Our Father, a shocking documentary recently released on Netflix, unfolds the story of a fertility physician in Indianapolis, Dr. Donald Cline, who for decades deceivingly inseminated numerous patients, including one of his colleagues with his own sperm sample. Prior to the artificial insemination procedure, some patients provided samples from their spouses, while others were told the samples being used came from healthy medical student donors. Without the women’s knowledge or consent, Dr. Cline, in at least 94 instances, discarded the spouse’s or donor’s sample to use his own during the procedure.
No one suspected such horrendous practice to have taken place within the clinic of a devoted Christian, church elder, and respected citizen. Dr. Cline’s doings would have perhaps remained unknown if it were not for one of his offspring, Jacoba Ballard. After receiving the results from a 23andMe at-home DNA test she took, she discovered she had 7 half siblings. Such a discovery with time led her to uncover her biological father’s secret. Eight of the ninety-four who to this day have been identified share their tragic stories. Several of them received intimidating threats of retaliation should they intend to pursue criminal charges against him and bring his actions to public knowledge.
In search of justice, the siblings reached out to the offices of the Marion County prosecutor and attorney general of Indiana, asserting Cline’s medical practices were tantamount to rape and asking for an investigation. After a slow process, the results of the investigation were frustrating to say the least. According to investigators, Dr. Cline’s actions did not constitute rape, nor was there any law that was violated with which he could be charged. It was not until officials noticed he had lied during the investigation that they were able to charge him with two counts of obstruction of justice, for which he pled guilty and later received only a $500 fine. Sadly, at times we find imbalances in the justice system between what is immoral and what is unlawful. However, lobbying efforts led by victims of similar cases led to the enactment of Indiana’s fertility-fraud law, which prohibits fertility doctors and specialists from introducing any reproductive material as well as medications or procedures to the patient without their full knowledge or consent.
At CIMA Law Group we are committed to helping you get the justice you deserve through legal representation and government lobbying. We specialize in Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, Immigration, and Government Relations.
CIMA Law Group Blog 