"Doctor Devil" secretly let patients give birth to 94 children for him

"I was raped 15 times and I didn't even know it." Liz White was pained to think about it.

In 1981, suffering from infertility problems, she found the star doctor of fertility specialist Donald Klein and asked him to perform artificial insemination for herself.

Back then, unlike now, there were large sperm banks. But Klein said he would have young, talented residents or medical students supply fresh sperm.

After 15 attempts over 5 months, White succeeded in getting pregnant.

After the baby was born, she named him Matthew, which means "gift from God". Later, every time she passed by Klein's office building, she would happily tell Matthew, "That's where I got pregnant with you."

More than 30 years later, a bolt from the blue hit her—Klein used his own sperm back then!

"He's an old man to me, and I don't want his sperm. It's without my consent."

Even more terrifying, White wasn't the only one who had this experience. According to reports, over the years, Klein has given birth to at least 94 children in this way.

Is his biological father actually him? !

Why do everyone else in the family have black hair and black eyes, but only you have blond hair and blue eyes? Jacoba Ballard had this question as a child.

When she was 10 years old, she finally knew the answer: her mother conceived her through artificial insemination.

In 2014, at the age of 33, Ballard decided to start looking for half-siblings. "I think there might be one or two at most." Back then, doctors told the mother that the same donor's sperm would not be used more than three times.

Soon after, she met a woman her age online. When she saw the photos posted by the other party on social media, she couldn't help exclaiming: "Oh my God, this is my sister."

At the time, the 23 and Me test was in vogue. A genetic technology company launched this DNA test product, people only need to order online, and then mail the saliva sample back, and soon get a genetic report, and a "family tree" - the number of people who have been tested. There is a kinship between them, it is obvious at a glance.

Ballard took the test with the woman who appears to be her sister.

The result was unexpected: they were indeed confirmed to be sisters, but there were six other people who were also half-sisters.

This situation made Ballard realize that something was wrong.

The eight people's birth years ranged from 1979 to 1986, and the common denominator is that the birth mother's fertility doctor is Klein. Who would keep going to Klein's clinic to donate sperm for seven full years?

A terrible thought gradually emerged in her mind.

Several people cross-matched their DNA with public databases and found that a distant cousin named Sylvia appeared in the paternal match. Ballard found her and asked if she had any relatives surnamed Klein at home.

"Yes, I forgot if you didn't tell me. I have a cousin named Donald Klein who is a fertility doctor."

This made Ballard basically certain that the biological father of the eight people was Klein.

But what she is not sure about is how many times this so-called "famous doctor" has used her own sperm to impregnate people without telling the patient?

Why did he do this?

Klein, now 84, holds a doctorate in medicine, practiced in a hospital, and later served in the U.S. Air Force for two years. In 1979, he opened a clinic in Indianapolis, the capital of Indiana, specializing in fertility issues, and he had a good reputation.

Why would he do that? Ballard couldn't figure it out.

Among the siblings, some guessed that Klein regarded them as a scientific experiment, and some guessed that he was trying to maintain the business of the clinic.

Klein has said he wants to inseminate within an hour of getting fresh sperm to maximize the viability of the sample. That means he needs to coordinate the donor's schedule with the patient's ovulation only a few days a month. As a well-known local fertility doctor, he has many patients, and it is more troublesome to coordinate.

Could he just use his own sperm to save trouble?

After some investigation, Ballard raised another possibility: This might have something to do with the Quiver Organization.

The Quiver Group, considered a cult, had encouraged followers to breed as many whites as possible. In their eyes, children are warriors of God, shot into the world like arrows. Whoever has more children has more power to influence the world for God.

Klein accidentally killed a 4-year-old girl when he was 24 years old, and has since hoped to gain inner peace from religion. After opening the clinic, he often recites prayers with his colleagues, advising patients to pray for healing as well.

His office is also filled with ornaments emblazoned with Christian proverbs, one of which reads: "I knew you before I fashioned you in your mother's womb." That phrase is often referred to by the "quiver organization." Quote.

In 2016, Ballard contacted Klein's son, Doug, and met Klein at a restaurant with five siblings under the arrangement of the other party.

