The documentary is a horrifying examination of the work of Las Vegas fertility specialist Dr. Quincy Fortier, and shows how he accompanied many women in their fertilization processes, but using his own sperm, without their knowledge or consent.
The documentary film It’s a spooky examination of the work of the Las Vegas fertility specialist the Dr. Quincy Fortier, and shows how he accompanied many women in their fertilization processes, but using his own sperm, without their knowledge or consent. The documentary follows their newly discovered children as they grapple with the scope of their biological father’s actions and the impact their genes can have on their own identities.
The documentary God Complex: Dr. Quincy Fortier’s Babies, premieres Tuesday, December 8 on HBO and HBO GO Directed by Hannah Olson and executive produced by Oscar nominees Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady.
The production follows the story of retired detective Wendi Babst, who decides to explore her ancestors through a home DNA test and that’s when she discovers something surprising. Her search for the truth about her biological father leads her to a tangle of sneaky medical procedures and deceived women … and it all leads her to just one man: Dr. Quincy Fortier.
Dr. Quincy Fortier opened the Women’s Hospital in Las Vegas in the 1960s and practiced obstetrics, gynecology, and fertility medicine for years. He became known as something of a miracle worker for his ability to help women with their fertility, conceive and carry babies to term. Fortier was even named the Nevada Doctor of the Year in 1991.
However, with the advent of home DNA testing, some alarming truths about her work and her motivations came to light. When Wendi Babst’s commercial DNA test revealed that she had many half brothers and half sisters, she put her detective skills to work. Her personal research led her to uncover the complex truth about a man who used his position of power to expand his own genetic legacy. The more she delves into the story, the more she wonders if she and the siblings she knows are the only ones, since Dr. Fortier treated hundreds – possibly thousands – of couples with problems conceiving. In this documentary, a plot of deception and ethical abuse of unsuspected dimensions and scope comes to light.
Through interviews with Dr. Fortier’s patients, his family, and newly found brothers and sisters, the documentary raises the fundamental issue of identity and genetic fingerprinting. One of the doctor’s biological sons, Brad Gulko, who inherited his father’s medical talents and forged a career as a geneticist, maintains that “50% of a person’s traits are determined by DNA.” This statement leaves Wendi thinking, “You mean your father was a monster? And what does that say about you?”
God Complex: Dr. Quincy Fortier’s Babies includes intimate and revealing interviews with Dr. Fortier’s children, including Wendi Babst, Brent Leavitt, Mike Otis, Brad Gulko, Michael Cleaver, Jonathan Stensland, Nanette Fortier, Sonia Fortier, and Quincy Fortier Jr., and also with former colleagues like Dr. Frank Silver and Dr. Harrison Sheld. The documentary also includes interviews with former patients Cathy Holm (mother of Wendi Babst) and Dorothy Otis (mother of Mike Otis).
This documentary takes us back to a time before the advent of sperm banks, when little was known about DNA and inherited genetic traits. It is a deep investigation into the morality of a doctor who acted within his own code of ethics and, at the same time, it is a provocative immersion in the essence of personal identity.
God Complex: Dr. Quincy Fortier’s Babies is part of a collection of five fascinating crime documentaries, premiering Tuesdays on HBO and HBO GO. Each of them goes beyond shocking news headlines to investigate the human element from all points of view of a crime, and delves deep into the internal and external worlds of the perpetrators, victims and survivors.
The anthology includes Oscar winner Alex Gibney, who profiles a forensic psychiatrist who studied some of the most notorious serial killers in Loco, No Demente, which premiered on November 24 and is available on HBO GO. The still unsolved plane hijacking in God Complex: Dr. Quincy Fortier’s Babies (December 1); the compelling story of an attempted murder by a religious snake handler in The Alabama Serpent (December 15); and the search for justice after the murder of a bishop and human rights activist in Guatemala in El Arte Del Asesinato Político (December 16).
God Complex: Dr. Quincy Fortier’s Babies is an HBO Documentary Films presentation produced by Loki Films. Directed and produced by Hannah Olson, executive produced by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. For HBO: Senior Producer Sara Rodriguez, Executive Producers Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller.
It may interest you:
“Cats”, “Little Women” and all HBO premieres in December
The best nature documentaries you can watch on Netflix
– .
