Dad of woman who accidentally slept with half brother 'had no remorse' over situation

A Connecticut woman who unknowingly slept with her own half-brother is now campaigning for change.

She says her sperm donor father, a fertility doctor, fathered at least 23 children who for a long time didn't know he was their father, with another of his kids saying he showed 'no remorse' when she confronted him about the situation.

Dr Burton Caldwell is accused of committed multiple counts of what is known as fertility fraud — when a doctor inseminates a patient with his own sperm without their consent.

This led to at least 23 people being conceived using his sperm, allegedly without some of their parents' knowledge.

CNN

Caldwell's attorney Patrick J. Sweeney told McClatchy News he and his client 'deny all allegations' when one of his alleged children brought a lawsuit against him last year.

"I was intimate with my half brother"

Victoria Hill, who was left 'traumatised' after she inadvertently committed incest with her high school boyfriend.

Hill discovered that the man she grew up thinking was her dad was not her biological father after taking a DNA test with 23andMe.

Through the test, she also learnt that her high school boyfriend was in fact one of at least 22 half-siblings she never knew she had.

"I moved to Wallingford in middle school, and we were best friends for years, and then ultimately decided to date and then we decided to go our separate ways because of college," she told NBC Connecticut.

Hill said that a while after taking the test she received a text from her ex-boyfriend which read: "You are my sister."

Speaking to CNN, she said: "It has me look back at my whole high school experience through a totally different lens. It tarnishes the whole thing.

"I'll just put it out there, I was intimate with my half brother."

CNN

Hill also learnt that she attended school with another sibling and the owners of a local deli are also related to her

"I was traumatised by this," she added. "Now I'm looking at pictures of people thinking, well, if he could be my sibling, anybody could be my sibling."

"No remorse whatsoever"

When one of Hill's half siblings, Janine Pierson, confronted Dr Caldwell, she said he showed 'no remorse whatsoever."

Pierson, who discovered that a boy she went to summer camp with was her brother after taking a DNA test, told NBC Connecticut: "He completely admitted it. He had no remorse whatsoever.

"[He] asked me very pointed questions about my life and my achievements and how many grandchildren he had, but offered no kind of apology whatsoever."

She added: "He said he really didn't think about how many of us there would be or what that impact would be like."

NBC Connecticut

"These doctors can do whatever it is they want"

Despite there being no federal laws around the issue and only 13 states having any sort of protection in place against fertility fraud, Pierson is pursuing legal action against the retired doctor.

Alongside her mother Doreen, she is suing Caldwell on several counts, including negligent infliction of emotional distress, assault and battery and failure to obtain informed consent

They are seeking at least $15,000 (£11,700) in damages.

"It shouldn't just be, you know, the Wild West where these doctors can just do whatever it is that they want," she said.

Caldwell and his attorney Patrick J. Sweeney 'deny all the allegations.'

LADbible has contacted Sweeney for further comment.