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Fertility doc told to provide DNA sample for paternity test

Posted at 11:42 AM, Jul 18, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-18 11:45:37-04

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A judge says a Vermont fertility doctor accused of using his own sperm to impregnate a patient must turn over a sample of his DNA for paternity testing.

A Florida couple sued retired Dr. John Coates in U.S. District Court last year with a claim that Coates is the father of their daughter due to an artificial insemination procedure in 1977.

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They believe Coates used his own sperm instead of that of an unnamed medical student who was supposed to be the donor.

A lawyer for Coates has made the case Vermont law doesn't allow DNA paternity tests for sperm donors. But WCAX-TV reports a federal judge is ordering Coates to provide the DNA sample.

The parents say they discovered the discrepancy when their daughter sought information about her biological father through genetic testing databases.