Some of the dozens of people who found out in the last decade that they are half-siblings, secretly fathered by infertility doctor, Charles Charny.
Photos via Frank Langfitt/NPR, Joe Lubeck, Gil Brodsky and John Lowell – Collage by Emily Bogle/NPR
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Photos via Frank Langfitt/NPR, Joe Lubeck, Gil Brodsky and John Lowell – Collage by Emily Bogle/NPR
What defines a family? For a group of strangers, that question took on a profound, unexpected meaning after DNA tests revealed a hidden, decades-old deception. They discovered they were all half-siblings conceived through artificial insemination in the mid-20th century. Their biological father was not the man who raised them, but Dr. Charles Charny, a Philadelphia infertility specialist.
In this week’s episode of The Sunday Story, Frank Langfitt follows this unique family as they piece together their strange creation tale and decide to become a family.
This episode was produced by Sharon Mashihi with support from Ben Rappaport. It was edited by Jenny Schmidt. It was engineered by Robert Rodriguez. Fact checking by Will Chase.
We’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at TheSundayStory@npr.org.
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