Kriti Mehrotra
‘Baby God,’ an HBO original documentary, directed and produced by Hannah Olson, is an unforgettable probe into the life and work of notorious fertility specialist Dr. Quincy Fortier. Over the course of about four decades, he deceived and exploited countless women by injecting his own sperm into them, without their knowledge or consent, in an attempt to impregnate them. And this documentary highlights all the consequences of his actions by following several of his biological children as they struggle to understand his practices and methods, all the while dealing with their own identity crises. And among these children of Dr. Quincy is Wendi Babst.
Who Is Wendi Babst?
Wendi Babst is just one of the biological daughters of Dr. Quincy Fortier, the late infamous fertility specialist and accused child molester. Yet, the truth is, she never knew or even suspected that he was her father when he was alive. After all, she grew up in a happy home with a caring military man dad and a loving mom. And yes, her parents always found it strange that Wendi bore no resemblance to her father’s side of the family. But they could have never imagined that when her mother, Cathy Holm, now 77, when to see Dr. Quincy when she was 22, to be inseminated with the sperm of her husband, he would have used his own instead.
Wendi Babst, an Oregon native, began her career with the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office as an office specialist in 1984. And four years later, she was promoted to Deputy Sheriff, where she served in the patrol unit, on-field training unit, and the public information department. That same year, Wendi got promoted once again, to the rank of detective, which is a position that she held until 2005. Quickly after that, Wendi rose through the ranks to become a Sergeant, a Lieutenant, and then finally, a Captain, assigned to the Support Services Division. And after 32 years of service, Wendi retired healthy and happy.
It was following her retirement that Wendi, in her free time, got increasingly invested in the concept of genealogy kits, whose popularity was unequaled at the time. And so, in 2018, on a whim, she took an on-sale DNA test and unknowingly turned her whole world upside down. Wendi found out that her father was none other than the late Dr. Quincy Fortier, and so, to find some answers, she began digging into him. This investigation, along with her search for her other half-siblings, the number of which is higher than she’d ever expected, all born between the 1940s and 1980s, is chronicled in the documentary film.
Where Is Wendi Babst Today?
Wendi Babst, 54, currently resides in Clackamas County, Portland, Oregon, and works as an Adjunct Criminal Justice Instructor at Clackamas Community College. Her experience within law enforcement, along with her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Portland State University, undoubtedly helps her in her current career path. And as per the last reports, Wendi is actively involved in her community – acting as the program manager for Crisis Intervention Training, the instructor for the semi-annual trainings at the Sheriff’s Office, and leading other regional safety programs as well.
As for her personal life, Wendi is still dealing with the fact that her lineage isn’t what she always thought it to be. She’s even contemplating going under the knife to change her nose because it reminds her too much of her biological father and all his actions. In saying that, though, Wendi also struggles with deciding whether or not she thinks he was a good man. “Do you want to say that your father was a monster? And what does that say about you?,” she asked in the documentary. “I can’t really hate him because I wouldn’t exist without him. But I’ve studied nature versus nurture so it’s scary.”
