Fertility doctor Donald Cline is said to have given birth to at least 94 children using his own sperm, and is now the subject of a new Netflix documentary. Where is he now?
Fertility doctor Donald Cline is said to have given birth to at least 94 children
Netflix’s latest true-crime drama Our Father gives viewers an insight into the truly gruesome story of barren doctor Donald Cline.
Cline is a once-famous fertility doctor from Indianapolis, USA, who is said to have artificially inseminated more than 50 women with his own sperm in the 1970s and 80s.
He opened a clinic in 1979, and secretly impregnated women with his own sperm, claiming they came from donors.
The documentary tells the stories of several people who eventually discover they all have the same father – Cline herself.
At the time the Netflix show was released, there were 94 children who fathered Cline.
Where is Donald Cline now?
Perhaps the most shocking thing about this case is that Cline, now in her 80s, is still out there.
According to The Atlantic, he was living in his hometown of Indianapolis in 2019.
Speaking to The Guardian, Jacoba Ballard, who discovered Cline was her father and the characters in the documentary, said: “He’s active around his community. He goes swimming to see grandchildren. and the like There’s nothing to hide.
“That’s the thing, he’s still going out. In his head, I don’t think he thinks he’s done much wrong.”
His chilling schemes weren’t actually illegal in Indiana at the time they took place. However, as a result of the campaign by Jacoba and others, it was made illegal in Indiana.
In 2019, Indiana became the first US state to make it a felony for fertility doctors to use their own sperm without the patient’s consent.
Jacoba held a meeting with Dr Cline, along with seven other siblings, however she explained that he appeared “cold and calculating”.
She explained: “He introduced himself and went around the table asking each person’s name, age, and what occupation they did. It was almost like he was rating us.”
Attorney General Tim Delaney told Fox59: “There was no criminal involved in that particular act and that’s not our problem.
“I’m not denying there was a sexual offense but legally there is no sexual violation.” I feel like my mother was raped “is a valid human response, but “Dr. Cline committed rape” is an incorrect legal assertion.”
Cline quit her job in 2009 after working for about 40 years.
However, in 2017, he was convicted on two counts of obstruction of justice for obstructing an investigation and lying about using his own sperm.
He was given a year of probation and a fine of $500 (£400).
At the time of sentencing, Cline said he was “deeply sorry for the pain my actions have caused”.
Court documents never specify how often he used his sperm, but he told Jacoba it was about 50 times.
In 2018, Indiana’s Medical Licensing Board stripped him of his medical license, which meant he couldn’t practice in the future and couldn’t apply to get it back.
Source: mirror