It was the reaction of a person used to being powerful.. As a result, several couples dealing with fertility issues . Another woman in Indianapolis, whom Ill call Amy, told me her mother was strangely calm when she heard about Cline. Powered by. White and her husband had been trying to conceive for two and a half years by the time they sought Clines help. Many years ago, in 1963, Donald Cline killed a young girl in a road accident, and despite not being found criminally guilty, the man had grave remorse for it and had turned to religion to deal with his feelings. You can change your choices at any time by visiting your privacy controls. Colver was more measured. Some people are upset at the way iPhones charge. Here's everything you need to know. I was thinking one, or two at the most, she says. A man Ill call Tyler, who is a construction manager in Washington, D.C., told me that his mother, too, said shed thought Cline had used her husbands sperm. ', Julie Harmon's mother, Dianna Kiesler, recalled how she had to tell her husband their daughter wasn't biologically hers, 'Most of us have blonde hair, blue eyes. 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 . Its this identity crisismore than Clines inexplicable actionsthat shes still working through. 'He's hiding something more sinister,' one person insisted at the end of the trailer. And what did make him do it? 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 2022, the number is 94, according to the documentary. After one school says it is families' responsibility to police their children's social media spats, Jenni My Daily Horoscope: What does March 2nd hold for MY star sign? Part of "Our Father" is dramatized, and an actor takes on the role of Dr. Donald Cline. They all decided to take 23andMe tests. 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He lost his medical license, but hed been retired since 2009. On the other, it couldnt have been so beyond the pale if it was presented as an option in a multiple-choice survey. It was only through DNA testing records that his biological children found out that Cline had been using his own sperm. By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. Their names are in the documentary because they appeared on the 23andMe website as being related to one of the other children fathered by Cline. Yes. Hed dealt with infertility himself; his own two kids were conceived through sperm donationthe modern version, with online catalogs and donors baby photos. Donald Cline (born in 1937, age: 84 years) is an infertility doctor from America. But consider the alternative: To tell Mrs. Jones versus 30 years later having it come out like this. The documentary sees many of the children sharing their story of how they came to realise they were related. Everyone pitched in a little. A new Netflix documentary tells the sickening true story of Dr. Donald Cline, a fertility specialist who inseminated patients with his own spermresulting in at least 94 children. 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. Not one to give up, Pancoast tried something new. Besides the two kids he had with his wife, Cline has illegitimately fathered at least 94. She found Clines childrenthose he raised with his wifeand his adult grandchildren on Facebook and sent them a group message. Doctors usually found donors themselves, often among medical trainees, who had the advantage of being readily available in hospitals and had reputations as successful young men. A sexual one? Cline opened his clinic in 1979, when infertility practice was still a newand relatively unregulatedmedical specialty. Can you solve this trivia riddle? (Woocks parents eventually told her theyd gone to Cline for donor insemination, but theyd had no idea he was the donor.) Another person explained that the majority of Cline's secret children 'live in a 25-mile radius of each other,' meaning they aren't sure who they are and aren't related to in the area, 'You're praying, "Please don't let it be somebody I know. I mean, its just common for me to pass people on the street, at work, wherever I may be, and, I mean, Ill look at them and think, Oh, the way you stand, the way you look, you could be related to me.. It was from a stranger claiming to be her half sibling. There were no big sperm banks yet, no catalogs of donors to select by eye color or hobby. Little is known about Donald Cline's wife Susie, but according to the film the couple had two children - Donna and Doug, who Jacoba reached out to ahead of filming. Since a DNA test revealed her true parentage in 2014 . Dr. Donald AKA Don Cline, a Zionsville citizen, was a well-known figure in Indianapolis throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Her mother, Deborah Pierce, was artificially inseminated by Dr. Donald Cline, and Ballard thought there might be one or two other people conceived from