‘I feel like I was raped’: woman says fertility doctor secretly used his own sperm
Mary Ellen Lukaszewicz says she agreed to artificial insemination using sperm from an anonymous young medical student in 1982; more than four decades later, her son’s home DNA test uncovered nine half-siblings and allegedly traced his biological father to her own doctor
A former Wisconsin gynecologist and fertility specialist, Dr. Frederick Dettmann, is facing a civil lawsuit for allegedly using his own sperm to inseminate a patient in the early 1980s without her knowledge or consent. The lawsuit was filed on August 6 in Milwaukee County Circuit Court by the patient, Mary Ellen Lukaszewicz, and her son, Joseph Laedtke Hyder.
Lukaszewicz alleges that she felt "raped" after learning the truth about her fertility treatment in 1980 when she was 25 years old. She had turned to Dettmann, her gynecologist, for fertility treatment and agreed to artificial insemination using sperm from an anonymous donor described as a young, healthy medical student. Lukaszewicz and her husband, Thomas Laedtke, who passed away in 2005, struggled to conceive.
Neither mother nor son had reason to question the account for over 40 years. However, in late 2024, Joseph submitted a DNA sample to a genealogy service, which revealed nine previously unknown half-siblings. Upon examining the matches, he traced the connection to Dettmann's family and identified the doctor as his biological father.
Joseph expressed his shock and pain at learning that his entire identity was built on a lie. He stated that the deception came from "a doctor who took an oath to do no harm." The lawsuit seeks damages to be determined in court, with Lukaszewicz hoping that speaking out will encourage other women with similar experiences to come forward.
Attorney Al Foeckler, representing the family, expressed doubt about Dettmann's innocence, stating that "this man was a serial predator of women." The case has also brought attention to a separate allegation from the 1980s, where a man claimed his wife was sexually assaulted by Dettmann during a gynecological examination. The doctor denied the allegation, and no charges were filed due to insufficient evidence.
Dettmann, now in his 90s, lives in Arizona and disputes the current allegations, stating he has "no independent recollection" of the events and is unaware of any supporting evidence.
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