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Infertility Doctor Accused Of Using Own Sperm On Patients

Last updated on Monday, September 12, 2016

(INDIANAPOLIS) - A local infertility doctor accused of using his own sperm on patients is facing criminal charges after a lengthy FOX59 investigation.

Last May, we shared the stories of people who had recently found siblings they never knew about, all tied together by the same donor DNA from an Indianapolis fertility clinic.

All of the signs pointed to one man as the biological father. It wasn't long before the siblings began to suspect the doctor was not following the guidelines he claimed to be.

FOX59's Angela Ganote went looking for answers about what happened and who was responsible, and even reached out to the attorney general.

On Friday, the now-retired doctor Donald Cline was charged with two felony counts of obstruction of justice for statements he made to investigators.

Court documents filed on Friday describe a meeting that took place in the spring of 2016 between Dr. Cline and six siblings. Cline described to the siblings that he used his own sperm whenever a donor sample wasn't available. And admitted to wrongdoing by inseminating women with his own sperm.

In a conversation with Angela Ganote this summer, Cline said he didn't believe he was fathering children, rather helping families who were devastated by being unable to conceive on their own.

Cline explained to the siblings at this spring meeting that he kept medical records of all of his patients and noted which ones received his sperm. However, since all of the cases took place in the late 1970s through the early 80s, Cline says all of those patient records have been destroyed. Indiana law requires medical records to be kept for seven years.

In a recent letter to the attorney general, Dr. Cline denied using his own sperm for insemination, but admitted to some of these siblings that his sperm could have been used up to 50 times.

According to court documents, Dr. Cline was a DNA match for more than one of the siblings.

Four of the siblings have filed complaints with the Indiana Attorney General's Office against Dr. Cline's medical practices. Court documents show Cline responded to the complaint questioning the siblings' motives in January 2015, "I can emphatically say that at no time did I ever use my own sample for insemination," and "in fact, if this woman is saying this or writing this I believe she is guilt of slander and/or libel."

Dr. Cline retired from his medical practice in 2009 and says he has asked God for forgiveness for his actions.

He is expected to be in court on Monday morning.

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