DNA testing has significantly changed since it first gained popularity in the 1980s. Nowadays, DNA tests are commonly used for forensic analysis and paternity tests, so we quickly became familiar with them.
With the commercialization and availability of DNA testing at home, some people found details about themselves that they had up until recently been unaware of, such as their true ancestry. However, some people's results were not as good as others.
Just A Silly Test
Jessica Stavena was among those who revealed some dark secrets about her past thanks to a simple commercial DNA test.
Jessica had no idea what she would find when she took the test. She knew almost everything there was to know about her life and conception. She was well aware that she was a result of artificial insemination, so there was no way anything could go wrong, right? Jessica received the results and was shocked by the unexpected information they contained.
Secrets Come To Light
Jessica never thought the test would provide information about her biological father, but it did, and this information would shock everyone.
Her life and the lives of her family would be forever altered by the information that's been revealed. But what did they say? How could they have such a big impact on her life?
A Miracle
After years of struggle, Jessica's mother finally managed to get pregnant with artificial insemination at a California clinic. In 1987, she gave birth to Jessica. Her parents saw the baby as a miracle, a gift, after many failed attempts.
Only years later did the secrecy surrounding her conception slowly begin to unravel, and her entire family was shocked to learn the truth.
Biological Father
Jessica used to think of her biological father as just a number. He was merely a file to her, stored in a long-forgotten drawer that would never be opened again. But, after doing the DNA test, she found a hint of who he actually was.
While he was no longer a number, the reality was far worse than she could have ever imagined.
Who Is She?
Jessica, who resides in Houston, successfully runs a medical spa within a plastic surgery practice. Despite managing her career and three children, she lives a happy and fulfilling life. How could a simple DNA test change that?
Was she looking for answers about her biological father? Was it that simple?
Unforeseen Results
Jessica was experiencing gastrointestinal problems, so she decided to take a DNA test to determine whether the cause of her issues might've been genetic. She had not expected to find something so dark.
When Jessica received her results a few months later, she merely stared at them in complete disbelief. Her DNA matched that of several others. The company's database revealed that she had a surprising amount of half-siblings.
No Luck
It was the year 1984. Jessica's mother, Pauline, had been trying to get pregnant for over a decade with no success. She decided to give it another shot and traveled to Nacogdoches, where she met Dr. Kim McMorries.
Pauline was confused and upset. She was losing faith in her greatest dream after numerous failed attempts. All she wanted was to be a mother, but her efforts were in vain.
A Big Promise
Before meeting Dr. McMorries, Pauline visited several artificial insemination clinics, but they were all unsuccessful.
Pauline was skeptical, considering her past, but Dr. McMorries was a man of words. He promised her that if she followed his recommendations and treatment, she would have the baby she had always wanted. It was a much need glimmer of hope, so she agreed.
Trying Everything
Pauline was assured that the procedure would be simple, and she hoped that by following the doctor's guidelines, she would finally be able to have the child she wanted.
It would be her dream come true. All her years of struggle would have been worthwhile if she could hold her baby. She would try anything she could to make it happen.
Starting To Lose Hope
Pauline underwent several unsuccessful attempts to become pregnant with Dr. McMorries' assistance.
They tried several donors listed at the California sperm bank, but their efforts were futile. Pauline was starting to lose hope when Dr. McMorries told her about a potential donor they hadn't yet tried.
One Last Attempt
Dr. McMorries told Pauline that he had found a local sperm donor, whom he described as a tall, red-haired, music-loving medical resident at a nearby hospital. The thought sparked a spark of hope in her chest.
Pauline thought of this new potential donor as her last resort and decided to give it a shot in the hopes that it would finally work out.
Dreams Come True
In March 1987, Pauline's daughter Jessica was born after the attempt was successful, and she fell pregnant.
She had never been happier, and at the time, she had no idea how her choice would affect her daughter's life years later. The father was just some stranger who would never know her, or would he?
Finally Happy
Pauline Chambless led a happy life with her husband and did her best to raise her daughter Jessica. Jessica was a blessing, and Pauline was genuinely grateful for her miracle baby.
She didn't know that years later, her daughter would discover a secret that would shake the entire family to the core.
Siblings
Jessica learned that she had three half-siblings, two sisters and a brother, after looking at the DNA test results. She was astonished and excited by the thought of having multiple siblings.
