Allison Lee Quets, 49, is suspected of abducting her twins, 1-year-old Holly Ann Needham and Tyler Lee Needham from their adoptive parents on Christmas Eve. They were found and are in the care of Canadian Social Services.
In a previous post, “Delayed reaction and missing twins“ I remarked, “What is puzzling is that it appears she had sufficient financial resources to hire someone to assist her with their care”.
One of her supporters offered this comment posing the question, who kidnapped whom first?
“The following account is true and accurate to the extent that these are the facts of the case as I was led to understand them through conversations with Allison at the time of the events. Allison attended the church my husband ran in Florida.
Allison Quets was unable to process any information at the time of the adoption which could be characterized as an “arm wrestling event.” She gained only 10 pounds during her pregnancy and due to a debilitating condition and illness known as hyper-emesis her state of exhaustion and malnutrition was critical. I know she could not process anything because as her pastor’s wife I offered to take care of the babies until she could get her strength back. My family had moved out of state but I offered to keep them as long as she needed so she could make such a life changing decision as adoption from a healthier perspective. She heard the words but she was too weak to process them and turn it into action.
Her boyfriend (not the father as they were in vitro) pressured her into giving them to his relatives with the promise that she would always be a part of their lives. His motive was to get the children out of the middle of his own relationship with Allison. Once the Needhams heard of the twins imminent birth they hounded Allison until they were born and showed up immediately at the hospital. After 6 weeks of trying to care for twins on her own in a completely malnutritioned and exhausted state Allison agreed to travel to Jacksonville and meet the Needhams at the office of their attorney Micheal Shorstein.
Her boyfriend drove her to Jacksonville and their hotel caught on fire so the night before the meeting she stood outside holding the twins all night. She was then held in Micheal Shorstein’s office for 8 hours trying to force her to sign the adoption papers. She called me (pastor’s wife) terrified as they had taken her babies and were trying to get the signed papers out of her hands and she did not want to hand them over. I told her to call 911, ask for her babies and leave without further conversation. She did call 911 and there is a tape of the call. Shorstein and company did give her back the papers and the babies at that point and they all told her the deal was off. Her boyfriend drove her home, dumped her and the twins at her townhouse and told her he would not ever help her again. That was a Saturday.
By Tuesday, with no outside help, Allison was nearly finished off with exhaustion and called her boyfriend to take her back to Jacksonville to hand over the babies. The Needhams had returned to North Carolina by this time so Mrs. Needhams sister who resides in Jacksonville took possession of the twins. Allison was given blank papers to sign with no date. The notary republic testified in the court case later that they back dated the papers after Allison left. I believe Mr. Shorstein, and a social worker were also present for this crime.
Allison’s boyfriend then drove Allison toward Savannah, Georgia to keep her from changing her mind. Allison called me from the car TWO hours after she signed the undated documents and said her boyfriend would not take her back to get her babies, she was positive she had made a mistake and the babies were not with the adoptive parents yet and she wanted to keep them. Her boyfriend asked her who she was talking to on the phone and verbally abused her and cursed her for talking to me. He refused to take her home.
As soon as she did arrive home she asked me to help her find a lawyer in Jacksonville which I did and he filed papers within 72 hours of the adoption (in other words by Friday) to stop the proceedings. The whole matter was buried and the proceedings went along at a snails pace. Finally Allison was granted some supervised visits and eventually unsupervised.
The Needhams complained about having to bring the babies to Florida and Allison volunteered to fly up and get them each time at her own expense. She had begun to recover her strength and return to work and hired help when the babies were with her to make sure they were well cared for. She usually took a neighbor to hold one of the twins on the plane. She had ended her relationship with her boyfriend as well. He tried to persuade his relatives to return the children but was rebuffed by all.
I am told that the Needhams lawyers asked them to return the children that they had others for them to adopt, but the Needhams refused. Allison also offered the Needhams the remainder of her embryos from the in vitro fertilization to produce their own children.
