Enterprise News and Pictures 19/3/19
Pic shows: Retired fertility specialist Dr Donald Cline, 80, who impregnated unwitting patients with his own sperm and has become father to up to 50 children. Most of his children have only just discovered the doctor is their father and others are still to find out. Cline received a one-year suspended prison sentence in December 2017 for lying when he denied being a sperm donor to unwitting patients. When he was sentenced, Cline said he was Òvery sorry for the pain my actions have causedÓ but didnÕt specify how often he was a sperm donor. Court documents revealed he said it was about 50 times. So far it has been confirmed that he fathered at least 48 of his patient's children. DNA tests from services including Ancestry.com have already confirmed at least 48 children were fathered by Cline - but the actual number is likely to be higher. One of the first people to discover that Cline was their dad was Jacoba Ballard. She found another woman who had been treated by Cline and scoured her Facebook photos. "I was like, Oh my goodness, I think that is my sister," Ballard said.
Liz White, now 66, had gone to Cline's office with her husband in 1981, and at first thought he was a kind, gentle man. She was inseminated by Cline over a dozen times over five months and later gave birth to her son Matt. She told The Atalantic: "I feel like I was raped 15 times." Cline was given a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice. He didn't face any other charges because Indiana law doesn't specifically prohibit fertility doctors from using their own sperm. Cline assured his patients they were receiving sperm from medical or dental residents or medical students, and that no single donor's sperm was used more than three times, according to court records. Cline, who retired in 2009, initially denied the allegations, saying the wome
Up to 50 children of retired Dr Donald Cline, 80, are slowly finding out he’s their dad
Retired fertility specialist Dr Donald Cline, 80, secretly impregnated patients with his own sperm and has fathered to up to 50 children.
Most of his children have only just discovered the doctor is their father and others are still to find out.
Cline received a one-year suspended prison sentence in December 2017 for lying when he denied being a sperm donor to unwitting patients. When he was sentenced, Cline said he was “very sorry for the pain my actions have caused” but didn’t specify how often he was a sperm donor.
Court documents revealed he admitted it was about 50 times. So far it has been confirmed that he fathered at least 48 of his patient’s children. DNA tests from services including Ancestry.com have already confirmed at least 48 children were fathered by Cline – but the actual number is likely to be higher.
Jacoba Ballard, 37, was the first to find out fertility specialist Dr Donald Cline, 80, was her dad
One of the first people to discover that Cline was their dad was Jacoba Ballard. She found another woman who had been treated by Cline and scoured her Facebook photos.
“I was like, Oh my goodness, I think that is my sister,” Ballard said.
Liz White, now 66, had gone to Cline’s office with her husband in 1981, and at first thought he was a kind, gentle man. She was inseminated by Cline over a dozen times over five months and later gave birth to her son Matt.
She told The Atlantic: “I feel like I was raped 15 times.”
Heather Woock, 33, (left) found out she was Cline’s child after her husband Rob (right) got her a DNA test for Christmas because she was interested in geneaology. Some of Cline’s other children then managed to trace Heather through Ancestry.com.
Cline was given a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice. He didn’t face any other charges because Indiana law doesn’t specifically prohibit fertility doctors from using their own sperm.
Cline assured his patients they were receiving sperm from medical or dental residents or medical students, and that no single donor’s sperm was used more than three times, according to court records.
Cline, who retired in 2009, initially denied the allegations, saying the women who filed the complaints were trying to slander him.
