A former physician in Washington state has voluntarily surrendered his license after a woman in California claimed to have DNA evidence that proved the fertility doctor used his own sperm to inseminate her over 10 years ago.
The startling allegations against Dr. Christopher Herndon surfaced in a publicly available report from the Washington Medical Commission, along with a notice on the commission’s website that his license was “voluntarily suspended.”
A summary of evidence against Herndon reviewed by Law&Crime on Wednesday indicates that the complaint from the woman in California was first lodged with the commission this April. The woman alleged she was a patient of Herndon’s while he was practicing reproductive medicine as a fellow in training in California in 2009.
Background: File photo dated 31/12/17 of a child placing a hand on the stomach of a pregnant woman. Around one in five women conceive naturally after having had a baby using fertility treatment such as IVF, according to research. 72695985 (Press Association via AP Images)/ Inset: Former University of Washington Medicine Obstetric and Gynecology Dr. Christopher Herndon (Screengrab of University of Washington website via wayback machine)
During that visit, the woman said she chose sperm from the same donor she had used to have her first child and the procedure was successful, leading to the birth of her second child in 2010.
But when both of her children’s DNA was tested, the woman said she learned they did not share the same biological father. This triggered a search and a gamut of tests. The woman said she used an ancestry tracking service and located a “familial connection” that had the same last name: Herndon.
A private investigator was hired, and in the end, Herndon’s former patient made a startling revelation.
The “familial connection” was her doctor’s sibling, the records state.
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According to the summary of allegations, Herndon “replaced the donor sperm” she selected for her artificial insemination with his own and without her consent or knowledge.
Now that Herndon has surrendered his license, he cannot renew it or attempt to reinstate it in Washington at any time.
According to the Seattle Times, Herndon worked at the University of Washington Medicine Center Reproductive Care clinic starting in 2017. Until this September when he resigned, he was also an assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UW.
As recently as 2021, according to a post from the National Infertility Association on Facebook from 2021, Herndon received an award recognizing him as an “early leader in the movement to expand access to fertility care.”
Herndon could not be reached by Law&Crime for comment.
A spokesperson for UW responded with a comment to Law&Crime on Wednesday by email saying: “Based on what we know at this time, the safeguards in place at UW Medicine’s medical centers should prevent an incident like the one alleged to have occurred in California in 2009. Even though we currently have no evidence of impropriety at UW Medicine, we imagine that this news may be unsettling for some of our patients. As a result, we proactively reached out to patients this past weekend based upon their visit type with former physician Dr. Chris Herndon. We are offering Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) patients DNA testing if desired, free of charge. ”
Fertility patients who may be concerned about Herndon or have any questions are encouraged to call: 206-520-8755.
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