At the same time Allison cared for her former boyfriend’s grandaughter whose mother was in and out of rehabilitation facilities. Allison clothed her, fed her, sheltered her, and treated her as her own out of her own pocket with no help from the former boyfriend. Allison often worked over 60 hours a week, sometimes from home and sometimes travelling out of town for Lockheed Martin. She did much of the research for her own case as well. She was fearful of the rumors of the power of Michael Shorstein and his cronies in Jacksonville. Her lawyer assured her that her case was good.
My daughter and I happened to be staying with her for 10 days last June just before the verdict was handed down. The judge for the case awarded the children to the Needhams. It turns out that Michael Shorstein used to work for the judge. Allison has 5 civil suits against Michael Shorstein’s office, the Needhams, the social worker, Mrs. Needham’s mother, and the adoption agency the social worker represented I believe. If the judge had awarded the children to Allison, perhaps Michael Shorstein’s civil case would have been jeapordized. Michael Shorstein’s uncle, Harry Shorstein is the District Attorney of Jacksonville.
In Allison’s research she found another girl whose adoption Michael Shorstein had been involved in. The girl claimed to have had her baby taken from her under pressure as well. Apparently at some point in the last decade the legislature passed the Florida adoption law that says if the baby is under 6 months old there is no revocation period for the consent UNLESS YOU CAN PROVE IT WAS UNDER DURESS. With the law, Florida became one of the easiest states to adopt without complications of revoked consent. Most of the adoptions are from young mothers with few resources and little worldly experience to fight no doubt.
Enter Allison Quets who is 48, has a high powered job and money. The system is corrupt and hopefully Allison’s case will now be brought out for public and legal scrutiny and the law can be changed so more women do not fall victim to this ring of injustice. Mountains of testimony was put forth from doctors, experts and tapes to prove the story I have just told.
So I ask you, who kidnapped whom first? Was it the Needhams pressuring a malnutrioned and exhausted woman, was it Michael Shorstein who held her for 8 hours in his office after a night of no sleep and then 3 days later gave her papers with no date to sign, was it her boyfriend who would not take her back to Jacksonville within TWO hours to retrieve her children from the perspective aunt, or was it Allison who took her biological children to Canada this Christmas?
Nobody supports adoption more than my husband and I, yet there needs to be a little latitude in such weighty matters. The Florida law is not right. And where are the Women’s Rights Groups. This woman was not given her right to choose”.
Note: Several forums, some which re-posted this comment without citing it was from here, have stated this site was a “liberal” anti adoption site. Should you read the content of this site it is about missing children issues. The comment was posted as it is germane to the overall issue of family abductions.
Some have also questioned why the comment was posted anonymously. That is a decision I chose to make. The author of the comment has disclosed their identity to me.
Allison Quets was released to the custody of two Canadian couples Thursday after almost $15,000 in bonds and cash were posted by Quets and the couples.
Quets will be staying with Mark Thompson, a retired police officer, and his wife Mary until Monday when she must report to Ottawa police and then return to the United States.
Update:To those following the case of Allison Quets, Nancy Grace will be airing a new segment tonight, January 8th, on her case.
Allison Quets arrived at around 2:30 p.m. Friday to Raleigh-Durham International Airport, along with law enforcement officials. She was taken to the federal courthouse in Raleigh to face charges of international parental kidnapping.
U.S. District Judge William Webb set a Jan. 26 probable cause hearing and told Quets she faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison, one year on probation and a $250,000 fine.
Allison Quets Update 02-08-07:
U.S. District Court Judge Louise Flanagan ruled she will remain in custody in North Carolina, charged with international parental kidnapping.
So apparently, international parental kidnapping is a more serious crime then 1st degree attempted murder?
