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New fertility fraud law would cover unauthorized use of doctor's own sperm

The children of an Indiana doctor who impregnated several women with his own sperm without their consent are calling for change.
Credit: Zolnierek

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Some men and women whose mothers were unknowingly impregnated by their fertility doctor's own sperm are calling for an Indiana law specifically against such actions.

A state Senate committee is scheduled to hear testimony Wednesday morning on a bill creating a felony charge of fertility fraud for doctors using their own sperm or eggs without the patient's consent. The proposal would also give adult children more time to file lawsuits.

Marion County prosecutors said they were limited in charges against Dr. Donald Cline because state law doesn't cover use of a doctor's own sperm. Cline was given a one-year suspended sentence in 2017 after pleading guilty to obstructing justice.

Children of women Cline treated say DNA tests show he's likely the biological father of at least 40 of them.

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