This Morning fans were left ‘appalled’ on Wednesday as co-hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield interviewed two children of the infamous fertility doctor Donald Cline. The latest true crime offering from Netflix, Our Father, gives viewers an insight into the gruesome story of a once-respected fertility doctor who is believed to have artificially inseminated over 50 women with his own sperm during the 1970s and 80s.
At the time the Netflix show was released, there are 94 children who are known to have been fathered by Cline. Hosts Holly and Phillip interviewed two siblings Jason Hyatt and Jacoba Ballard remotely in the US on Wednesday as they detailed their mental health struggles after the discovery, the Mirror reports.
Holly said: “There’s so much going on for you. But I guess there are other things to consider here as well. Once you realise there are lots and lots of siblings all in a 25-mile radius, then I guess there’s the risk as well of inadvertently meeting a sibling, having a relationship with a sibling. Even now, 94 and counting, that list isn’t over. This still could possibly happen. Is that a very real thought?”
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Jacoba Ballard, who was part of the original group that figured out what Cline had done, said it “absolutely” was. “Not for siblings only, but for kids," she explained. "Kids that are older that meet an aunt or an uncle, not just a cousin."
She added: “We’ve never been told when he started or when he stopped. We know he retired in 2009, so we could have siblings [born] as young as 2009, 2010.”
This Morning fans were horrified by the chilling scheme, which wasn't actually illegal in Indiana at the time but, as a result of the campaign by Jacoba and others, was made illegal in Indiana.
Taking to Twitter, one wrote: “This is horrific. I watched the documentary last night. How there has actually been no felony is absolutely beyond me. These poor families have been torn apart by this sicko.” “I watched the documentary the other day and it's appalling, disgusting and unbelievable,” another wrote.
Another posted: “This is just terrible! These poor people!” as another wrote: “This is totally bizarre and just sick.
“The abuse of his profession and the fact the judge pathetically let him off is an insult to all these people.”
Another social media user wrote: “Poor guy, this is horrendous,” as another said: “Wow. Sick is all I can say.”
