Fertility doc told to provide DNA sample for paternity test

BURLINGTON, Vt. – 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.

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.