Move over Tinder Swindler and Bad Vegan! A new Netflix crime documentary is set to become your latest obsession. Our Father is based on an extremely dark true story and the concept has everyone slightly creeped out - but also on the edge of their seats in anticipation.
Our Father follows the story of a once renowned fertility doctor Donald Cline from Indiana in US, who had been swapping out donated sperm for his own - resulting in creating dozens and dozens of his own children, without his patients’ consent or knowledge. It is thought he has at least 50 biological children and even as many as 90.
The documentary's focus isn't on Cline's point of view, but is told from the perspective of his now-grown children who were clueless about his crimes. They uncover the horrifying scale of his deception, with the impact becoming particularly apparent with the recent surge in family-tree DNA test sites.
What is Our Father About?
The Netflix synopsis is chilling: 'Jacoba Ballard was an only child, conceived via donor sperm, who always dreamed of having a brother or sister. An at-home DNA test led her to the discovery of not one but seven half-siblings—a number that defied best practices in fertility medicine.
'As the group set out to learn more about their curious family tree, they soon discovered the sickening truth: Their parents’ fertility doctor had been inseminating his patients with his own sperm—without their knowledge or consent. As Ballard and her newfound siblings realized they’ve barely begun to untangle his dark web of deceit, their pursuit of justice lies at the heart of this profoundly unsettling story about an unimaginable breach of trust.'
As the documentary goes on, the group discovers more half-siblings at every turn on, with most of them living in close proximity to each other for decades. It also leads to the sickening fear that they could have even coupled up over the years.
The documentary also features distraught fathers, hearing from some who even find out years later that they aren't actually their child's biological parents. It also features horrified mothers, who are fighting the US judicial system to prove there is an actual law that Cline has broken.
The most shocking revelations from Our Father
The documentary was only released yesterday, but we are still having trouble picking our jaws off the floor. Here are all the most shocking revelations:
The true level of Dr Cline's deception
If you thought it couldn't get any worse - it does. Dr Cline was not only inseminating women who were using sperm donors - but he was using his own sperm to inseminate women who had already brought their partners sperm into the office ready to use.
We are introduced to Julie Harmon, who had lived her life thinking her father was her biological father until seeing Jacoba on the news. She agreed they resembled each other but her gut feeling told her there was more to explore here. Her mother, Dianna Kiesler, thought that Jacoba’s case didn’t apply to Julie because she always thought she was inseminated with her husband’s sperm.
Dr Cline's cult background
With a story this crazy - of course it would include cult activity. Upon meeting some of his children Dr Cline tried to hand Jacoba a piece of paper with Christian scripture , Jeremiah 1:5 written on it. The verse reads, 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.'
The verse reads, 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.'
This scripture is also a popular reading from the Quiverfull cult movement, a conservative Christian group that ultimately believes that large families are a blessing. Children are viewed as arrows to shoot out into the world, in the hopes that one day, they may rise to positions of prominence and power in the world.
However, underlying the Quiverfull belief, is one of racism. They mentioned in the documentary that their child-rearing thoughts stem from the idea that other races are 'infiltrating' the white race. Jacoba reflects on all the siblings’ blonde hair and blue eyes, 'It’s almost like we’re like this perfect Aryan clan and it’s disgusting.'
Is Our Father really based on a true story?
Shockingly - it really is! Our Father is a true story and Cline opened a fertility clinic in Indiana, US, in 1979. Netflix admit that some reenactments in the film may have been dramatised, but the shocking and chilling story at its core of Donald Cline inseminating patients using his own sperm without their consent is all true.
At the time of Cline’s callous crimes, DNA testing wasn’t as advanced or widely available. As a result, it was difficult to keep effective sperm stored safely and harder to prove whose sperm was used to father patients’ children. There is even a 2015 Fox News investigation surrounding the case that you can watch now.
Where is Donald Cline now?
During the 1970s and 80s there were no state laws that could actually criminalise Donald's actions, and his victims struggled to get justice for decades. The disgraced doctor retired from practice in 2009. According to Netflix,he was later convicted on two felony counts for obstructing the investigation in 2017 and for for lying to investigators about using his own sperm.
In 2018, Cline finally surrendered his license to the Medical Licensing Board of Indiana, who also voted to ban him from ever being able to reinstate his license again. He was then given a one-year suspended sentence for the two counts of obstruction of justice, and because Indiana law didn't technically ban fertility doctors from using their own sperm, no other charges were brought against him. Today Cline is in his 80s and, shockingly, has served no time for his actions.
Is there a trailer for Our Father?
Yes! Netflix have released this creepy first look that has the internet heavily invested already. Watch below:
When is Our Father released?
Our Father is available to watch on Netflix now.