A wanted and planned for baby is a blessing, a miracle. And infertile couples would give almost anything to have help achieving their dream of parenthood. But should that dream come at any cost and by any means? And what happens when our laws don’t keep pace with scientific developments? These are some of the questions that surface in the new Netflix documentary Our Father.

Jacoba Ballard knew she came to be through a scientific miracle. Her parents experienced infertility and sought help from a renown fertility specialist, Dr. Donald Cline. Armed with that little bit of information, Ballard started doing research to try to discover who her biological father was. After taking a DNA test, Ballard discovers a thread of truth that threatens to unravel a small community.

Ballard discovered that Cline himself was her biological father, not a medical student as he had told her mother. With a little more digging, Ballard uncovered the unbelievable truth that Cline inseminated dozens of women, over decades, with his own sperm. He did this to his patients without their knowledge or consent.

Some women consented to using unknown donors, others came in with their husbands, who provided sperm, and others had chosen specific donors from a selection Dr. Cline had offered them. yet in each case, he used his sperm, never revealing his terrible obsession with creating offspring.

The story becomes stranger and darker as Cline’s secret becomes revealed through a local news station. More siblings emerge as Cline scrambles to cover his tracks. Calling in favours from government and political friends made over a long career serving the community to avoid prosecution, Cline told lie after lie to lessen the devastation of his actions.

Our Father tells the horrible and detailed story of Jacoba Ballad, and her many, many siblings, and their mothers and their combined efforts to hold Dr. Cline accountable for his deception and depraved practice. Despite the trauma and anger over the lies and fraud of Dr. Cline, Ballard and her siblings have formed a strong support network for each other and their mothers.

Check out this compelling documentary. Our Father, on Netflix.