the same donor, according to The Atlantic and ABC30 News.She found her first sibling on an online forum for donor-conceived children, where she connected . Some siblings think very highly of their donor father, his contributions to their mothers, Moore said. Until very recently in human history, reproduction always required an act of sexual intimacy. New siblings pop up in waves, timed perversely after holidays like Christmas or Mothers Day or Fathers Day, when DNA tests are given as well-intentioned gifts. There are currently 94 known half-siblings, as stated in the Netflix documentary, and that number is likely to increase as more people involved conduct DNA tests. Their numbers had almost tripled since the previous year. They grew frustrated when they learned there weren . They wont be accused of libel. According to the film, Dr. Cline fathered at least 94 children via artificial insemination that the other half-siblings know about. When six of the half-siblings confronted Cline, according to the. Our Father is available to stream on Netflix on Wednesday 11th May. Ballard took a 23andMe test in 2014, and learned she had seven half-siblings. Jacoba Ballard, from Indiana, discovered Dr Donald Cline was her father in 2014 Cline, a fertility specialist, secretly fathered dozens of children in '70s and '80s The doctor used his own sperm . It was only when she got home and replaced her phone that she saw the barrage of messages from even more half siblings. It was Clines old office. A few weeks after we spoke, Amy emailed to say we had to talk. Pregnant Hilaria Baldwin dresses down in fuzzy slippers for filed complaints withIndianas attorney general and asked for their suspicions that Cline had used his own sperm in patients to be investigated. Arriving on the streaming site on Wednesday 11th May, the one-off film looks at the case of Donald Cline - a former fertility doctor who secretly inseminated his patients with his own sperm. The doctor's actions were revealed by one of his children, Jacoba Ballard. The documentary follows Dr. Donald Cline, a fertility clinician who fathered upwards of 50 children (likely closer to 90) without his patients' consent or knowledge. Dr Cline 10 Pics, Photos, Pictures. It's been estimated that he illegally fathered anywhere from 50 to 90 children, but that number keeps going up all the time, especially now with the release of the documentary. So far, Cline's identified children were born between 1972 and 1988, but Cline practiced until 2009, so there is the unfortunate likelihood that there could be many more children out. But as Ballard says, she believes there are more of Cline's kids out there. They just haven't found them all yet. He understood why she felt violated. The women were none the wiser for years, believing they were using. Losing the genetic connection with her father meant losing the story she had literally written about who she was and how she came to be. Its unclear if he still lives in the Indianapolis area, where at least a dozen of his biological children still reside. She assumed the message was some kind of scam; her parents had never told her she might have siblings. After the restaurant meeting, Cline called Ballard to say her digging up the past was destroying his marriage: His wife considered his actions adultery. pic.twitter.com/wsroSr1osG, Angela Ganote (@angelaganote) May 9, 2022. In retrospect, finding her first half siblings was too easy. And in 2018, the Medical Licensing Board of Indiana terminated Donald's medical license after he was convicted on two felony counts. Try 12 issues for 1 today - never miss an issue. Former Indiana doctor Donald Cline front and center in Times Square. Now the siblings were trying to revive the bill, which would make it illegal for doctors to use reproductive material improperly, and White had become the groups unofficial leader. When Matt White, another of Cline's biological children, and a bunch of half-siblings confronted Cline in 2016, he admitted to having used his own . Sign up for Netflix from 6.99 a month. The website says that they provide encouragement and practical help to those who are striving to raise a large and growing, godly family in todays world! Quiverfull also writes that they welcome those with families of any size. They wont have to wander through a thicket of confusion, half-truths, and lies. Strangest of all, Joseph met a half brother who looks exactly like himmuch more so than his actual twin. CeCe Moore, a genealogist who has helped adoptees and donor-conceived children find family, told me shes come across enough cases of fertility doctors using their own sperm that when I see these large groups of half siblings, its actually the first thing I think about now. Many of the sibling groups have chosen to stay private, and their reactions run the gamut. He said he understood the reluctance to disappoint a patient. She had confronted her mother, who revealed that shed always known it was a donor, if not Cline himself. Ballard and her half-siblings were determined to seek justice, but his actions weren't technically considered a crime. Find out more about how we use your information in our privacy policy and cookie policy. