Dr. Donald J. Cline, a former fertility doctor from Indiana, is currently facing charges for allegedly using his own sperm to impregnate his patients.
Suspicions about Cline's conduct arose when a woman from Indiana took a home-based DNA test from 23andMe, a company that provides at-home genome testing services. The woman was surprised when she found out that she was related to eight other users on 23andMe's website. She then reached out to a local news station who conducted their own investigation and found out that the eight of them were siblings. The final clue was when they found out that all of their mothers were artificially inseminated at Cline's clinic over the span of 8 years back in the 70s.
When he was contacted, Cline, 77, said that he only used sperm from dental and medical students. However, it's highly unlikely that it was the case since a medical student would not have been allowed to donate sperm more than three times, and also because it's improbable that the same medical student would donate his sperm over the span of 8 years.
Cline initially denied the claims, stating: "I can emphatically say that at no time did I ever use my own sample for insemination." However, during a meeting with one of his accusers early this year, Cline did admit to donating his own sperm at his clinic. He first said that he hadn't done it more than eight times, but in the end, he admitted to using his own sperm over 50 times.
Cline stated that he felt he was helping the women since they really wanted a baby, and that he felt pressured to use his own sperm since he didn't always have fresh sperm in his clinic.
If found guilty, Cline would be spending 5 years in prison according to CNN.
Sources:
Indiana Fertility Doc Who Allegedly Used Own Sperm Faces Felony Obstruction Charges
Indiana Fertility Doctor Accused Of Impregnating Women With His Own Sperm
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