Update: 2-21-06 Allison Quets Indictment
Update 04-07-07: Allison Quets story on Dr. Phil
Note: The Dr. Phil show, following in the footsteps of Nancy Grace, has bumped Allison Quets story until April 12th in favor of more coverage of the never ending saga of Anna Nicole Smith.
Anna Nicole Smith’s estranged sister, Donna Hogan, has written an unauthorized book. She hasn’t spoken to her sister in years, so is she really trying to set the record straight or is she just tarnishing Anna’s memory?
Melinda,
Thank you for your comment. If the e-mail correspondences were confidential exchanges between you and others, I would suggest they remain as such.
Did the birth take place in Kansas? Is there a link to a site elaborating on your plight?
Contact me and I would gladly post a link.
MCA
My daughter had a similar situation of coercion. her lawyer told us the prebirth consent was binding, when it was not, in order to take her choice away after birth.
We fought all the way to the US supreme court but was denied review. We then took the case to the United Nations Human Rights commission that did start an action against the USA government after recieving hundreds of other case complaints with similar circumstances and evidence to support the claims of fraud and coercion. It was suppose to be addressed in the 2003 6-week session of the Human rights commission, but the dropping of bombs in Iraq turned the entire focus of that session to matters of Iraq, and nothing came of a year and a half long process of gathering evidence against the USA government for knowingly permitting child trafficking.
I do have many e-mail correspondences from the UN during the evidence gathering period of this action in 2002. At this point, I would be happy to share these correspondances even though I was previously instructed to NOT share them. THey have taken no effort for the past 4 years to persue this after the initial effort was thwarted by President Bush, so I feel no obligation to keep these private any longer. The country needs to know how long and how horrible these abuses are, because only when the nation learns the truth, will we ever be able to stop the kidnapping for adoption of our children and grandchildren
Melinda Walmsley
Minneapolis Kansas
http://www.exiledmothers.com
Under the open adoption section
Though the correspondences were suppose to be confidencial, when the UN failed to follow through, broke their promices to help, I kind of feel like I no longer owe it to them to keep their messages to me confidencial. They have had four years to reopen this, readdress this, and follow through with the pressures on the Bush administration that were promiced. If sharing these e-mails publicly will help save one Allison Quet, save one mom from having her child stolen, then no promice of confidenciality is worth the loss of that one child.
Melinda
I am another mother who lost my daughter to adoption… just just Florida, but to the very lawyers who took Allison’s twins from her… the Shorsteins. When I attempted to put information on my blog about all the connections I found… they wrote some pretty intimidating things on my blog.
Since the birth mother is 48 or 49, she probably used donor eggs. We know she used donor sperm. Isn’t there an egg donor somewhere who should really be parenting these kids? How does Ms. Quets have any great right than the egg donor? In fact, the egg donor has a greater link to the children. If Ms. Quets was so sensitive to her boyfriend’s opinion, what are the odds of this turning out like the Susan Smith case in South Carolina? I haven’t seen any indication that she is emotionally stable. If she had not given them up, who would have taken care of them? And where were they when she delivered after a troubled pregnancy? Gail Quets shows up to get publicity, but it’s a little disingenuous. Why didn’t SHE help her sister?
By Tuesday, with no outside help, Allison was nearly finished off with exhaustion and called her boyfriend to take her back to Jacksonville to hand over the babies.
Where was Gail Quets when Allison had no outside help?
Allison’s family lived out of state. Her sister Gail is a single mother who works to support her own child. Their parents are elderly and infirmed and infact relied primarily on Allison at the time for moral support as well.
Also, you would need to look at information on line about the terrible debilitation caused by hyper-emesis (critical nausea to the point of malnutrition and hospitalization, not typical pregnancy stuff) to understand the state of mind and health Allison found herself in during pregnancy, delivery and early weeks post partum. Testimony from psychiatrists shows that she was incapable of understanding the issues and deciding and that her obstetrician was remiss for dismissing her from care in that state. Allison is a very bright capable woman who simply was too physically ill to think straight and often people isolate themselves in such circumstances.
