[4], Cline received his undergraduate degree from Indiana University and his M.D. According to the Netflix documentary, "Our Father," that isn't always the case. 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 where is he now? I just felt bad for my mother, said White. He kept a low profile and still had many supporters in the community. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. I know Im going to call them and Im going to ruin their life, she says in the documentary. He also has connections to Quiverfull, a Christian movement that encourages having as many children as possible. 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. 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. Netflix's latest true crime documentary Our Father unpacks the chilling case of Dr. Donald Cline. He was going to use medical students their sperm.. Come on," he says. Is '12 Desperate Hours' on Lifetime Based On a True Story? However, it turned out he had a sickening secret. 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"I was still the same person, but my understanding of my history had flipped upside down.". As a result, it saw the former doctor fathering at least 50 children throughout the 1970s and '80s. Jourdan disputed the claims that Cline is dead now. 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. Ballard was one of the first. It sounds almost too twisted to be real, but unfortunately, Our Father is an investigative documentary, and Dr. Donald Cline is a real man. [10] Then Indiana attorney general Tim DeLaney declined to prosecute because "there was no law forbidding Clines conduct. We want to hear it. He had placed the call to ask Ballard for help with damage control. Is 'Yellowstone' On Tonight? His mom Liz was unknowingly injected with Clines semen 15 times before she finally became pregnant. Phil in December 2019 that she was finally able to accept the truth. Our Fathers main focus is on highlighting the lack of legal recourse afforded to the siblings and their parents. 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. 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. Several of Cline's children also live in Indianapolis, some within blocks of their biological father. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Season 5 Return Date Info, Love 'Yellowstone'? For years, he had been inseminating his female patients. In the documentary, Ballard recounts a meeting between Cline and some of the siblings, where Cline apparently explained that he only used his own sperm to help mothers who he thought were desperate for a child, according to Ballard. He told us that he would match us with a donor that looked like my husband, said Pierce. According to Fox59, Cline has paid over $1.3 million in settlements to his victims and their families. 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. . (An actor for Cline is used in other parts of the film to re-create scenes). In a voiceover near the end, "Donald" says, "Was there a sexual connotation to it? All Rights reserved. Jacoba Ballard in Our Father. [3] As of May 11, 2022, Cline has been confirmed as the biological father of 94 doctor-conceived offspring. 'The Skinny Shot' on Hulu Is An Ozempic "Documentary" That Plays More Like A Commercial, Where Is Estonia Located? The lug nuts disappeared off Ballards car one day, she shares in the film. In 2009,NPR reportedthat Quiverfull was "a small group, probably 10,000 fast-growing families, mainly in the Midwest and South.". Another documentary, HBO's Baby God, tells the story of one of those doctors. This seems relevant to this article about the life of Don Cline. Controversy and jail time In Our Father, Ballard draws a link between Cline and Quiverfull, but it's not a strong one. The doctor's actions were revealed by one of his children, Jacoba Ballard. Jacoba Ballard, Deborah Pierce v. Anonymous Health Care Provider, John Doe, M.D. There isn't currently a federal law that would make these doctors' illicit inseminations a criminal offense. 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. Our Father suggests Cline may have been motivated by ideology born of his affiliation with an extremist Christian sect called Quiverfull, which encourages followers to reproduce as prolifically as possible to meet Gods mandate to be fruitful and multiply, and install adherents in positions of power. "No consent. His practice was located in Indianapolis, where several patients would consult him regarding . To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories. I live down the street over there, and my mom lives in town here.. [13] Charges were filed against Cline. We confirm if Donald Cline is still alive, reveal how many children he has fathered, and discuss other doctors who have committed the same act. He told his patients that the sperm donors were anonymous medical residents, and that no single donors sperm was used more than three times. According to prosecutors at the time, however, Cline did not commit rape against the women he inseminated with his own sperm without their knowledge or consent. But years later, when a 23andMe match and a DNA test proved that her daughter and Ballard were blood relatives, and the truth of Clines trickery came out, it nearly destroyed Kieslers family. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Dr. Donald Cline is still living as a free man in Indianapolis, Indiana according to a 2019 report from The Atlantic. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. Heres how it works. Cline pled guilty, and received two suspended sentences (meaning he served no jail time), and a $500 fine. 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 attorney general then conducted an independent DNA test. published June 02, 2022 The new Netflix documentary Our Father tells the unsettling story of Dr. Donald Cline, a fertility doctor who was found to have inseminated dozens of women with his. Where is Donald Cline? You really have no idea who you are anymore.. There is still no federal law on the subject. Cline was a prolific fertility doctor who operated from his Indianapolis clinic from 1979 to his retirement in 2009. Ballard says patients need to be vigilant. Kates coat was a Catherine Walker rewear; Diana wore her Moschino suit numerous times. [b][19] Ballard lobbied the state of Indiana for change. No respect," she wrote. With the help of her newfound family members and their moms, Ballard worked to successfully pass legislation in Indiana making illicit donor insemination illegal. Imagine finding out you have more siblings than you think The film interviews several of Cline's genetically linked children, including Jacoba Ballard, who took an at-home DNA test as an adult and discovered she had seven half-siblings. Cline's current whereabouts, as far as we can tell, are unknown. "Donald Cline unfortunately isn't the only fertility doctor who has committed this unspeakable violation and I want to hopefully prevent it from happening again. Cline did not respond to The Posts request for a comment. The documentary arrives to Netflix on May 11. Cline, now in his 80s, served no time for his actions. 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. 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. 779, This story has been shared 541 times. And That's A Good Thing", "Our Father review an undeniably gripping tale of a fertility doctor's shocking crimes", "Everything You Need to Know About 'Our Father': Inside the sinister true story of Donald Cline", "The Fertility Doctor's Secret: Donald Cline must have thought no one would ever know. I [told my husband], Unfortunately, Dr. Cline didnt use your sperm, he used his own. "It's okay to raise any flags or questions throughout your treatment to try to ensure that you are receiving ethical and proper care. In the meantime, you can watch the trailer below. "Thanks to accessible DNA testing, these perpetrators are finally being caught and exposed, and forced into a spotlight they never imagined.". Although devastating, heartbreaking, and unnerving, Our Father . At the end, it's revealed that there are at least 94 Cline siblings. Cline has reportedly since moved on to a different church. Ballards mother, Debbie Pierce, sought Clines help with getting pregnant in 1979, after it was determined that her husband couldnt have children naturally. He gave up his medical license, even though it had expired that same . He was a monster in the guise of a savior, and Lucie Jourdan's outraged . Cline opened his practice in 1979 and is believed to have inseminated women with his own sperm until 1986. [9], Ballard filed a complaint with the Attorney General of Indiana who initiated an investigation in 2015. 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. Here's what we do know. "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. Netflix has served another gripping documentary, this time exploring the controversial case involving Dr. Donald Cline and the high number of children he fathered during his time as a fertility doctor. Unfortunately for White, Ballard and the rest of the clinicians descendants, sickness, they claim, runs through Clines blood. 1,672, This story has been shared 1,413 times. It examines and unravels the shocking actions of Dr. Donald Cline, a fertility specialist from Indianapolis who inseminated numerous patients with his own sperm, unbeknownst to them. 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