Doctor fertility fraud

Write a letter to your legislator and legislators on committees where legislation is proposed asking them to support broad-based fertility fraud legislation in your state. Email addresses of committee members are listed below. If you’d like us to email you a sample letter, email [email protected]  

These are just a few of the public stories on instances of doctor fertility fraud – when a doctor uses his own sperm without the knowledge and permission of his patient. Many victims are forced to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) as the only means to find a semblance of justice for what was done to them. NDAs mean victims must keep quiet about the harm done to them and who did it. Some are also not ready to come forward as there is a lot to process when you discover you are the victim of fertility fraud. 

Bianca Voss – New York

Bianca, age 75 says she was the victim of medical rape when her gynecologist used his own sperm without her permission. She was told he was using sperm from an anonymous donor. She has filed a lawsuit. “When I saw a recent photo of him online it all came flooding back to me. This is not possible — how terrible this is for Roberta and for my grandson. I hate that they will have to know and live with the fact that their father is a medical rapist. I am angry that I was violated in this manner.” (NY Daily News) Her daughter would likely not have standing to file because she was not alive at the time of the wrongdoing nor was she a party to the contract. This case was settled.

Beverly Willhelm – California

Eve Wiley – Texas

Eve learned at age 16 she was donor-conceived. She identified her donor and they became close; he even officiated at her wedding. Many years later she discovered through an over-the-counter DNA test the man she thought was her donor was not but it was her mother’s fertility doctor, Dr. McMorries. The medical board of Texas declined to revoke Dr. McMorries’s medical license.

Cheryl Emmons – Colorado

When Cheryl and her husband were unable to conceive, they engaged Dr. Jones to assist them. Cheryl and her husband were told he would be using anonymous sperm from a medical or law student. They were told to go home and make love the night of the procedure so they wouldn’t know for sure who was the father.

Diane White – Kentucky

Jaimie Brown – Michigan

Jonathan Stensland – Minnesota

Jonathan was adopted. After connecting with his birth mother he learned her adopted father Dr. Quincy Fortier from Nevada was also his biological father. The doctor had molested his adopted daughter and secretly inseminated her before she’d ever had sexual intercourse. The doctor used his own sperm on many women without their permission. Thus far 26 children born between the 1940s and 1980s have come forward; there are likely many more. 

Kelli Rowlette – Idaho

Kristen Finlayson – Arizona

Liz White – Indiana

Liz sought fertility treatments from Dr. Donald Cline. He inseminated her using his own sperm without her permission 15 times and eventually she gave birth to her son Mathew. Dr. Cline was a well-respected doctor and shows no remorse for his actions. To date, there are more than 57 offspring from his former patients. 

Mark Hansen – Iowa

Dr. Yugend told Mark’s mother he was going to do something to Hansen’s father’s sperm to increase the chance of conception. Mark later discovered through an over-the-counter DNA test, the doctor had used his own sperm and Dr. Yugend was his biological father.

Matthew Smith – Arkansas

Traci Portugal – Washington

Traci discovered her biological father is her mother’s OBGYN/fertility doctor, Dr. Gary Vandenberg who worked at Scripps Health in San Diego, California after she did an over-the-counter DNA test. Dr. Vanderberg used his own sperm instead of anonymous pre-med student’s sperm as promised.

Traci filed a complaint with the CA medical board and although the doctor still holds a medical license, he announced his retirement from Scripps Health in the first Qtr of 2020.

Wendi Babst – Oregon

A retired detective in the Clackamas County sheriff’s department discovered her mother’s doctor, Dr. Quincy Fortier, was her biological father. Her mother sought fertility treatments from Dr. Fortier in Nevada and her husband submitted his sperm for use. The doctor secretly substituted his own sperm. Thus far 26 children born between the 1940s and 1980s have come forward; there are likely many more. 

