I don't know," he says in the film. An actor portrays Cline in Netflix's new true crime doc. He didnt give me a choice.. 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. In State of Indiana v. Donald Cline, Cline pleaded guilty to two Level 6 felony counts of obstruction of justice and received a one-year suspended sentence. Season 5 Return Date Info, Love 'Yellowstone'? 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Still, for three decades, Cline helped hundreds of parents who had problems conceiving get pregnant. He also often repeated a Biblical phrase from Jeremiah 1:5, "Before I formed you in your mothers womb, I knew you." In 2015, central Indiana resident Jacoba Ballard took an at-home DNA test that . A judge suspended the former doctor's sentence, though Cline did pay a $500 fine and court costs, which totaled $185. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. The results confirmed a 99.9997% probability of paternity. In 2018, the siblings lobbying, led by Matt White and his mother Liz White, contributed to the passing of Indianas fertility-fraud law. The subject of Netflix's newest hit documentary inseminated dozens of patients with his own sperm without their consent. What the fuuuuuuuuuuuuck pic.twitter.com/RTCyUUbkpw, Our Father hit Netflix on May 11, full of twists, emotionally wrenching interviews and more sort-of-distracting reenactments than I thought there'd be. At the end, it's revealed that there are at least 94 Cline siblings. His practice was located in Indianapolis, where several patients would consult him regarding . From the late 70s to the mid-80s, Dr. Cline misrepresented the source of the sperm used to inseminate his patients. Controversy and jail time Ballards mother, Debbie Pierce, sought Clines help with getting pregnant in 1979, after it was determined that her husband couldnt have children naturally. In 2017, Cline was convicted on two felony counts for obstructing the state attorney general's investigation into the matter. Netflix's latest true crime documentary Our Father unpacks the chilling case of Dr. Donald Cline. 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. Cline is currently alive and in his 80s. That we wouldnt have kids who might date? A Monkey Peed in Chase Stokes's Eye While Filming 'Outer Banks', 'Outer Banks' Season 3: That Kiss Between Jonathan Daviss and Carlacia Grant Wasn't in the Original Script, 'Outer Banks' Stars Rudy Pankow and Madison Bailey Break Down JJ and Kiaras "Overdue" Kiss: "I Love That Moment", 'Outer Banks' Stars Chase Stokes and Madelyn Cline Break Down That Cheating Plot: "I Was Really, Really Nervous", '1923' Season 1 Finale Recap: "Nothing Left To Lose". But Ballards lifelong dream of having a big family quickly warped as her half-sibling matches ballooned. Donald Cline was so perfect in his work that he was famous for being the first person in India to perform laparoscopic surgery. Cline was handed a one-year suspended sentence for the two counts of obstruction of justice, and because state law hadn't specifically prohibited fertility doctors from using their own sperm, no other charges were brought against him. The Quiverfull motion is a Christian-based philosophy held by some {couples} who take into account massive households blessings from God. He had an estimated 94 children. If you can stomach another tale about a rogue fertility doctor, the 2020 film is streaming on HBO Max. Because of Clines lack of cooperation and the unknown number of patients he had the opportunity to inseminate up until he stopped practicing in 2009, there is no way to know for sure how many siblings there may be. Unfortunately, Cline is one of several doctors who have been discovered to use their own sperm in multiple patients over the past few years. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, thenView saved stories. such as the widely covered case of Dr Donald Cline in . (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.) It tells the story of an Indianapolis fertility doctor who inseminated patients with his own sperm, without their knowledge. (There's even another documentary about a similar case in Nevada, HBO's Baby God (opens in new tab).) He had placed the call to ask Ballard for help with damage control. Cline's case is the subject of Our Father, a new documentary about what happened when one of Cline's biological children took an at-home DNA test, discovered the shocking truth and attempted to get justice through the legal system. It's implied in the doc that Cline collected his own sperm just before he inseminated patients. Cline opened his practice in 1979 and is believed to have inseminated women with his own sperm until 1986. We educated Indianas legislators, got our bill passed, and not going to stop.. 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"Uh, this is Dr. Cline, You know, I thought I was doing the right thing. 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. A disgraced fertility doctor has fathered 94 children and counting by impregnating his patients with his own sperm. Dr. Donald Cline is still living as a free man in Indianapolis, Indiana according to a 2019 report from The Atlantic. Is 'Yellowstone' On Tonight? (Alyssa Schukar) By the 1970s, hundreds of doctors were performing . 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. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital 00:00 00:00 An unknown error has occurred Author: WTHR.com staff 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. Marie Claire is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Because of that, in 2017, Cline was charged only with obstruction of justice, for lying to the attorney generals office about using his sperm on patients. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. I know Im going to call them and Im going to ruin their life, she says in the documentary. 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Donald Cline's fertility fraud is the subject of a Netflix documentary titled Our Father which premiered in May 2022. 215 became effective July 1, 2019. The interesting documentary film is bound to raise many questions in the viewer's mind regarding Dr. Donald Cline's religious beliefs and the motives behind his heinous actions. Cline's motion to dismiss was denied. In the trailer for Our Father, some of Cline's other children recall that they also learned about him through DNA kits. The attorney general then conducted an independent DNA test. Ad Choices, Our Father: The True Story Behind the Netflix Documentary Everyone Cant Stop Talking About. In a voiceover near the end, "Donald" says, "Was there a sexual connotation to it? Dr Donald stands at 5 feet 11 inches tall. "This led to an identity crisis," Woock tells PEOPLE. The fertility fraud law makes it illegal for fertility doctors to use their own sperm without their patient's consent, and it allows the doctor's victims, their spouses, and their children to sue in civil court. Cline now looms over their kids every innocent crush, their every prom date. Specifies the statute of limitations for civil fertility fraud. Through further investigation, it is revealed that they and many more are all connected at the root of their family tree by Dr. Cline. [4], Cline received his undergraduate degree from Indiana University and his M.D. 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. Shore worked with Cline for 13 years. But legally theres just no crime that touches this particular act.. Here are answers to the major questions I had after watching Our Father. 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