US: Woman sues fertility doctor, accuses him of secretly inseminating his sperm 34 years ago

A fertility doctor was sued by a woman in Washington who alleged that he used his sperm secretly to carry out her artificial insemination procedure, which took place 34 years ago.

67-year-old Sharon Hayes, who hails from Hauser in Idaho, stated that she had taken fertility treatment from Dr David R Claypool, who was a gynaecologist and an obstetrician based in Spokane, Washington in 1989.

As per a report published in the Associated Press, the woman and her then-husband had taken this decision after facing difficulties in conceiving.

In a complaint filed at the Spokane County Superior Court, Hayes stated that she had preferred an anonymous donor. However, deceptive information was allegedly provided by Dr Claypool and the accused had also assured the woman that the donor selection was done on the basis of the traits specified by her such as eye colour and hair.

He had stated that chosen donors would undergo genetic and health screenings before donating the sperm. As per the lawsuit, for each of many treatments, $100 was charged by Dr Claypool in cash, and he had claimed that these funds were meant to go to college or medical students who were apparently providing the sperm.

Daughter discovers 16 other half-siblings in the vicinity

However, last year the woman's 33-year-old daughter Brianna Hayes, who was born after the artificial insemination procedure, found out the identity of her biological father by submitting her DNA to the ancestry and genetic testing website, 23andMe.

Brianna Hayes also made another shocking discovery that she had at least 16 other half-siblings in the nearby vicinity. It is not certain if any other women have filed any legal lawsuit against Claypool.

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Brianna Hayes, in her statement, said, “It's been an identity crisis, for sure. This was hidden from me my whole life. I felt traumatised for my mom, and the fact that I'm a product of his actions is off-putting.”

While reacting to the allegations in an earlier conversation with one of his patients, Dr David R Claypool had stated, "I know people are very happy. But this is the first I've heard of anything in 40 years”, as reported by The Seattle Times.

(With inputs from agencies)

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