People from the church and friends did offer help. Also she had hired a girl to live in and help but with two babies and an older ill birthmother the situation was extremely overwhelming. Allison had always wanted to give birth to children but felt in her mid-forties that her biological clock was running out. I believe she took several years of research and readiness to become pregnant.
Allison did not enter into this lightly. As noted in the above story she took in a 4 year old girl and her mother as a first step and has been caring for the girl until very recently while the child’s mother was involved in rehabilitation. To Allison’s credit she was always there for her parents and those in need, but found herself desperately ill just as her own little family’s dreams were born. Usually her type of pregnancy is referred to a high risk obstetrician and there is a lot of scrutiny on every aspect of the patients health and welfare. But in this case, the ball was dropped.
I wonder why some investigative shows like, 60 Minutes, 20/20, Dateline, etc. have not picked up on these types of adoptions? Could it be because it is not “politically correct”, i.e, too many well established, upper middle class, politically connected people have adopted children in the same manner? I think the country needs to be aware that not all “adopted” children are from an “orphanage”, especially not blond hair blue eyed white children.
There is a big business in the United States of baby brokers soliciting young girls in trouble, and collecting huge funds from well-heeled upper middle class people wanting to adopt white children. I hope that this story sparks some news entity into researching and exploiting what is going on in the country. It is a sin.
This whole case from the start sounded a little wierd…I have no doubt that there is A LOT that the authorities have not led on…It also sounds like this Jen person that is posting here might be one of those intimidating persons that was on a previous poster’s blog…
We have been hearing a lot about this case here in North Carolina…and the media has not done a good enough job to dig into this subject…
The minister who published this account has broken confidentiality. The denomination could and should snatch the credentials for that.
Gail, found it exteremly hard to help with the care of her sister, having a job in another state as well as taking care of a child her self. She knew that Allison had the church and what we thought was a boyfriend who truly cared about her – which turns out not to be true – beside that Allision withdrew the aboption process within 12 hours – doesn’t that count for anything?
“hey Jen” many, many mothers/fathers use egg and sprem donations to achieve their dream of becoming paretns – are you suggesting that every mother/father who has used this method turn over their children to the college guy who sold his sprem or the college girl who needed moeny to pay student loans off????? Or what about the mothers who donated their eggs to give other mothers a chance to have their own family – what a lame statement.
And furthermore; by your comments the babies should be taken away from the needhams as well, I’m not sure what they contirubted to the birth of these babies, except for showing up at the hospital and taking them aways – with lawyers and papers in the hands saying sign these – just took them and ran – yoy must not be a mother, or a women….and if you are a women – shame on you!!!!
Your comments that you “haven’t seen any indication that she is emotionally stable.” I sorry following the legal process for almost 17 months and spending over 400,000 seems a little emotionally stable to me, she folllowed all the right channels
I’m sorry have you meet her? Have you spoken directly to her? I don’t think so and as far as Gail wanted to make press, you must not know her as well – she is speaking on behalf of her sister who can not due to being locked up in jail – do you know the needhams personally?
Get your facts straight and then post on here with some sort of knoweldge of this story……she wanted her babies back after 12 hours of signing the papers – that should count for something…….she carried them which make those babies hers, not the needhams……….
GIVE ALLISION HER BABIES BACK – NOW -
SHAME SHAME SHAME ON THE NEDHAMS FOR THEIR SELFISH DIREGARD FOR THESE BEAUTFUL CHILDREN WHO DESERVE THE UNCONDITIOAL RESPECT OF BEING RETURNED IMMEDIATELY TO THEIR MOTHER ALLISON QUETS.
Here is the statement given by Denise and Kevin Needham today:
Kevin and Denise Needham Statement
Kevin and Denise Needham of Apex released the following statement Jan. 2 regarding the adoption case of 17-month-old twins allegedly kidnapped by their birth mother in late December.
