Unethical fertility doctor’s practices were ‘The Immaculate Deception’
From serial killings to medical malpractice and stealing people’s trust, true crime takes many forms. In “The Immaculate Deception,” we’ll hear about a Dutch doctor who was once referred to by patients as “charming” and “empathetic.”
This guy was Jan Karbaat, a renowned fertility doctor who ran a brisk business due to his successful and conceivable track record. In the podcast, listeners learn Jan wanted to breathe life into the world without taking ethical concerns into consideration. As years rolled by, his patients learned that they did not receive the kind of fertility treatment they signed up for.
Women wanting children would visit Jan’s clinic for fertility treatments and achieve their goal of leaving pregnant. When his facility in Rotterdam shuttered, people began hearing rumblings of medical malpractice and his methods were questioned. Unbeknownst to the patients, Jan artificially inseminated them with his semen. The women believed they received IVF and treatments via anonymous donor’s sperm or their partners’. Years later, the truth is still emerging. His former patients are distraught and left to wonder why.
Somethin’ Else’s “The Immaculate Deception,” searches for answers as to what happened in Jan’s clinic. Journalist Jenny Kleeman hosts the season to investigate Jan and the women’s stories. As their kids grew older, they began asking questions and made the grisly discovery that they shared a father. Jenny speaks with many of Jan’s “Karbastards,” the name his children titled their group. We hear from several “Karbaat Kids” throughout the series.
In the first episode, Jenny and her producer Paul trekked to the Netherlands to meet with Joey Hoofdman and Marsha Elver, mother and son. For his entire life, Joey suspected his dad was not biologically related to him, yet the family confirmed that her husband was Joey’s biological father. This would have been the case with the IVF treatments that should have been issued at Jan’s facility. Joey takes a DNA test, learns the truth of his biological father, and tracks down Jan.
In episode four, Jenny investigates American fertility doctors with practices similar to Jan’s. By the sixth episode, we learn how so many lives were affected and what justice can be served.
“The Immaculate Deception” was one of Trey Wingo‘s podcast picks when he spoke with hosts Alesha and Dax in a recent Podsauce exclusive. Alesha knows the series and remembers the Law & Order episode based on Jan.
All episodes are under 40 minutes in length. The full season is now available to stream.
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