Our Father on Netflix: Where is Jacoba Ballard now?

She says she’s tried to reach out to Donald Cline, but hasn’t heard anything


Jacoba Ballard had always wanted a sibling, and in Our Father on Netflix shares one day she found out she had multiple half-siblings, who she had never known about. But her discovery wouldn’t be one that lead to joy and a feeling that her dream had come true, because it started her journey of finding out the truth about her family tree.

Jacoba soon realised the common denominator with her and her half-siblings: Their mothers had all been treated by fertility doctor, Donald Cline. He had told patients he was using donor sperm, but without their consent, had actually been using his own samples. The siblings came together to get justice for what had happened to them.

Since the Netflix documentary, Jacoba Ballard hasn’t stopped helping people who have found themselves in the centre of “fertility fraud” and her life is focused on it now. Here’s what we know about what she is up to today.

Where is Jacoba Ballard from Our Father on Netflix now?

via Netflix

So, where is Jacoba Ballard now?

Right now, Jacoba Ballard is a fertility fraud advocate and a donor conceived advocate. On her Instagram and Facebook accounts, Jacoba shares resources for anyone affected by or interested in the topic and says she is there to help anyone who wants to reach out to her. Alongside her half-sister Heather, who also features in the Netflix doc, Jacoba has thrown herself into advocacy work and they also plan to launch their own podcast, called Sick. Jacoba also works as a mentor with the group Right To Know, which pushes for fertility fraud laws.

Speaking to The Guardian, Jacoba Ballard was asked if Donald Cline had been in contact with her, and she said he had not. Briefly at the end of the documentary, she says her and some of her half-siblings believe they have genetic disorders, from Donald Cline’s family tree, and have reached out to him for help. “I actually tried to contact him last year,” she told The Guardian. “I have been sick for two years, and I literally begged him for medical information. And nothing. It’s not just me – I have other siblings who are sick as well. We just want to get some medical information, but we can’t even get that.”

Ballard is still struggling with her health, but told Women’s Health she is “doing better” than last year. “Last year was really bad. There was a period of time, I didn’t know if I was going to make it. I really thought I was going to die,” she said.

Ballard also said more and more siblings crop up to this day. “We actually had a new sibling pop up the day the [Our Father] trailer dropped,” she said. Speaking to Women’s Health, she added she still gets a “sick feeling” every time another sibling is discovered and feels as though she is “ruining their life” when she reaches out to explain the case to them.

She also said her parents have been supportive over her decision to share their story with Netflix. “They have been incredibly supportive of me doing whatever I needed to do as part of my processing and healing process,” she said.

Our Father is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

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