We would like to start by expressing our gratitude and appreciation to every individual at the Durham Police Department, Apex Police Department, FBI, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ottawa Police Department, Canadian Child Services, the FBI Victim Witness Program, and other Canadian and U.S. authorities who helped to safely resolve the situation. We returned home from Canada with Holly and Tyler on Sunday and have been able to celebrate a wonderful Christmas and New Year.
We recognize that many people in the public are curious about the details of this case. However, adoption cases are sealed to protect the privacy of adopted children. All of the facts of this situation were well-documented during the trial that took place in Florida. That court process upheld that Holly and Tyler should remain in our custody. Holly and Tyler are fortunate to be loved by many. We have done our best to foster a positive relationship among all of those who love Holly and Tyler. Holly and Tyler will have the benefit of all of their information as they are old enough to understand it. Both Holly and Tyler ultimately have the right to decide if they want to share any of that information and with whom they would like to share it. Please continue to respect the privacy of our family.
We are deeply grateful for the prayers and well wishes of all. We have been astounded by the outpouring of support from not only our friends and family, but also those of you we have not yet had the opportunity to know. Thank you.
I’m not trying to shed light in either direction because this is an extremely delicate subject, and it’s impossible to walk in someone else’s shoes, but has absolutely everyone missed the information that Ms. Quets went to at least two other adoption agencies before as well as after the births to try and find one that would pay for all of her medical bills? Everyone here has made such a good point, and I don’t stand in the shoes of being an adoptive parent or an adoptee, so I can only sympathize with either side regarding adoption and the shaky legislature we have regarding adoption (as well as the corruption). My beef is with our country’s media. They have other tidbits they don’t wish to share because it might not spark the same kind of controversy or evoke the desired emotional element. Guess what…the media in other parts of the world have shared this particular piece of information with their public…why haven’t we heard it?
I’m not claiming to be an expert, and if this information has been released in our media, I haven’t heard it. I happen to have known that particular piece of information for a little less than a year now…way before anyone not associated with these folks knew who they were. That being said…
I’m not a fence-rider, just absolutely torn for both sides. Does going to other agencies to cover medical costs in and by itself mean that Ms. Quets doesn’t deserve to be with her kids? At first thought I would have to say “no, she is still their mother,” but at the same time, what else are we not being told? Were the Needhams told unscrupulous lies about Ms. Quets by the attornies that made them believe she was not fit so that they should fight for custody (hence making those attornies their little pile of money)? I have two children of my own and can’t even begin to imagine what both sides are going through, quite particularly from a mother’s perspective. Let’s not be fooled, pain does exist amongst all of the involved. There is more to this particular story than the American public is being told, which is quite often the case. I just pray that whatever decision is made by whoever is cursed with making it, winds up being best for those precious little children no matter what.
The Needhams need to give those babies back and give them back now! What they are doing is wrong. How can they look at those beautiful children now and how will they look them in eyes later and explain why they kept them when their mother made it perfectly clear that she wanted them? How selfish of the Needhams to do that to those children. Shame on them! What goes around comes around and people always pay for what they do wrong sooner or later. Fate is not always kind.
I decided after I just made that post to add this, because I believe this is what I’m really trying to say…no matter what we see and hear, is it really fair to place “good guy” and “bad guy” labels on ANYONE unless we’re absolutely sure we have ALL of the facts? No one except those explicitly involved will probably ever know the absolute truth…the public will remain ignorant in its freedom to debate a subject of which it knows only what it is told. I fear this could be much more complex than any of us would like to believe. I admire Allison’s friend for stepping up to give some perspective in Allison’s defense, but there are still some statements there that put the “boyfriend” in an ugly light–I’m not saying those statements are correct or incorrect, but it only proves my point that we’re all human and will say things whether they’re relevant to our point or not, to enhance getting the point across. There are indeed two sides to every story, whether we like to believe it or not.
