The Disturbing Relationship Between Dr. Quincy Fortier And His Stepdaughter
Wendi Babst could have never known the web of secrets she was about to uncover after a simple DNA test. She retired in 2016 and decided she needed to pick up a new hobby (via Women's Magazine). She gravitated toward genealogy and opted to get her DNA tested. According to The Guardian, the results left her astonished and disturbed. The man who had raised her and who she thought was her father was not related to her at all. The test revealed that Babst's biological father was actually Dr. Quincy Fortier, her mother's fertility specialist. Moreover, she had a slew of half-siblings that she had never known about.
The New York Post writes that Babst's mother, Cathy Holm, went to Fortier in 1966 when she was 22 and a newlywed. Holm was having trouble conceiving and turned to the Nevada-based doctor for help. Although Fortier ensured Holm that he was going to inject her with her husband's sperm, that was a blatant lie. Fortier used his own sperm without disclosing this to Holm or her husband.
As Babst reached out to her half-siblings, she found out they all had a connection to Fortier and many were unaware that he was their biological father. As Babst continued to dig into Fortier's past, as seen in the HBO documentary "Baby God," she found disturbing details that went beyond malpractice.
Who was Dr. Quincy Fortier?
Born in 1912 in Massachusetts, The Washington Post states that Fortier became intrigued by infertility when he was only 11. A cow on his family's farm was unable to get pregnant, which sparked an interest in the young boy. He eventually became a doctor and Fortier began his own private practice in 1945. In the 1960s, The Guardian writes that he opened the first Women's hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada, the same one Babst's mother went to for fertility treatment. However, the New York Post explains that Fortier had been using his own sperm to unknowingly impregnate his patients between the 1940s and 1980s.
In 1991, he was awarded "Nevada Doctor of the Year" and was, by all accounts, widely revered for his work. Ultimately, Fortier practiced medicine for more than 60 years (via The Guardian). As of December 2020, it was reported that there were 26 children as a result of his clandestine conceptions. According to Women's Magazine, Dr. Quincy Fortier died in 2006 when he was 93-years-old. His obituary only listed eight children, presumably the ones he'd raised.
It's not clear why he chose to secretly father so many children, but one biological son, Jonathan Stensland, surmised that Fortier found the idea to be gratifying. Shockingly, Stensland, who was adopted, later found out that his biological mother was Connie Fortier, Fortier's stepdaughter (via Oxygen).
Dr. Quincy Fortier has been accused of molesting his children
According to The Washington Post, Quincy Fortier Jr. has stated that his father molested him and his other siblings, saying said in "Baby God," "My father was crazy, also a pervert. He didn't care, he wanted to play" (via Women's Magazine). Oxygen reported that the abuse extended to Stensland's biological mother — who was Fortier's stepdaughter — Connie. "Baby God" later uncovered court documents that disclosed Fortier molested Connie from the ages of 4 or 5 until she was 13. Fortier was married to Connie's mother and the couple later had five children together. When Connie was 17, she found out she was pregnant, despite not being sexually active. She concluded that Fortier medically impregnated her during an exam.
Per The Guardian, Connie was sent away to Minnesota to have the baby, later known as Jonathan Stensland. The New York Post writes that Stensland was adopted and grew up in a happy home but was curious to know about his adoptive mother. He found Connie and was shocked to learn of her story and the truth about his father. Women's Magazine states that Stensland actually went to meet Fortier before his death.
Fortier told him that he must have accidentally used a swab with his sperm on it, resulting in Connie's pregnancy. As for Fortier Jr., he has said that he did not truly feel safe until Fortier's death. Fortier's other daughters, Sonia and Nanette Fortier, both of which were adopted, have gone on to say that they were never molested and that their father was a gentle and good-natured man.