I was contacted by a reader of my blog last week who has lost a grandchild to ABC Adoptions and the adoption was handled by Deborah West. We spoke over the phone for well over an hour and after approval of her daughter to tell her story, she has asked me to post about it here, today.
In 2002 a young girl made an adoption “plan” through ABC Adoptions with Deborah West. She didn’t have very much money and looked into adoption as an option for the future of her child. Like any mother, knowing the fate of your child is crucial to your well being, she was adamant from the beginning that she wanted an open adoption and she was promised one.
With the option of pictures, updates, letters and contact Theresa surrendered her child to adoption through ABC Adoptions and chose the adoptive family for her child. For the first year, pictures, letters and updates came and then one day, for no apparent reason, the letters, pictures and updates completely stopped.
Think about that for a minute. Faced with a situation of desperation, feeling as if you have no other options you surrender your child to a family who promises to have ongoing contact and updates as well as pictures, and suddenly for no reason, you get nothing. The family you trusted with the life of your child backstabs you. Or did they?
Theresa and her mother continue to try and contact the family through the agency with no luck. The agency will no longer help them, so they take measures into their own hands and track the adoptive family down on their own. They send them a letter asking what has happened and how her child is doing, only to be replied through a lawyer stating that the aparents wanted a closed adoption all along and intended for it to be this way, it has always been this way.
More contact between the lawyer and the natural family is made and it turns out that the aparents were under the impression that they paid for the mothers hospital bills yet Theresa had the proof that medicaid paid for all of her expenses.
Soon speculation comes around the authenticity of the letters and pictures they had been receiving for the first year of her child’s adoption, was Deborah or one of her employees writing them under the alias of the adoptive parents? Were the adoptive parents communicating with the natural family at all? ever? Nobody knows for sure at this point, but they have reason to believe this to be true.
Further contact was made through the lawyer to the adoptive parents of the child, to see if they had received over $500 in christmas gifts and gift cards during the holiday season, and it was confirmed that nothing was received. Yet when Theresa’s mother dropped the presents off to the agency to be delivered to the adoptive home of her surrendered grandchild they assured her they would be sent. Fortunately, the gift cards were traceable and it turns out they were spent, not in the city of the adoptive family however, right there in the city of the agency, the child was surrendered through. Again proof can’t be shown that it was the agency who used the gift cards intended for the surrendered grandchild, but all fingers are certainly pointing to them.
Now here we are, 5 years later, the agency is shutting down for numerous accounts of fraud and malpractice. The lawyers don’t want to listen to this mothers case because it was so long ago. There is nothing that enforces open adoption agreements in the state of Florida, and this mother, who never would have surrendered her rights to her child, if she wouldn’t have had ongoing contact with them, is without contact. Played completely by the agency, the industry and the possibly even the adoptive parents.
This family is looking for some type of reform group in the state of florida. They want to change these laws so that this doesn’t happen to others who are in desperate situations and expecting a child. If you know of a group working to reform the Florida adoption policies please comment here and we’ll put you two in contact. This type of malpractice is happening to families every day, around the world. The Baby Scoop Era isn’t over, its happening to fathers, and mothers of today, only its expanded across the world and has implemented new procedures to secure the adoptions and make thousands off of the placement of children into new homes.
Enough is enough.
29 responses so far ↓
The Improper Adoptee // September 16, 2008 at 9:58 am |
Like I have said many times, Florida is the worst state concerning Adoption, and the Agency I was adopted through, CHS, lied to me for years about non-identifying information I had a legal right to have. See, what has happened to this Real Mother and her family, is what I am talking about on the internet. If they pull this bullshit off line, OF COURSE people in the industry (and some AP’s) ARE going to play games, and lie like this online-the internet is perfect for their seedy little games too, because it is so easy for them not to get caught and to assume any idenity or place in the triad they want to lie About Adoption. I hope they get to the bottom of this, because despite the fact that there is no legal protection for women who place their child in Open Adoption, STEALING IS STEALING, and no one had a right to use gift cards and keep presents meant for someone else. Who ever did this should be in jail for theivary. This case is just another example of how Adoptees are used by the Adoption Industry and how much respect for us they DON’t have. Good post Kali.
