State Rep. John Roth this week led the House in passing his plan to protect women’s healthcare and secure justice for victims of fertility fraud, also known as assisted reproduction fraud. Fertility fraud occurs when a doctor inseminates a patient with his own sperm without her consent, or when a sperm donor knowingly misrepresents identity or medical history, often concealing serious genetic health risks. 

The measure passed the House 61-48, with just a handful of Democrats joining House Republicans in supporting the plan.   

“I’m glad we passed real protections for women in fertility clinics, but I’m immensely concerned with the lack of cooperation from the other side,” said Roth, R-Interlochen. “I cannot be clearer: these bills protect women’s health and safety in fertility clinics. We voted to protect women’s healthcare and the incredibly personal process of IVF.A vote against this plan is a vote to permit the abuse of vulnerable women trying to start a family.” 

There are currently no requirements for facilities such as sperm banks to obtain and verify a donor’s medical history, educational background, or criminal record, leading to the potential for misinterpreted information. Under state law, it remains technically legal for doctors to secretly inseminate their patients with their own sperm. 

“Families turn to fertility doctors in their most vulnerable moments, trusting them to help bring a child into the world,” Roth said. “When a doctor betrays that trust and violates a woman’s body, the law must respond. These heinous acts demand consequences that reflect their truly vile nature.” 

Roth credits his own awareness of these egregious loopholes in state law to a local resident who herself is a victim of fertility fraud. Through a genetic test, she discovered her biological father was her mother’s fertility doctor. Investigations revealed Dr. Philip Peven fathered more than a dozen children against their mothers’ wishes. 

House Bills 5035-5039 would officially classify Assisted Reproductive Technology Fraud as a crime and introduce broad, civil, and criminal penalties, as well as establish a statute of limitations for filing complaints. 

The plan now moves to the Senate for further consideration.