No jail for fertility doctor who allegedly used his own sperm to inseminate patients, possibly fathering 22 children

‘I had to go home and tell my husband that he’s not the father of my child.’

A former Indiana fertility doctor who allegedly used his own sperm to impregnate his patients without their consent will serve no jail time for lying to investigators.

WXIN reported that Dr. Donald Cline, 79, was handed a one-year suspended sentence Thursday after pleading guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, Dr. Cline wasn’t criminally charged for fathering at least two of his patients’ children because there’s no law against it. Instead, the obstruction charges stemmed from the retired doctor lying to investigators about using his sperm on his patients.

READ More: Fertility doctor allegedly used his own sperm to impregnate patients without their consent

Though paternity tests identified Dr. Cline as the probable father of two children, those children say that genetic tests indicate that he fathered at least 20 more, according to the Associated Press.

The Indianapolis Star reported that Dr. Cline apologized to his family and “those who feel deceived and hurt by his actions.”

“I was scared….I was foolish in my actions and I should not have lied,” ” he said before sentencing. “I am asking for mercy and compassion for myself.”

Despite facing three years in prison for each charge, Marion Superior Court Judge Helen Marchal said she struggled with how to punish Dr. Cline. She noted that, depending on the situation, she would sentence the defendant to drug or alcohol addiction treatment. However, she said that none of those programs would benefit the doctor, the newspaper wrote.

“Your actions do deserve punishment, but I have been grappling for several weeks with what is your punishment,” the judge commented.

“You obviously caused a lot of people a lot of suffering.”

One of Dr. Cline’s ex-patients, Dianna Kiesler, told reporters that she believed her husband was the father of her child before the doctor’s misdeeds came to light. Many of the mothers and children who allegedly fell victim to Dr. Cline are now urging Indiana lawmakers to make his supposed actions a crime.

“There are many of us out here that he ruined our lives. My daughter thought she was my husbands. He ruined all that,” Kiesler said.

“I had to go home and tell my husband that he’s not the father of my child.”

[Featured Image: Dr. Donald Cline/Indiana Police Department]