US Fertility Doctors Accused of Secretly Using Own Sperm to Impregnate Patients

Across different states and decades, a recurring pattern has emerged: doctors telling patients they are using donors while secretly using their own genetic material.

Panayiotis Zavos and the ‘Nordic’ Donor Deception

In Lexington, Kentucky, Diane White filed a lawsuit alleging that Dr. Panayiotis Zavos impregnated her with his own sperm in 1988. White had sought in vitro fertilization and was told by Zavos that he would find a donor matching her blonde hair and blue eyes. Zavos specifically identified the donor as a 24-year-old medical student at the University of Kentucky.

The deception didn’t unravel until 2018, when White’s daughter took a DNA test. The child, born on October 3, 1989, had dark hair and olive skin—characteristics the lawsuit describes as having no Nordic features. The DNA results reportedly revealed beyond any reasonable doubt that Zavos was the biological father.

Zavos, who is known for his claims of cloning human embryos in 2004 and 2009, has called these allegations false and unsubstantiated. A representative for Zavos claimed the case is all about money and that the legal team is prepared to defend the merits of the case in court.

Donald Cline: Obstruction and the Lack of Specific Laws

While some doctors face civil suits, others have faced the criminal justice system, though often with limited results. In Indianapolis, Dr. Donald Cline pleaded guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice after lying to investigators about his use of his own sperm. Despite the admission, Cline received a one-year suspended sentence.

The leniency of the sentence stems from a legal gap: Indiana law does not specifically prohibit fertility doctors from using their own sperm. Consequently, Cline was only charged for lying to investigators, not for the act of impregnating his patients.

Matt White, 35, who discovered through DNA testing that Cline was his biological father, stated that there are dozens of them as well as all of their mothers. He asserted that Cline violated women’s reproductive rights for nearly a decade and showed no remorse because he knew what he was doing. Matt White, son of a former patient of Dr. Donald Cline

Court documents indicate Cline told six adults that he had used his own sperm approximately 50 times, claiming he did so to help patients when fresh sperm was unavailable. He had told patients the donors were medical or dental residents and that no single donor was used more than three times.

The Death of Morris Wortman and Pending Litigation

In New York, the legal resolution for one set of victims was interrupted by a fatal accident. Dr. Morris Wortman, a 72-year-old OB-GYN in Rochester, died when a hand-built Wittman W-5 Buttercup airplane fell apart mid-flight and crashed into a pasture in Orleans County.

At the time of his death, Wortman was facing a 2021 lawsuit filed by the daughter of a former patient. The suit alleged that Wortman secretly used his own sperm in the 1980s while claiming the donor was a local medical student. The betrayal was compounded by the fact that the daughter later became Wortman’s own gynecology patient without knowing he was her father.

The biological link was confirmed via DNA genealogy tests, which revealed the daughter had at least nine half-siblings, and follow-up testing with a daughter from Wortman’s first marriage.

Comparative Patterns of Fertility Fraud

Across these three cases, the methodology of the doctors is similar. The use of medical students as the identity for donors is a recurring theme in the allegations against Zavos, Cline, and Wortman.

Doctor	Primary Allegation/Outcome	Donor Deception Method
Panayiotis Zavos	Civil lawsuit; denies claims	Claimed 24-year-old University of Kentucky medical student
Donald Cline	Guilty of obstruction; suspended sentence	Claimed medical/dental residents
Morris Wortman	Civil lawsuit (pending); deceased	Claimed local medical student

The aftermath for the children varies by jurisdiction. In Indiana, the lack of a specific fertility fraud law meant Dr. Cline avoided prison. However, a growing number of states are now passing laws to criminalize these practices to ensure that such breaches of reproductive rights carry more than just a suspended sentence for lying to the police.

For the victims, the discovery often comes through the same modern tool: consumer DNA testing. Whether it was the daughter of Morris Wortman finding nine half-siblings or Diane White discovering her child’s lack of Nordic heritage, the technology has turned private medical secrets into public legal battles.