Dr. Morris Wartsman, who specializes in infertility and sterility treatment, has been sued for fraud and medical malpractice, foreign media reported on the 14th (local time). [Photo by YouTube]
[Asia Economy Reporter Sumi Hwang] It has been revealed that a famous American obstetrician and gynecologist who has treated women with infertility and sterility for decades secretly used his own sperm on patients.
Foreign media reported on the 14th (local time) that Dr. Morris Wartsman, who specializes in infertility and sterility treatment, has been sued for fraud and medical malpractice. The person who filed the lawsuit against the doctor was Morgan Helquist, the daughter of a patient who had received infertility treatment from the doctor long ago.
According to reports, Helquist’s mother received infertility treatment from Dr. Wartsman for one year starting in 1983 and successfully became pregnant using sperm donated by a local university student of Northern European descent, giving birth to Helquist in 1985. Helquist learned around the age of eight that she was born through donated sperm but did not know who her biological father was.
Then, in 2016, when Helquist became an adult, she discovered a shocking fact: she carried Eastern European Ashkenazi Jewish genes. Helquist found this out through an online site that traces genealogy using genetic test results.
Additionally, through several years of further testing, Helquist discovered that she had six half-siblings. She suspected Dr. Wartsman as her biological father because he was Ashkenazi Jewish.
Eventually, Helquist conducted genetic tests with one of her half-siblings and Dr. Wartsman’s biological daughter, confirming that the three shared matching genes.
Dr. Morris Wartsman, who specializes in infertility and sterility treatment, has been sued for fraud and medical malpractice, foreign media reported on the 14th (local time). [Photo by YouTube capture]
In the lawsuit, Helquist claimed, "Wartsman impregnated patients using his own sperm without obtaining their consent. There are nine children born this way (including Wartsman’s own children)." She added, "It was shocking to learn that my biological father impregnated other women without their consent. I am afraid there may be more half-siblings."
Helquist also emphasized that during her past treatments with Dr. Wartsman, he continued physical-contact procedures even though he knew she was his biological daughter. She appealed, saying, "I suffered pain similar to what victims of incest experience."
However, the problem is that the statute of limitations for this case has expired. A local prosecutor stated, "Too much time has already passed, so it seems unlikely that a lawsuit can proceed."
Regarding this matter, Dr. Wartsman’s side has not yet made any official statement.
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