Dead Baby Scam
Several mothers of newborns report that they were falsely informed of the death of their baby. With the mother out of the picture, the baby was then free for adoption. The mother's signature may have been attached to an essential document by misinforming her of its nature, or by taking advantage of a woman's reduced capacity in the days following childbirth.
The following text comes from a United Nations report (in pdf), Violence Against Women.
Canada
20. By a letter dated 13 August 2002, sent jointly with the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, the Special Rapporteur advised the Government that she had received information concerning fraudulent adoption practices and violence against unmarried women. The allegations involved staff at the Mount Sinai Hospital, the Victor Home for Unwed Mothers, Women's College Hospital (now Sunnybrook and Women's) and the Catholic Childrens' Aid Society (CCAS). In particular, the Special Rapporteur received information on the following cases.
21. Tina Kelly (current surname), a French Canadian, reportedly gave birth to a son on 28 March 1970 at Mount Sinai Hospital. Although she was unmarried, she intended to keep the baby. The following day, her family doctor, Dr. Glick, reportedly told her that her baby had died during the night due to heart trouble. She was allegedly not allowed to see her baby's body, but Dr. Glick reportedly agreed to make arrangements with the CCAS for its baptism and burial. During her stay in the hospital, Ms. Kelly was reportedly heavily drugged and on 31 March 1970, a social worker from the CCAS allegedly asked Ms. Kelly to sign a document. Ms. Kelly, who reportedly had limited knowledge of English, believed she was signing a document to baptize her dead baby. In 1995, upon receipt of a copy of her recently deceased father's death certificate Ms. Kelly realized that she had never received a copy of her child's death certificate. When she requested a copy from Mount Sinai Hospital, she was reportedly told that the records stated that her son was born healthy and had gone home with her. After questioning staff at the CCAS, Ms. Kelly allegedly discovered that the CCAS had put him up for adoption and that Dr Glick had accepted a bribe to take him. It is alleged that the Toronto Police have refused to take action in regard to this case.
22. In May 1978, doctors at the Women's College Hospital Prenatal Clinic allegedly told Erica, then seven months pregnant, that her baby was dead and that she was in labour. She was allegedly sent home to deliver the dead child after the doctors noticed that she was from the Victor Home for Unwed Mothers. Two other women living in the home, Cathy Henderson and Peggy, reportedly delivered the dead baby. Their complaints to the Women's College Hospital were reportedly ignored and they were allegedly insulted.
23. Cathy Henderson (previously known as Cathy Saltmarsh), allegedly suffered both physical and psychological abuse by staff in the Women's College Hospital during the birth of her child in June 1978. While in labour, she was reportedly thrown against the wall of the preparation room by a nurse. She was allegedly called a whore by one of the nurses and told that the CCAS had paid to have her baby taken from her. The nurse then reportedly repeatedly cut her genitals, it is reported that doctors now estimate that she had been cut over 30 times during this incident. Her delivery doctor tried to suture the slashes, but allegedly did not record the incident in Ms. Henderson's medical file and has tried to cover it up. After giving birth, Ms. Henderson was reportedly given an injection to dry up her milk without her consent. Ms. Henderson's son was allegedly given up for adoption without her consent. During her stay at the hospital, she was reportedly given drugs without being told what they were for, and before leaving the hospital she signed what she believed to be a temporary non-ward foster care agreement. According to reports she did not have access to a lawyer and was told by her CCAS social worker that she must sign the document if she wanted to keep her son. She allegedly later discovered that the agreement to short-term non-ward care had been terminated without her consent or knowledge.
24. Also in June 1978, Lilli Corhonen, then aged 15, reportedly suffered similar psychological and physical abuse while in the Women's College Hospital giving birth to her child. After the birth, the delivering doctor reportedly decided to "punish" her by shoving her hand into Ms. Corhonen's womb and punching it a number of times. This incident was reportedly not recorded, and the hospital allegedly denies that it happened. It is reported that when she tried to complain she was insulted and told that no one would believe her.
25. According to information received, Ms. Corhonen and Ms. Henderson wrote to Women's College Hospital in 2000 and again in April 2001 to reiterate their complaints about the abuse. The hospital reportedly claimed that there was no evidence of any abuse and that it was too late to carry out an investigation.
According to Cathy Henderson, there are many more victims of the dead baby scam. In Ontario, the ADR (Adoption Disclosure Register) will not help a family that has published a complaint about them, limiting the number of mothers willing to go public. An earlier incorrect version of this paragraph said that the UN bullied the mothers in this way. Her exact statement was:
If the ADR finds out you complain about them, they will NOT look for your family as a form of punishment. That is why there are only 3 names published - they are friends of mine which I managed to persuade to do so.
Dr Daniel Glick was disciplined by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario for fees charged for hypnotherapy. There is no record of action on the dead baby incidents.
A UN Report from the Committee on the Rights of the Child (in pdf) dated October 27, 2003 supports a statist agenda for the protection of children. Nowhere does it suggest helping children by strengthening the rights of their parents. Ontario is one of the offending provinces in the following paragraphs suggesting open records, a measure favored by reformers of all points of view:
Adoption
30. The Committee is encouraged by the priority accorded by the State party to promoting the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption of 1993 in Canada and abroad. However, the Committee notes that while adoption falls within the jurisdiction of the provinces and territories, the ratification of the Hague Convention has not been followed up by legal and other appropriate measures in all provinces. The Committee is also concerned that certain provinces do not recognize the right of an adopted child to know, as far as possible, her/his biological parents (art. 7).
31. The Committee recommends that the State party consider amending its legislation to ensure that information about the date and place of birth of adopted children and their biological parents are preserved and made available to these children. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the Federal Government ensure the full implementation of The Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption of 1993 throughout its territory.
A video report by AFP discusses the dead baby scam in Spain (flv).