  1. HBO documentary, BABY GOD. https://youtu.be/h7_0cdhi2WY 
  2. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/dec/01/baby-god-dna-testing-fertility-fraud-quincy-fortier-nevada

michigan

House Bills 4178–4182, sponsored by John Roth (R, District 104) – [email protected]

New bipartisan measures provide new safeguards for fraudulent fertility information.

The bills passed the House Judiciary Committee and is awaiting a vote in the House.

MI2_Fertility

New York

Senate Bill S5359, sponsored by Senator Fernandez (D, 34th Senate District) [email protected]

In the Senate Codes Committee 

Assembly Bill A0114, sponsored by Assemblymember Jacobson (D, District 104) – [email protected]

In the Assembly Codes Committee

David Berry Video Testimony

NY2_Fertility

Overview of broad-based fertility fraud legislation in New York

General Articles

Laura and David Gunner

Laura and David’s son Steven died from an opioid overdose. He was conceived through an anonymous sperm donor. They had purchased a medical report for the donor and it did not disclose he had any psychiatric problems. Their son inherited these problems. Laura is working with Senator Gallivan to enact legislation (Senate Bill S7602) requiring clinics to verify donor medical history, claimed education, and background information. 

Idant Laboratories and Dr. Hugh Melnick

Julia Skolnick and her husband preserved his sperm before cancer treatments. The clinic mixed up the sperm and she subsequently did not have her husband’s baby. Her husband died of cancer. The case was settled for $400,000.

CNY Fertility Clinic

CNY failed to perform a genetic test for cystic fibrosis as agreed. Matthew and Danielle Cremisio daughter Mattia was born with cystic fibrous. The court awarded 7.5 million to support and care for the child.

https://dailygazette.com/2017/05/06/judge-upholds-7-5m-verdict-in-local-fertility-case/

Dr. Alan Copperman

Dr. Copperman failed to screen donated eggs for fragile X and two children conceived using donor eggs from the clinic have fragile X syndrome. Under medical malpractice the plaintiffs had 2.5 years to file a claim from when the harm occurred.

Idant Laboratories

Recipient mother Ms. Rizzo notified Idant that her children from Donor H898 had severe developmental problems. The donor lied about his education and medical history. This claim was settled for $250,000. Other claims regarding this donor have been filed.

CHA Fertility Center

Anni and Ashot Manukyan attempted to have a bady via IVF but were unsuccessful. She later learned a couple in NY had given birth to twin boys – one was her genetic child, the other belonged to a third couple. They discovered the fertility center had mixed up the embryos. Eventually, a court in NY ordered the children returned to their genetic parents.

Dr. Martin Greenburg

Bianca Voss, 75 says she was the victim of medical rape when her gynecologist used his own sperm without her permission. She was told he was using sperm from an anonymous donor.

She has filed a lawsuit. ““When I saw a recent photo of him online it all came flooding back to me. This is not possible — how terrible this is for Roberta and for my grandson. I hate that they will have to know and live with the fact that their father is a medical rapist. I am angry that I was violated in this manner.” (NY Daily News) Her daughter would likely not have standing to file because she was not alive at the time of the wrongdoing nor was she a party to the contract. This case was settled.

Sr. Tichell is also from the Rochester area and has at least one known offspring where he used his own sperm without his patient’s permission. 

Dr. Morris Wortman

From the Rochester area. He’s fathered numerous children using his own sperm without the patients’ knowledge or consent. One of his offspring filed a lawsuit against him for fraud and malpractice because she saw him as her OBGYN for almost ten years. Dr. Wortman knew he was her genetic father, yet he gave her breast and vaginal exams. Note, the lawsuit is not about fertility fraud, because having standing is very difficult for offspring in these cases.

There is one more doctors from the Rochester area, one from Brooklyn, another from Bellemore, and one from New York City.

Discovering your doctor violated the patient-client relationship in such a horrific way makes it very difficult to come forward. Many victims consider the use of the doctor’s sperm without their permission medical rape. Offspring must face the trauma of what their genetic father did to their mother. 