And again, whatever the right thing is, I hope it is done for the sake of these babies…
Media reports have her spending $400k on fighting this, according to Gail Quets which Allison’s life savings. She had 400k but couldn’t call a nurse to help her? She couldn’t call Gail and fly her there to help? None of this makes sense no matter what people are posting.
Why didn’t Quets ANY care to find a good agency to use? Why didn’t any of these people who are her family or self-identified friends help her find a good agency?
The majority of adoptions in this country are very ethically done. This is a horribly sad case where things went very off course but only because the biological parent started down a road with little support, little research and little knowledge.
I’m sorry she got very sick during pregnancy but if her support network was SO BAD she had to place the kids for adoption due to that illness, what does that say about her capacity to PARENT THEM? Don’t get pregnant if you have no support network – certainly not if you are doing it on purpose with IVF and are old enough to know pregnancy is higher risk in your late 40s. What would happen if she kept the kids and say got in a car wreck – would she have to give them up for adoption then too? I’m sorry she was exhausted after six weeks of parenting them but she was old enough to know that parenting is HARD and bad things happen. She had no support network, no plan to parent these children.
I know many of you want to paint her as some tragic victim but these kids are better off where they are now. Quets has shown she has very little ability to think about the consquences of her action, whether it be getting pregnant, parenting these kids or stealing them.
[...] signed the papers, why was the adoption allowed to proceed? To even further confuse the subject, check out the discussion on MCA’s site, where at least one poster claims that Quets tried to get more than one adoption agency to foot the [...]
“And furthermore; by your comments the babies should be taken away from the needhams as well, I’m not sure what they contirubted to the birth of these babies, except for showing up at the hospital and taking them aways – with lawyers and papers in the hands saying sign these – just took them and ran – yoy must not be a mother, or a women….and if you are a women – shame on you!!!!”
Cheryl, you make yourself sound like you actually know Ms. Quets… If that is so, why would you believe that the Needhams took the babies from the hospital when in truth Ms. Quets parented them for over a month before placing them in an adoption plan.
I’m with Truthteller on this subject…I’m sorry Ms. Quets didn’t have a good support system (though many here have said that they even offered but were never taken up on it…some friends…”she was so weak and malnurished, but she didn’t want our help”…) and that she made a decision to place her children for adoption in such a state that she immediately regretted it (though according to someone here, she spent years researching IVF before making that decision).
I am thankful that these precious children are back in their parents loving arms.
Jay, I read your article, and it compels me to say this…that Ms. Quets contacted other agencies regarding the adoption both before and after the births is not a claim, nor is it far-fetched when one knows the other points of the situation. I respect the Needham’s wishes to keep details of the situation quiet, for the sake of the children…if you knew what those were, you would probably do the same. I have only posted what I have posted so far because when you know the whole story, all of the finger pointing and the shame-shaming aimed at the Needhams became too much. Ms. Quets would not be receiving the sympathy she has gotten so far if the entire truth were known. The decision the courts made to place the children with the Needhams was based on a great deal more than the attorney being formerly employed with the judge.
Truthteller is close to being on the right track…
I’m an adoptee, and I would be DEVASTATED to know that my natural mother had wanted me back, and my adoptive parents hadn’t done it!!
My mother, who is obviously an adoptive parent, is in total agreement that this adoption should NEVER have taken place, and that the twins should be back with their natural mother.
It would be heartbreaking, for sure, but whenever possible, children SHOULD be with their natural parents. I have read nothing that leads me to think that she might be an unfit parent, only the victim of tragic circumstances and greedy people, who would stop at nothing to get a baby.
Unfortunately, I have heard of many similar cases. This is exactly why I think that prospective adopters should NEVER have contact with a mother who is considering adoption. The pressure often proves to be too much for the mother, and has led to lifetimes of unhappiness, and even suicide.