Gershom // September 16, 2008 at 10:14 am |
This is frightening right? The lawyers prosecuting Deborah West seem to only want to work with recent cases involving the malpractice against paps and ap’s not the natural families. I wonder why that is? And I wonder how the workers of this agency Deborah and Angela can sleep at night? What happens to the records when this agency closes down? Can you believe these people were in charge of children? What the hell has our world come to?
David Archuletta // September 16, 2008 at 11:21 am |
Then we have the “creme de le creme”, the well-tenured executive director of “Children of the World Adoption Agency” out of Verona, N.J. This woman, Veronica Serio was a protege of Seton Hall’s much revered Professor of human study, Mr. James Boskey, she even helped him write N.J. adoption law. It turns out though, that her skills were better suited for writing affidavits of fiction. The Office of Attorney Ethics [OAE] know this, yet will not acknowledge that it is true. A signed and dated affidavit claiming attorney innocense cannot carry more weight than the DHS, can it? Confusing? Not really. The affidavit served purpose for the exoneration of the attorney under investigation by the OAE, yet pryor documented N.J. evidence that contradicts everything stated on the affidavit falls on deaf ears. Then remarketably, after the case of the OAE is found to be in the attorney’s favor, the affidavit is only now used as evidence against COW. This affidavit then leads to the issuing of revocation papers against COW. COW then withdraws and voluntarily closes its doors.
Theresa // September 16, 2008 at 11:39 am |
Have they tried to go to the press? Isn’t there anyone who will pick up on this story?
Gershom // September 16, 2008 at 11:48 am |
I recommended the press to them as well, they’re also currently trying to find a lawyer who “isn’t” connected to an agency that will “really” help them. I’m not sure whats up with the press and them. She reads here, hopefully she’ll comment on that. I referred them to Joe Soll as well and his “list” of lawyers I’ve heard he has. Hopefully some justice can be done with this.
maybe // September 17, 2008 at 7:07 am |
Both the agency workers and the APs need media srutiny – they need to be outed. If this happens often enough, public opinion will begin to change.
We also need to do away with the concept of adoption as it is currently practiced. Telling people they can take the child of another and suddenly that child will become “their child”…I think there is something demented about that entire mindset.
The Improper Adoptee // September 17, 2008 at 7:49 am |
“We also need to do away with the concept of adoption as it is currently practiced. Telling people they can take the child of another and suddenly that child will become “their child”…I think there is something demented about that entire mindset”.
Yes, it is called pyschosis…
Gershom // September 17, 2008 at 9:20 am |
We also need to do away with the concept of adoption as it is currently practiced. Telling people they can take the child of another and suddenly that child will become “their child”…I think there is something demented about that entire mindset.
Incredible marketing isn’t it? They’ve convinced hundreds of thousands of people that because they can’t have children of their own, they can purchase someone else’s and call it their own complete with a new birth certificate and everything.
That really.freaks.me.out.
I look at how I came into my adoptive family and it irks me. I must have been so terrified and nobody thought twice about it, nobody even questioned if I missed my mom or not, it NEVER.CROSSED.THEIR.MINDS. They just thought I was some moldable, changeable little girl who they could change her name and call themselves mom and dad to me before even “knowing” me.
Yes, I grew to love them, but let ME choose to call them mom and dad on my own comfort. Let ME choose to change my name if I wanted to. Make it be about the adoptee, not about the freakin’ needs or wants of everyone else.
That being said, in reality if my mother would have been given a little bit of support to keep me, i never would have been surrendered.
Adoptive parenting is replacement parenting, caring for someone else’s child. I think if the reality of it was honestly presented from the get go, we’d eliminate a lot of the corruption and wrong doing in the industry. I wonder what PAP classes are like… I wonder if I could stomach one, I’d like to take one just for the heck of it, to see what they’re “really” told.