He came in on crutches, the back pocket of his trousers showing the outline of a gun. At the time, he admitted to using his own sperm for artificial insemination on multiple occasions, but was silent on why.

He didn't show any affection for these children. After a brief introduction of himself, he began to ask everyone's name, age, address and occupation. Ballard felt like they were being judged by him, "Let me see which of my kids are the most successful."

Suddenly found out that the biological father is Klein's brothers and sisters

Although Klein's motives are still unclear, more and more "victims" have appeared, and the impact is more obvious.

Many people have an identity crisis after learning that their biological father is him: Is it him who their parents want to provide sperm? Is your birth right?

"I isolated myself from my family and friends. In addition to questioning and doubting others, I also questioned my purpose in life." Ballard said she was so anxious that she had to take medication.

"Children may feel rejected, infertile husbands may feel humiliated, and wives may be accused of adultery," said Kara Swanson, a professor at Northeastern University School of Law.

In addition to psychological pressure, many people are also worried about Klein's medical history. Many of them have been diagnosed with immunodeficiency diseases, some have found themselves with blood clotting disorders after miscarriage, and some have digestive system and colon diseases. Their maternal relatives did not have similar problems.

Even more embarrassing is the ethical issue. Most of the 94 siblings live within a 40-kilometer radius.

Some people discovered that Klein, the doctor who had done a gynecological examination for them, turned out to be their biological father; some people worried that the people they were dating might be half-siblings; some people told their daughters that you will start dating in the future Be careful, you must first figure out who this person is.

They contacted the Marion County, Indiana, attorney and attorney general's office, saying Klein's medical practice amounted to rape and that he should be investigated. However, their appeals have been unanswered.

They contacted the media again, trying to expose Klein's story, but they were subsequently retaliated: Ballard discovered one day that the nuts on her wheels had been removed; one of her sisters also began to receive strange calls, Ask her if she wants to buy a cemetery.

Even when the reporter met Klein, his first sentence was a threat: "No guns are allowed here, right?"

It's not without reason that Klein is so arrogant.

At the time, neither federal nor state law prohibited doctors from artificially inseminating patients with their own sperm. There are no applicable charges for his conduct.

Tim Delaney, the prosecutor in the case, said: "I don't deny it was a sexual assault, but it's not a sexual assault from a legal perspective. 'I think my mom was raped' is a legitimate human being Emotional statements, but 'Dr. Klein raped,' is an untrue legal claim that I will not put on paper and will not sign."

But prosecutors found that Klein had twice claimed in written responses to the Justice Department that he never used his own sperm. This means that he made false testimony to the judiciary.

Klein was charged with obstruction of justice. Investigators came to his home with a DNA search warrant, and the final paternity test showed that he was the biological father of Ballard and others.

Before the trial, some bystanders began to intercede for Klein: "He is a good person in life" "He is considerate and compassionate" "He is not against the law with his own sperm"...

Even one prosecutor wrote to the judge asking for clemency. Because he had been troubled by infertility, it was Klein who helped him. "Without Dr. Klein, my wife and I would not have the family we have today."

Ultimately, in 2017, Klein was sentenced to a $500 fine, revoked his medical license (but he had already retired), and a year of probation without going to jail for even a day.

"I feel like the country has failed us and the attorney general has failed us," Ballard said.

In their opinion, if Klein has no problems, why would he lie? What's more, there is a patient who clearly provided her husband's semen, but he still secretly replaced it with his own. Don't he need to be punished?

In 2018, their tireless efforts led to the passage of the Indiana Fertility Fraud Act. However, Klein's behavior happened before, so he cannot be accused of it.

As of 2021, only four U.S. states have legal penalties for doctors who implant their own sperm into patients without explicit consent. To date, there is still no federal law on this issue in the United States.

In May of this year, Netflix brought Klein's story to the screen, which once again caused a heated discussion.

Someone online said that Klein was dead. But the director of the documentary said: "He's not dead, he's active in the community. He's still going to his grandchildren's swimming competitions and stuff like that. That's the way it is. I don't think he realizes he's doing anything wrong."

But the fathers, mothers, and children in those more than 90 families spend their whole lives to heal themselves...