Allison must be an amazingly strong woman to have fought so long, especially after all she’s been through. I hope she never stops fighting. If her kids aren’t brainwashed, they will love and admire her for trying so hard to be with them.
I agree with both Motheroftwo and Truthteller in that there are more facts to this case then are known; more questions than answers. Ms. Quest did not do herself or her children any favors by running to Canada with the twins. That desperate action by her may have put her Flordia appeal case in jeporady as well as any chance of seeing these kids again unsupervised, if at all. Not only that, public opinion will sway against her for violating the law by kidnapping the children. Two wrongs, if they are both wrongs, don’t make a right.
Much of the information given out in this blog is contradictory, as Truthteller points out. Someone with the resources Quest allegedly had could have hired a nanny or paid someone to watch the children full-time until she fully recovered physically and psychologically from the pregnancy/birth. Her constant indecision on whether to give the twins up and then take them back speaks to her state of mind. The fact that this has been in litigation for 17 months also indicates the complexity of the case. I am sure a lot of information has been given to the Court and the guardian ad litem for the children…much of which we will never see or know of.
As much as I sympathize with both the mother and the prospective adoptive parents, and as much as I support, as a rule, that all children should be raised by their parents as long as they can do so safely, this case needs to consider what is primarily what is best for the children…and as I started this post, I have more questions then answers. I agree with Motheroftwo…whoever decides this case needs our support and prayers.
Perhaps not all of the facts of this case are known but as Adoptee stated thise children should be with their rightful mother, who was WELL within her rights to demand the children back. As for fleeing to Canada- if it were your children and someone was trying to steal them from you…wouldn’t you run too?? I speak for all birthmothers when I say we get a bum rap. Why? Because that’s how the adoption agencies want to portray us. Stupid unloving, selfish women without the mental capacity or sanity level required to parent our own children. This is simply not true!! Nearly ever birthmother I know has gone on to raise other children and share a bond with a depth that can come only from losing a child. This woman wether she was ill or not, wether she had money or not, wether she went to numerous agencies or had x # of lousy boyfriends or no support system or whatever is still these children’s mother and she changed her mind within hours of relinquishment. In most states that I know of that is absolutely legal and right. After giving birth is NOT the time for any mother to make life-changing decisions whatEVER the case may be and the adoptive parents should be ashamed of themselves for taking children that were not freely given into their custody. This is an outrage and the birthmother is well within her rights to demand her childrens return. What’s worse is the Needhams KNOW this and risking future trauma to those innocent children refuse to hand them back to their rightful parent. That cases like this happen all over the country and no one says a word really burns me up. I hope this recieves the publicity it deserves until the public outcry is deafening that these children be returned to their mother! For all of you who would justify this child traficking by pointing fingers at what the birthmother may or may not have done when she was waffling over this horrible decision SHAME on you! Pray you never have to make a terrible decision like that knowing that every sordid detail of your life will be on display for random strangers to judge you. Judgement from strangers is one thing but who upholds the law? Who protects Allison’s right? This woman has more of a right to her children than anyone else whatever poor decisions she was or wasn’t forced into in the past.
The law will be upheld by the Judges in North Carolina (for kinapping) and in Florida (on the termination appeal). That is what they get paid to do. It is unlikely that this case will change the outcome of Quest. It may have an affect on future law changes – hopefully for the better for mothers/fathers who want to keep their children and for services to help them.
The Needhams are so low down dirty people. This woman changed her mind after the kids were just a few weeks old. Why do they refuse to give these kids back to their MOTHER. They are not these children’s parents. The duped Ms. Quet. They stole her children. I don’t care if the mother had problems, who doesn’t? That does not mean she can’t be a good mother nor care for her children. The adoptive, and I use that term lightly, will go to hell for what they are doing to this poor MOTHER. They are crooks and so are is their attorney and the judge who refused to give these children back to the mother who carried them. This is a sad, sad, case. I hope Ms. Quet gets her children back, even if she takes her case to the Supreme Court. I am so sadden to know she became so desparate and took the kids and ran to Canada. That will certainly hurt her case.
