The "devil doctor", who secretly let his patients give birth to 94 children for him, was fined only $500
"I've been raped 15 times and didn't even know it." The thought of it caused Lizzie White great pain. In 1981, plagued by infertility problems, she approached Donald Klein, a star fertility specialist, and asked him to perform an artificial insemination procedure on her. Back then, unlike now, there were large sperm banks. But Klein said he would have young, talented residents or medical students provide fresh sperm. After five months and 15 attempts, White managed to get pregnant. After the baby was born, she named him Matthew, which means "gift from God. Every time she passed by Klein's office building later, she would happily tell Matthew, "That's where I got pregnant with you." Then, more than 30 years later, a bolt from the blue hit her - Kline had used his own sperm! "He was an old man to me, and I didn't want his sperm. It wasn't with my consent." What's even scarier is that White isn't the only one who has had this happen to them. Over the years, Klein has reportedly given birth to at least 94 children using this method. The biological father is actually him? Why does everyone else in the family have dark hair and dark eyes, but only himself with blond hair and blue eyes? Jacoba Ballard had this question as a child. When she was 10 years old, she finally learned the answer: her mother had conceived her through artificial insemination. In 2014, Ballard turned 33 and decided to start looking for a half-sibling. "I thought I might find one or two at most." Back then, doctors had told her mother that the same donor's sperm would not be used more than three times. Soon after, she met a woman her own age online. When she saw the other woman's photo posted on social media, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh my God, that's my sister." At the time, the 23 and Me test was becoming popular. A genetic technology company offered a DNA test that people could order online, mail back a saliva sample, and soon get a genetic report and a "family tree" - which people who had been tested were related to each other. It's easy to see at a glance. Ballard and the woman suspected of being her sister took the test. The results were surprising: they were indeed confirmed to be sisters, but there were six other people who also shared the same father and mother. This situation made Ballard noticed that something was wrong. The year of birth of the eight ranged from 1979 to 1986, and the common denominator was that the birth mother's fertility doctor was Kline. Who would keep going to Klein's clinic to donate sperm for seven whole years? A frightening thought crept into her mind. Several people cross-matched their DNA with the public database and found that a distant cousin named Sylvia appeared in all the paternal matches. Ballard approached her and asked if she had any relatives in her family with the last name Klein. "Yes, I forgot if you didn't tell me, I have a cousin named Donald Kline who is a fertility doctor." This made Ballard basically sure that the biological father of the 8 was Kline. But what she wasn't sure about was how many times this so-called "famous doctor" had used his own sperm to impregnate people without the knowledge of his patients. Why did he do it? Now 84, Kline, who has an M.D. and served a hospital internship and then two years in the U.S. Air Force, opened a clinic in Indianapolis (Indiana's capital) in 1979 that specializes in fertility issues and has a good reputation. Why would he do that? Ballard couldn't figure it out. Some of the siblings guessed that Klein used them as a science experiment; others guessed that he was trying to keep the clinic in business. Klein had said he wanted to perform the insemination procedure within an hour of getting fresh sperm to maximize the survival of the sample. That means he needs to coordinate the sperm donor's schedule with the patient's ovulation period, which is only a few days a month. And as a well-known local fertility doctor, he has many patients, making coordination even more problematic. Could he be trying to save time, so he would simply use his own sperm? After some investigation, Ballard suggested another possibility: it might have something to do with the "Arrow Bag" organization. "Considered a cult, the Sack of Arrows encouraged its followers to have as many white children as possible. In their view, children are God's warriors, shot like arrows into the world. The more children they had, the more power they had to influence the world for God. Klein accidentally ran over and killed a 4-year-old girl when he was 24 and has wanted inner peace from religion ever since. After opening his practice, he often recites prayers with his colleagues and advises patients to pray for healing as well. His office is also filled with ornaments bearing Christian sayings, one of which reads, "I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb." And it is often quoted by the Bag of Arrows organization. In 2016, Ballard tumbled into contact with Kline's son, Doug, and arranged to meet Kline at a restaurant, along