But things didn't seem to stop there. A few days later, Jessica got an email inquiring if Dr. McMorris had also treated her mother by a woman named Eve Wiley.
An Imaginary Donor
After some clarification, Eve revealed to Jessica that she was her half-sister. She also informed Jessica that their father wasn't who they thought he was.
There was no tall, redheaded, music-loving medical resident from a nearby hospital donating to the clinic. It was all a lie concocted by Dr. McMorries to entice women to accept the cells on offer.
His Identity Revealed
Moreover, Eve informed Jessica that the sperm donor was not a stranger. He played a crucial role in her conception and the conception of several other children whose parents sought his assistance with artificial insemination. Eve had discovered their father's identity, and the news was terrible.
Jessica's father, like her half-sister's, was Dr. McMorries himself.
Long-Lost Sister
The same doctor had assisted Eve Wiley's mother in getting pregnant. Their mothers were from the same neighborhood and were victims of their doctor's poor judgment decades ago.
Eva learned the awful truth when she turned 16 and decided to dig into her biological father. For many years, Eve and her mother both believed that "Donor 106" was her father, but it turned out that they had both been mistaken.
Same Results
Eve's parents went to see Dr. McMorries in 1986 for the same reason Jessica's mother did, and the outcome was the same. Eve Wiley and her mother had long believed that "Donor 106" was her biological father.
She came into contact with this donor, and the two of them grew close over their father-daughter relationship until she discovered that he wasn't her father.
Could Never Have Guessed
Jessica only discovered that she had a dozen half-siblings decades after she was born. This was also when she learned the identity of the donor who shared her genetics. The same doctor performed the insemination.
Dr. McMorries inseminated Jessica's mother with his cells. He was her biological father, not some redheaded medical student.
Her Mom Had To Know
Aside from the life-altering news, she also encountered another daunting problem. She had to tell her mom what she had discovered.
Jessica's mother burst into tears upon hearing the news. The doctor's deception was beyond unfair. She was enraged and wasn't about to stand by and do nothing.
Not Entirely A Lie
When asked about the incidents, Dr. McMorries explained that he began donating sperm as a medical student at the University of Texas in 1970.
Dr. McMorries stated that he never disclosed the truth to Jessica's mother or other patients because protocol required that all donors remain anonymous. For the distraught woman, the news was unbearable.
A Vulnerable Time
Jessica and her mother decided to lodge a complaint against Dr. McMorries with the Texas Medical Board in March 2020. She urged the board to punish the doctor for misleading and impregnating patients.
Jessica was repulsed by the doctor's actions. He took advantage of her mother's faith at a time when she was at her most vulnerable.
Two Sisters Stand Together
Eve filed complaints with the Texas Medical Board and provided detailed medical records. The two women were dedicated to their battle and wanted to see the cunning doctor defeated.
The sisters decided to take things a step further by ensuring that it never happens to another woman.
Never Again
Despite the fact that Jessica and Eve's parents did not intend for them to be sisters, the women banded together to take on the doctor. They needed to tell people what happened to their mothers so that cases like these could be avoided in the future.
No woman should be misled in this way, and they would ensure the crime was punishable.
A Strict Law
Eve and Jessica were influential in passing one of the country's strictest laws prohibiting what is now known as "fertility fraud." Eve described how she discovered McMorries' deceit and how distraught she was in an emotional testimony to Texas senators.
Upon hearing the touching story, Texas legislators decided to make it a felony for any Texas doctor to use their cells to impregnate patients.
The Doctor Confesses
In her testimony, Eve mentioned that when she contacted Dr. McMorries, he wrote back to her acknowledging that he had combined his sperm with other donors to boost her mother's chances of becoming pregnant.
Additionally, he claimed that he had her mother's consent to use a local donor's sperm, which her mother disputes.
No Turning Back
Despite the fact that the Texas Medical Board took their concerns seriously and new regulations were put in place, Eve and Jessica will never be able to go back in time and prevent their mothers from dealing with this kind of malpractice.
They must accept the doctor's decisions because the damage has already been done.
Something To Gain
However, Eve and Jessica did get something unexpected out of this. They had found each other and had stood together from the beginning.
They each have a sister they never expected to have. After all, some good came from their tragic situation.