Just to pose a question to anyone who has blasted the Needhams–are you saying that there is absolutely NO REASON under the sun that a child should not be with a birth parent? No reason at all? That no matter what the circumstances are, adoption or no adoption involved, that ALL children should remain with those that gave birth to them?
Well First off I don;t think this is trying to be pulled off as a helpless pity story. I cant step into anyones shoes in this, but I think the babies should be returned to there mother. She was under so much at the time, some thinggs may seem like the only way out, but Allison was strong and saw threw what was right and wrong and new the babies belonged with her. If I were denied my children back, I don’t know how i could handle that.
My older sister adopted a 4 month, now 1 1/2 year old Baby girl Named Tori. I have always loved kids, but she is such a main focus in my life. At home, work, everywhere. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to that sweet baby girl.
Her mother died of an OD, her father was in prison at the time and had no trouble in handding over Tori to my sister becuase he wanted what was best for her. But If Tori’s mother were still alive and wanted the baby back, how can you refuse that? How can you not give a baby to it’s mother? I can;t understand how someone could think like that. What will happen to those wonderful babies years down the road, when they find out that there mother WANTED them, She wanted them back. What will they think of there adopted parents when they hear the story of how they came to be where they are, when they know they were refused back to there mother?!?!
for the most part a child will be best off with their mother, in this case that is %100 true. There is no better place in the world then with your mother.
I think the media should publish more things like this,
Give Allison her children back!
[...] that she had not completed all of the paperwork, allowing both of her twins to leave the state of Florida. Specifically, Allison had only signed the Interstate Compact agreement for Holly, however the [...]
[...] On a legal level, one of the concerns Allison Quets had, was the fact that she had not completed all of the paperwork, allowing both of her twins to leave the state of Florida. [...]
The thing that is fishy about this is the involvement of the boyfriend who was constantly feeding her bad advice. The fact that this man and the adoptive parents are unwilling to defend their position in a public setting, shows that they know for certain they were in the wrong.
Obscene abuses are occurring in child trafficking inthe U.S. I believe that 90% of all adoptions are coerced and inappropriately conducted. Worse, there are NO safegaurds in place to protect babies from the persons they are placed with. They disappear off the face of the earth the minute the money is paid. Some of them disappear into heinous government programs. Even for those who do go to “Loving” homes, I have a PROBLEM with them going to people who feel that humans can be bought and sold, or traded on rumors and innuendo. This vile inhumane practice MUST be addressed if we are to remain or to pretend to be a free nation. Being a parent is a fundamental human right that must not be abridged.
nice
Contacting multiple agencies? That’s a laugh. Where is that “evidence”? If I were looking for/researching guardianship, I’d call multiple agencies too. Why just call one and accept what is said? A second opinion makes sense. How is that confusing?
As for adoptions in the US being ethical…NOT. I’ve been reading a lot lately and learning a lot. Adoptions are NOT ethical on a regular daily basis. Coercing firstmoms is not ethical.
According to the Ottawa Sun, Quets’ case has garnered international attention and won the support of many who feel the adoption system is rigged against birth mothers.” Ninety percent of the women we see … feel they were completely and totally violated when they surrendered the rights of their children,” said Sheri Sexton, director of the Ontario branch of Origins Canada, an advocacy group for mothers who lost children through adoption.
How’s that for evidence? How’s that for ethics?
And as for hiring help, what happens when it doesn’t show up? A friend has twins (and a healthy pregnancy without a single complication), and her nannies have blown her off repeatedly. She’s hired three. Tell me how Quets was to hire nanny after nanny while caring for babies and trying to recover?
Sadly, HG tends to erode support systems and leave mothers and children alone at birth, if not much sooner. Typical.