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Published: 00:18 GMT, 15 April 2022 | Updated: 00:36 GMT, 15 April 2022. Is Dr Donald Cline still married? Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Dr. Cline's wife is referred to as Audrey, who is mentioned in the series on Netflix, "Our Father," and has been married for the last 60 years. He told his patients the donors were medical residents, claiming he only used each donor's sperm for three successful pregnancies, Jason Hyatt (pictured) recalled his shock when he discovered how many relatives he had due to Cline's horrific deception, 'When I opened up Ancestry, I had over 3,000 hits,' he explained, 'When I opened up Ancestry, I had over 3,000 hits,' Jason Hyatt recalled in the trailer, while someone else added: 'I dread every new match that comes, but they just keep coming.'. By clicking Accept all you agree that Yahoo and our partners will process your personal information, and use technologies such as cookies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights, and product development. White is 66 now, and when I met her this past fall, she greeted me at the door of her home barefoot and with her white hair pulled into a neat updo. Cline was a top fertility doctor in Indianapolis; he had a lot of patients. How many children did Donald Cline have? But, oddly, she didnt seem angry at Cline so much as angry at being found out. May 22, 2022 4:38 p.m. PT. 'I don't deny that it was a sexual violation. After months of research and conversations with her many 23andMe matches, Ballard began to piece together the disturbing truth: Donald Cline, a man known as one of the most renowned fertility experts in Indiana, had inseminated dozens of women with his own sperm without their consent or knowledge. In fact, Cline wasnt charged for anything he did almost four decades ago. Due to the fact that so many of Cline's biological children share his characteristics of blonde hair and blue eyes, this theory has gained a lot of traction. He also served two years in the United . But legally, there's just no crime that touches this particular act,'Tim DeLaney, the prosecutor in the case, explained in the documentary. We exalt Jesus Christ as Lord, and acknowledge His headship in all areas of our lives, including fertility. So sorry, were going to have to wait until next month? Of course it is. Cline, now in his 80s, is retired from medical practice. For months, nothing much happened. In 2017, he was convicted on two counts for obstructing the police's investigation. She was thrilled to have new half siblings, and she dissected their lives for similarities, from favorite McDonalds orders to the bouquets in their wedding photos. He's an elder of the church,' Ganote said of Cline's reputation in the trailer. A judge suspended the former doctor's sentence, though Cline did pay a $500 fine and court costs, which totaled $185. In 1987, a national survey of fertility doctors found that 2 percent had used their own sperm in patients. . Woock knew that name; her mother had gone to Cline for fertility treatments before she was born. Please don't let it be somebody I dated,"' one woman shared. The film uses a series of interviews and reenactments to recap the events that transpired. Ballard remembers this first family reunion of sorts as oddly matter-of-fact. White went to Purdue at the same time as one of his half brothers. The shame and despair of being physically attacked by your own child. 'I feel like I was raped 15 times,' she told The Atlantic. If he truly believed he was doing nothing wrong, why did he deceive his patients? Despite Susie, Donald Cline's 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. But a handful of other doctors have also been accused of secretly using their own spermin Connecticut, Virginia, Idaho, Vermont, and Canada. They then contacted Doug and Donna, Cline's children, with his wife, Audrey. When this news broke out in 2016 by one of her daughters who came to know that Donald is . At first, Cline claimed that he was using medical residents as donors, and that he would use each donor for only three successful pregnancies. A DNA test confirmed what he already knew deep down. Cline allegedly told them that he'd find a medical resident whose appearance and blood type matched her husband's. After four of the half siblings filed their complaints with the Indiana attorney general, the Fox59 reporter, Angela Ganote, asked the local prosecutor about Cline. 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