Fertility Doctor Fathers 94 plus Children

Jacoba Ballard, who grew up as an only child took an at-home DNA test. She grew up believing that her Mother had conceived her with the help of a sperm donor. Her DNA results revealed she had seven half-siblings she had never met.

After contacting the half-siblings, she soon learned they had one thing in common: their mothers were patients of Dr. Donald Cline.

Dr. Donald Cline was an Indiana fertility doctor. He operated a fertility clinic called the Reproductive Endocrinology Associates (REA) in Indianapolis.

For decades he helped families who were struggling with infertility. There were many instances when the wives would bring in their husband's specimens, but Unbenownce to the women, instead of using the husband's specimen, Dr. Cline would use his own sperm. He later claimed that whenever he did not have a sperm donor he would use his own, "but that was only a handful of times."

Jacoba Ballard would contact all of the half-siblings that appeared in her DNA testing dashboard to let them know about Dr. Cline. At one point the 7 half-siblings rose to 15 half-siblings.

Jacoba began reaching out to local TV stations, the Indiana Attorney General's office and other agencies requesting an investigation into Dr. Cline. After one year of getting no response, Jacoba launched her own investigation.

In pursuing her own investigation, Ballard then contacted Fox59 anchor Angela Ganote and she investigated Ballard's story. During her investigation, Ganote learned that Cline had lied to the attorney general's office in their investigation. Documents show that he had told investigators, "I can emphatically say that at no time did I ever use my own sample for insemination nor was I a donor."

After a story aired on Fox59, Cline left a voicemail for Ballard contradicting what he had told investigators. "Uh, this is Dr. Cline, You know, I thought I was doing the right thing. I only donated my own sample nine or 10 times," he said. He had placed the call to ask Ballard for help with damage control. "Um, my wife and I, uh, after 57 years of marriage, um, we have had a great deal of problems over this. She considers this adultery. I donated my sample. Gonna lose my wife. Our marriage will be over. Can you help?"

Ganote told DeLaney that Cline was lying to them. Ballard played the audio of the voicemail. The attorney general then conducted an independent DNA test. The results confirmed a 99.9997% probability of paternity. Charges were filed against Cline. 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.

Dr. Cline's actions violated professional ethics and breached the trust of his patients. In September 2019, he pleaded guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice for lying to investigators during the initial inquiry. He received a one-year suspended sentence and was ordered to pay a fine

Ballard's genetic genealogy research ultimately revealed Cline, her mother's fertility doctor, as her biological father. Cline is now known to have covertly fathered at least 94 offspring.

Impact statements:

Todd Foster, donor child: "It was like this gut punch. Someone just cut the tether to who I am. Because we’re all taught our identity resides in our blood, right? That’s why I took the damn DNA test. But yeah, this complete feeling is like my whole identity, is that gone? Am I no longer a Foster? I literally had to just rest my hand and kind of sit there for a minute. Just like, woah. The weight of it. I woke up the next morning and, again, excuse my language but just kind of like, what the....?! This cannot be real. This is … what? And I think it was that way for a couple of weeks."

Julie Manes, donor child: "It's devastating. It's changed my entire life. I've cried every day for the past two months. It's devastating, to say the least. I believed for 34 years that my dad was my father. And he still is, but knowing that Cline did this is...horrible."

Elizabeth White, mother: "My first words were, 'I was raped 15 times, and I didn’t even know it.'"

The Cline fertility fraud and similar doctor-donated sperm cases exposed a lack of legislation specific to infertility patients and their children's rights. Ballard lobbied the state of Indiana for change. On May 17, 2019, Indiana became the first state to designate fertility fraud as a Level 6 felony. S.E.A. 174, P.L. 215 became effective July 1, 2019. It reads:

Establishes a cause of action for civil fertility fraud and provides that a prevailing plaintiff may be awarded: (1) compensatory and punitive damages; or (2) liquidated damages of $10,000. Specifies the statute of limitations for civil fertility fraud. Increases the penalty for deception involving the identity of a person or the identity or quantity of property to a Level 6 felony if the offense involves a misrepresentation relating to (1) a medical procedure, device, or drug; and (2) human reproductive material. Urges the legislative council to assign the topic of fertility laws, including gestational surrogacy, to an appropriate study committee.

States which have enacted legislation: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Texas, Utah

States proposing legislation: Michigan, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Kentucky, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington

There is no Federal legislation specifically applicable to fertility fraud.

Donald Cline's fertility fraud is the subject of a Netflix documentary titled "Our Father" which premiered in May 2022.

Cline has four children with his wife, Audrey, in addition to 94 other children conceived by artificially inseminating women with his own sperm without their knowledge or consent.