3/11/2023 0 Comments Quincy fortier![]() That’s how numerous people discovered that Dr. ![]() What the ads never show is the dark side of taking these DNA tests, such as when people find out shocking and vile things about their biological heritage. The advertisements for home DNA test kits paint a heartwarming picture of people finding out great things about their ancestors and other biological relatives. Wendi Babst in “Baby God” (Photo courtesy of HBO) Quincy Fortier, who illegally inseminated an unknown number of women with his semen from the 1940s to the 1980s.Ĭulture Clash: Several of Fortier’s secret insemination children and their mothers found out years later what Fortier did and had varying reactions to these crimes and violations of their family genetics.Ĭulture Audience: “Baby God” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in documentaries about family secrets or true-crime issues that involve medical doctors. but centers primarily on activities that occurred in Nevada, features an all-white group of people discussing the actions and repercussions of the late Dr. “I think a lot of families have more secrets than exist on the surface and I don’t want to poke the bear,” she said.By Carla Hay A 1966 photo of Cathy Holm with her daughter Wendi in “Baby God” (Photo courtesy of HBO)Ĭulture Representation: The documentary “Baby God,” which was filmed in various parts of the U.S. She is concerned it might open a "pandora's box." She has done her own genealogy and is not interested in taking the DNA test. Olson worked for 10 years on the PBS series "Finding Your Roots," which helped celebrities and other well-known people trace their lineage. Olson said Facebook and online groups have become a place for people to talk about the Fortier case. Fortier died almost 20 years ago, victims can't really seek restitution or resolution. Olson used closeups in the film so the audience could see the similarities in facial expressions and mannerisms - and differences.īecause Dr. “It was very strange to pop around the country and meet all these people who didn’t know each other, but I knew they shared a common biological father,” she said. While everyone is unique, being fathered by the same man did mean the children involved had similar traits, Olson said. “It was my real hope that the film would shed light on something more universal, which is all of us trying to figure out where we came from,” she said. Fortier are unique and something that most people won't go through, Olson believes there is something universal about the story. How much does where we come from matter? For me, the film was so much a process of investigating one’s identity,” she said.Īnd while the stories of the people fathered by Dr. “I think I was interested in looking at the power of creation and at how much DNA matters. Which, she believes, is the point of the film, that identity is more than just your cells' programming. “A lot of the people who I interviewed in the film, who had these bombshell revelations when they did that, discovered that it’s not really possible to know yourself entirely from your saliva and your DNA,” she said. Olson said she was interested in what that process revealed and what it really didn't. Now, people can spit into a vial, send it to a commercial DNA testing company and have their DNA analyzed. It was a crime that would never be discovered,” she said. “So little was known about DNA that there was this presumption of anonymity. Plus, Olson noted it wasn't something people would know about. ![]() One doctor in the film likened donating sperm at the time to giving blood. “When I was looking at the film, it was very important to me to see: Was this the symptom of the time because it was such a widespread phenomenon or was this something darker,” Olson said. And because it was before the HIV epidemic, samples weren't tested like they are now. Twenty-two doctors in the United States have been found to have used their own sperm,” she said.Īt the time, donor sperm needed to be fresh and so donors were usually medical students or doctors, she said. “My desire in making this film was to try to understand this phenomenon, because it wasn’t just Dr. Fortier used his own sperm and not the sperm brought him by his patients. “It was just inserting sperm into the woman, hoping that an artificial means of insemination would be more effective than normal sexual intercourse,” she said, “Several of the women that I interviewed in the film brought sperm of their husbands to his office, assuming that’s what would be used.” The pregnancies were before invitro-fertilization, Olson explained.
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