BORN OF A FRAUD

Sabrina’s journey begins in Ottawa, Canada’s capital, where she first learns about insemination fraud. She revisits the Barwin case, which left an indelible mark on the doctor’s former patients and their families.

What is BORN OF A FRAUD?

As part of her research, Sabrina Zeghiche met with families who had been through the unsettling experience of insemination fraud. Their fertility doctor had switched sperm samples without their knowledge or consent, sometimes even using his own sperm instead of the intended donor's. Sabrina was determined to learn more about this phenomenon. She spoke with people from all over the world to better understand how this fraud affected them and their loved ones.

Over the course of five episodes, Sabrina explores and unfolds the interwoven stories of people born through insemination fraud and their parents', as they attempt to make sense of their experiences and reclaim ownership of their family history.

Credits
Narrated by Sabrina Zeghiche
Scenario: Sabrina Zeghiche, Hayet Zeghiche, Loïs Crémier
Research: Sabrina Zeghiche, Isabel Côté, Anaïs Martin, Anne-Julie Belleau, Loïs Crémier, Laurie Poulin, Marie-Christine Williams-Plouffe
Guests: Peter Cronyn, Antoine Trépanier, Jody Lyneé Madeira, James Lawford Davies, Astrid Indekeu, Guido Pennings, Dr. Simon Philipps, Rob Whitley, Raphaële Noël, Sylvie Lévesque, Heidi Mertes, Rachel Chagnon, Rep. Stephanie Bice, Sénatrice Moncion
French translation: Johanne Roberge (episodes 1 to 3), Loïs Crémier (episodes 4 and 5)
Voiceover: Sabrina Zeghiche, Nicolas Gauvrit, Patrick Kabeya, Valérie Norminton, Dylan Lasek, Christian Mongungu, Simon Abdela, Marie-Christine Williams-Plouffe, Vanni Loriggio, Peiyu Savard, Véronique Martin, Francis Gingras, Anne-Julie Belleau, Annie Pelletier, Gabrielle Belleau, Simon Desjardins, Camille Boissonneault, Ashley Grace Turcotte, Riccardo Durante, Sébastien Chehaitly, Lauriane Pelchat, Anaïs Martin, Loïs Crémier, Marie-Rose Lépine, Emma Bouffard. Some voices were AI generated with ElevenLabs.
Directed and recorded by Marie-Hélène Frenette-Assad
Soundtrack and editing: Roxanne Potvin
Studio MHFA: https://mhfa.studio/en/
Cover art: Anne-Julie Belleau

Acknowledgements
Special thanks to our interviewees who shared their lived experience for their expertise – Ashley, Helen, Philippe, Emily, Dylan, Marie, Patricia, Juul, Jelmer, Alicia, Mark, Vanessa, Jacoba, Eve Wiley and Ties van der Meer – and to everyone else who shared their story with us. This podcast would not have been made possible without you.
This podcast was funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Connection Grant and mobilized research results from the Drifts in Donor Conception and Their Impacts on Life Trajectories (2018-2023), led by principal investigator Sabrina Zeghiche and co-researchers Isabel Côté, Kévin Lavoie and Vincent Couture.