Maine Woman Accuses Fertility Doctor of Impregnating Her With His Own Sperm

It is supposed to be one of the happiest times in a woman's life. Conceiving and bearing a child. However, for one Maine woman, she says the experience crossed an awful line.

According to an article in the Kennebec Journal, Sarah Depoian of Cumberland, Maine, says that Dr. Merle Berger used his own sperm to impregnate her back in 1980. She alleges that this led to the birth of her daughter in 1981.

Depoian says that the Doctor then spent decades hiding what he did and denied her access to learning who the sperm donor for her daughter actually was. It wasn't until earlier this year when Depoian says this all started to come to light, almost by chance.

Sarah says that her daughter, curious about her ancestry, had done one of those at-home DNA kits. When she learned the results of the test, Sarah says that her daughter had found a startling connection to Dr. Merle Berger.

Berger, who the KJ reports was a former professor at Harvard University, and the founder of Boston IVF, has frequently described himself as a 'fierce woman's healthcare advocate'. Now, Berger is being sued for the alleged misconduct.

The Kennebec Journal is reporting that Berger is just one of many doctors who, in recent years, has been accused of medical rape. Adam Wolf, an attorney representing Depoian, said in part,

“He did so without her consent, and against her wishes. Some people call this horrific act ‘medical rape.’ But regardless of what you call it, Dr. Berger’s heinous and intentional misconduct is unethical, unacceptable and unlawful. No doctor should do to his patient what was done to Sarah.”

Originally, Dr. Berger was under strict instructions to inseminate Depoian with an anonymous sperm donor who had physical features resembling her husband. However, Depoian says that is not what happened.

Sarah Depoian's daughter said in part about the allegations,

“I spoke to one of (Berger’s relatives) and I started piecing it all together. To say I was shocked when I figured this out would be an extreme understatement. It feels like reality has shifted. My mom put her trust in Dr. Berger as a medical professional during one of the most vulnerable times in her life. He had all the power and she had none. It is deeply disturbing that he did not act with the integrity and ethics we would expect from a doctor in that situation.”