Ga. father fights for right to daughter | ajc.com
November 23, 2005
|
Posted by ANCPR
Ga. father fights for right to daughter | ajc.com
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/23/05
George McCormick brought a car seat to court Tuesday, hoping he’d need it to drive home the baby he’s been searching for since last winter.
But it was her prospective adoptive parents sitting across from him in court who learned that they will get to spend at least one Christmas with the 10-month-old they hope to raise.
McCormick has pursued his daughter through a broken engagement to her biological mother, a would-be adoptive couple in California, then foster care in Georgia and, maybe finally, to would-be adoptive parents in Forsyth County.
All this, he says, because no one asked his permission before a Utah adoption agency took the child the day after her birth.
Under Georgia law, a father maintains his right to a child until he terminates that right. Utah law is looser than other states about fathers’ rights, said Les England, a Utah lawyer who handles adoptions. Utah requires a father to actively claim a child, England said.
McCormick, 29, of Decatur, said he had registered on a confidential Georgia database that lists contact information for men who believe they might have fathered children. Adoption agencies are supposed to check that database before placing children in new families.
McCormick said he wouldn’t have given that permission and that he made clear before her birth that he wanted to raise the little girl he has seen only in photographs.
On Tuesday, Judge Jeffrey Bagley ruled that McCormick will need to prove he is the baby’s legitimate father. Bagley set a Jan. 9 adoption hearing.
McCormick’s case indicates that the national phenomenon of Utah adoption agencies being accused of skirting biological parents’ rights has spread to Georgia.
Another Utah agency made headlines this spring when it was forced to return “Baby Tamia” to her biological mother and grandmother in Chicago after a judge ruled that the agency had not followed paperwork rules. Tamia’s mother said the adoption agency coerced her into giving up the child while she suffered from post-partum depression.
Some Utah doctors also have complained publicly about adoption agencies that bring expectant mothers from other states to Utah hospitals to deliver babies, sometimes at public expense.
In McCormick’s case, the biological mother, who lives in Cobb County, believes the baby would be better off in an adoptive home, said her lawyer, Josie Redwine.
McCormick said the biological mother did not tell him when the baby was born. When he located the baby in California, a month after she was born, the couple who had her returned her to Georgia. She was placed briefly in foster care, McCormick says, and then with a second family, in Forsyth County, that now wants to adopt her.
McCormick calls the baby Catherine Rose, the name given to her by the California couple.
“I want a chance to raise her,” he said.
“I want to be the dad who puts a Band-Aid on her knee, be there when she graduates, walk her down the aisle when she’s married.”
Comments
Powered by Facebook Comments
Categories: News
|
Leave a reply
Where is the equal protection here? If the mother chose to keep the child and retain full custody she could force the biological father to pay for 18 to 26 years of child support.
If the father is able to acquire custody of his child he will not be able to force the mother to pay any child support because her intention is to see the child adopted by a third party.
I don’t think the mother should have to pay child support for a child she wants to give up for adoption. However, I do believe the biological father should have first “dibs†on raising his own child, anything else is kidnapping.
Likewise, a father should not have to pay child support for a child he wants given up for adoption. The mother should be able to keep the baby if she wants, but she should not be able to extort 18 to 26 years of child support from the father, doing so is a violation of the 14th amendment and a criminal act.
There are 4 million children born annually in the U.S. and of that number 1.3 million (1/3) are born to single females; the vast majority of whom seek child support from a prospective father. (Falsely accusing the victim in 30% of cases where a DNA test is performed) These females are obviously opportunists who seek to exploit their offspring with the full cooperation and assistance of every court and law enforcement agency in the country, all in pursuit of the almighty dollar. When is enough going to be enough?
Happy Thanksgiving to all you “deadbeats†and “bad-dads†out there. We shall overcome. Failure is not an option.
Take care and God bless
What an amazing story. It just clarifies that men are just plain donors, and when we ejaculate it’s a “gift” to some. I wish Iived near where this court is I would protest in the front of the courthouse. It don’t end with the women, it goes to the people making profit for being the seller in an adoption case. It makes my stomach churn. Men can be just as much of a nurturer as women can. In the aborigine tribes the mans responsibility is to take care of the baby after birth, as a matter of fact, they’ve even managed to breast feed them as well. I know it sounds gross, but it’s a great example that men can do it to, especially a tribe that’s been around for centuries. The tribes are very well connected in socal and in family enviroments.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone as well and God bless!
TheDeenster@netzero.net
well you know what I have to say about all this……screw them all!
Action speaks, people!
Nothing else works!!!!
Just last night I was reminded of just how bad it had gotten and just how sick I had become……
http://pissedoffwhitemen.5u.com
http://www.petitiononline.com/usncpr/petition.html
Here’s a petition to sign!!! Check it out.
Just as a side note for all of you in favor of this man. There is much more to this story than you could ever imagine.
For starters the biological mother was only 15 years old when George began dating her and having intercourse with her…..he was 26. He has harrassed and stalked many people involved in this case and continues to do so on a daily basis.
He has hacked into the computer of both the biological mother and the perspective adovtive parents, upon gaining access he sent threatening emails to himself and had the bio-mom arrested (which was later dropped upon evidence that george was responsible).
He has all but lost all of his claims and is now in the process of filing with the appeals that he can and will more than likely lose there too.
The adopted family in this case has fought long and hard for this baby and will continue to fight until the best interests of the child are served, which is to be raised with this loving, nurturing family that can love her more that this biological father could ever think about.
There is clearly lots to find out about this. I think you made some good factors in Options also. This article offers the sunshine by which we will observe the reality. that is very good one and provides in depth information. thanks for this good article.