Washington

House Bill 1300 sponsored by Representative Orwall (D, District 1)

[email protected]

WA2_Fertility

Overview of Washington broad-based fertility fraud legislation

Dr. Claypool is from the Spokane area and has thirteen known offspring from using his own sperm without the permission of his patients. 

Unknown names (Parents/Children/Donor): Donor ID Fraud & Medical/Info Fraud

Parents chose donor “901A” that had no history of medical problems and a positive profile. In 2020 parents were informed by NW Cryobank (Spokane/WA) that donor “901A” and “518” were the same donor and that the profile for donor “518” showed a history of medical problems and self-described rough upbringing. This deception was discovered when a mother who used 901A had her child do a DNA testing on her child to discover half-siblings belonged to 518. 

The donor admitted that when he turned 39 in 2009 he was no longer able to donate as 518 so in 2010 he used the driver’s license of a friend and assumed that individual’s identity as 901A. Instead of 13 siblings, they are now up to 38 and possibly more. There are medical conditions the 901A mothers were unaware of that their children now face. One mother said she felt she was a victim of medical rape as she chose something yet someone else was put inside of her. She wants medical history and to know the identity of the donor. 

Traci Portugal: Doctor Donor Fraud

A Washington resident who discovered she is donor-conceived and her biological father is her mother’s OBGYN/fertility doctor who used his own sperm instead of anonymous pre-med student sperm promised during fertility treatment. The doctor was in his late 30’s and a full doctor at the time and the sperm was not anonymous, it was his own. The doctor, Dr. Gary Vandenberg worked at Scripps Health in San Diego, California and was still practicing at the time Traci contacted him with her findings asking for an explanation and medical history. The doctor provided no explanation other than “he donated a lot back to then” and he offered limited medical info, which was later proven incorrect. The doctor wanted no further contact after Traci attempted to get a detailed medical history for herself and her children. 

Traci filed a complaint with the CA medical board and although the doctor still holds a medical license, he announced his retirement from Scripps Health in the first Qtr of 2020.

Bryce Branzell & C.C./T.C.: Donor Permission and Donor ID fraud

In 2008 Bryce Branzell submitted a genetic sample for testing to be evaluated for later donation at NW Cryo in Spokane, WA. After submitting the sample Branzell changed his mind as he did not want children through donation and asked for his sample to be destroyed. The sample was instead kept and used to inseminate C.C to produce her child in 2009 T.C.  C.C. chose a specific donor because it was an open ID (donor information available when a child turns 18). She also connected with another family who used the same ID # and their children grew up believing they were siblings. In 2018 the parents decided to do a DNA test for the children and discovered they were not related. T.C was not from the donor C.C. chose, but instead was from Branzell who did not agree to have children through donor conception.

“Branzell is now haunted by what he does not know, specifically how many other mistakes NW Cryobank made, and how many other children were or will be conceived with his sperm” as his sperm may have been shipped to other clinics as is the norm. 

Kelli Rowlette/ Ms. Ashby/ Mr. Fowler: Doctor Donor Fraud

Kelli Rowlette, a Washington resident along with her parents, discovered through genetic testing that she was the result of her mother’s doctor using his own sperm during fertility treatment. The legal complaint filed alleges that Dr. Gerald Mortimer told Sally Ashby and her husband Howard Fowler that Fowler had a low sperm count and offered an insemination procedure in order to fulfill the couple’s wish to have a child. 

According to the lawsuit, Mortimer didn’t use donor or Fowler’s sperm during the process.“However, instead of using donor genetic material and Mr. Fowler’s genetic material as promised, Dr. Mortimer inseminated Ms. Ashby with his own genetic material,” the complaint said. Also named in the lawsuit is the Obstetrics and Gynecology Associates of Idaho Falls. The plaintiffs claim that the business knew about Mortimer’s actions. This suit has settled.