with five of his siblings. He walked in on crutches with the outline of a gun showing in the back pocket of his pants. At the time, he admitted to having used his own sperm for artificial insemination several times, but kept quiet about why. He showed no affection for the children and, after briefly introducing himself, began asking each one his name, age, address and occupation. Ballard felt they were being judged by him, "Let me see which of my children is the most successful." Although Klein's motives are still unknown, more and more "victims" emerged, and the impact was more than evident. Many had an identity crisis when they learned that the biological father was him: Did the parents want him to be the one to provide the sperm? Was their birth the right one? "I isolated myself from my family and friends. In addition to questioning and doubting others, I questioned my purpose in life." Ballard said she was so anxious that she had to take medication. According to Carla Swanson, a professor at Northeastern University School of Law, "Children may feel rejected as a result, infertile husbands may feel humiliated, and wives may be condemned to adultery." In addition to the psychological pressure, many people are concerned about Klein's medical history. Many of them have been diagnosed with immunodeficiency disorders, some were found to have clotting disorders after miscarriages, and others suffered from digestive and colon disorders. Their maternal relatives did not have similar problems. More embarrassing were the ethical issues. most of the 94 siblings lived within a 40-mile radius. Some found out that Klein, the doctor who had done their own gynecological exam, was their biological father; some worried that the person they were dating might be a half-sibling; others told their daughters that when you start dating in the future, you must be careful and must first find out who the person is. A $500 fine and forget it? Ballard and others were outraged by Klein's behavior. They contacted the Marion County, Indiana, prosecutor and the attorney general's office, saying that Kline's medical actions amounted to rape and that he should be investigated. However, their claims remained unanswered. They contacted the media again to expose Kline's story, and retaliation ensued: Ballard found one day that the nuts had been removed from her wheels; one of her sisters also began receiving strange phone calls asking if she wanted to buy a cemetery. Even when a reporter met Kline, his first words were a threat: "No guns allowed here, are they?" At the time, neither federal nor state law prohibited doctors from using their own sperm to perform artificial insemination on patients. There were no applicable charges against him for his actions. I don't deny that it was sexual assault, but legally it wasn't,' said Tim Delaney, the prosecutor in the case. 'I think my mother was raped' is a legitimate statement of human emotion, but 'Dr. Klein raped' is an untrue legal claim that I would not put on paper or sign." But prosecutors found that Klein had twice claimed in written responses to the Justice Department that he had never used his own sperm. This meant that he had given false testimony to the Justice Department. Kline was charged with obstruction of justice. Investigators came to his home with a DNA search warrant, and the final paternity test results showed that he was the biological father of Ballard and others. Before the trial, some bystanders began pleading for Kline: "He's a good man in life," "He's understanding and compassionate," and "It's not illegal for him to use his own sperm." ...... Even a prosecutor wrote to the judge asking for leniency. Because he had struggled with infertility, it was Kline who helped him. "Without Dr. Klein, my wife and I would not have the family we have today." Ultimately, Kline was sentenced in 2017 to a $500 fine, a revocation of his license to practice medicine (but he actually retired a long time ago), and a year of probation without having to spend even a single day in jail. "I feel like the state failed us and the attorney general failed us." Ballard said. In their view, if Klein didn't have a problem, why would he lie to people? What's more, is it not punishable to have a patient who clearly provided her husband's semen, but he chose to steal it for his own anyway? In 2018, because of their tireless efforts, it led to the passage of Indiana's fertility fraud law. However, Klein's actions occurred prior to that, so he cannot be charged on that basis. As of 2021, only four U.S. states have legal penalties for doctors who implant their own sperm in patients without explicit consent. And to date, there is still no federal law on the issue in the United States. Some people online say Klein is dead. But the director of the documentary says, "He's not dead, instead he's very active in the community. He still goes to his grandchildren's swim meets and things like that. That's just the way things are. I don't think he realizes he's done anything wrong." And the fathers, mothers, and children in those 90-plus families have a lifetime to heal themselves ......
