to why the doc includes these details prominently at all. But years later, owing to Ballards initial 23andMe findings, it became clear that the rule had been broken. Cline has reportedly since moved on to a different church. Those in Quiverfull reject birth control andbelievethey can help spread the word of God by having as many children as possible. The film depicts the discovery of Cline's illicit activities, with Jacoba Ballard recalling how she took a DNA test and discovered that she had multiple half-siblings, though she was an only child. Dr. Donald Cline Received a One-Year Probation Sentence a Few Years Ago By Leila Kozma May 12 2022, Published 12:42 p.m. [2] He practiced there until retiring in 2009. Donald Cline, who was once described as the "best infertility doctor in Indianapolis", was known for being a premier fertility expert in the 1970s to 1990s. Netflix's latest true crime documentary Our Father unpacks the chilling case of Dr. Donald Cline. 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