Lisa Carter // September 25, 2008 at 12:34 pm |
Wow – some angry words about the people who took you in, raised you and provided for you when your “birth” mother was unable to or chose not to do so. As the Mother of an adopted baby, I’m thankful that the “birth mom” chose to allow her child to be raised in a loving, caring environment. As a 15 year old child, she made a difficult, but important decision. Please don’t belitle all adoptive parents. As in all circumstances, some are more effective than others. Some, as my husband and I did, welcome the little baby into our lives and care for her as if she was born to us.
Gershom // September 25, 2008 at 12:57 pm |
Lisa please point out to me where the “angry” words were in my post or comments. There aren’t any. This comment in reply to yours is more angry( but not too much ) than anything else in this thread. Let me explain why.
You are dismissing the reality of how I came into my families life. In reality ( which they admit too ) they didn’t have a clue about my needs as a child experiencing separation loss and trauma, I was there to fulfill their needs of wanting a child that they couldn’t have naturally. Those are facts, that is not judgment, nor is it anger. I let go of my anger on that long ago. They WERE my replacement parents, all adoptive parents are there to replace the parents who didn’t or couldn’t raise the children. Thats not a statement of anger, thats a reality. And its not an insult either.
I’m a little irked by the fact that I can tell you didn’t take the time to read around my blog here, or else you would have seen that I love for and care for all 4 of my parents dearly.
It sounds to me, like you are assuming, i’m just an angry dismissive adoptee. When thats not the case at all.
I’m also irked that you are trying to get me to be grateful for people taking me in under the assumption that my natural mother was unable and chose not to do so. When in reality, you don’t know how or why my mother surrendered me. Adoptees should never be grateful to have been adopted, that is dismissive to the entire adoptee experience.
Of course you are thankful that your child’s natural mother chose you to raise her, adoptive parents are the ones who benefit in adoption without loss. You don’t lose anything for adoption to “work” for you. Adoptees and natural parents DO lose, a lot. Adoption is based on loss, and i will never be grateful for that. Who is to say that your child’s natural mother couldn’t raise her in a loving, caring environment? Nobody. 15 year olds can make great mothers, who are just as loving and caring as the next.
I am NOT belittling all or ANY adoptive parents in this thread. Please point out to me where i have done ANY belittling. And by the way, my adoptive parents were incredibly “effective” and welcomed me into their lives and cared for me like I was their real child.
If you feel like it head right on over to the “Posts I want you to read” section, and take a look at ‘be grateful you weren’t aborted’ and ‘You must have had a bad life’ those posts would clear some misinterpretations up imo.
Feeling better now, that thats off my chest. Have a good day.
The Improper Adoptee // September 27, 2008 at 5:42 am |
Well, I am an angry dismissive(and abused by the Adoption system and my Adoptive “Mother) Adoptee, and you know what Lisa Carter, I am SO sick of you bitter, spoiled barren bitches there aren’t enough bastard barf buckets in the world for me to puke in. IF YOU CAN’T HAVE A KID, YOU CAN’T HAVE A KID-NONE OF YOU DESERVE ANOTHER WOMAN’S BABY YOU BRAT! Women should of gotten help to KEEP THEIR babies, help is NOT letting some, angry, slobering, resentful infertile raise the child. Society and America has totally screwed this up. And AP’s attitudes are screwed up too, BIGTIME. And oh yeah, leave Gershom alone you bully.
Gershom // September 27, 2008 at 11:24 am |
Improper… please try to keep it a little cooler than that. Nothing productive is going to come from comments like that. I’m putting it (the comment) on hold and giving you some time cool off a bit.
Gershom // October 1, 2008 at 12:17 am |
Its been a few days and I’m posting the comment through as it came. I don’t want to censor, i don’t want to stop people from speaking their minds. I don’t want you improper to feel that you can’t speak your feelings.
I do want to ask people though to try and remain as respectful as we can. I know that there are so many differing views in adoption, especially on an antiadoption blog. I don’t agree with the industry, but I’m trying hard to not result to name calling. Differing opinions is fine. To each their own. Please try and keep it respectful even in disagreement from here on out, and I’ll try too because i’m not always innocent myself. You should have seen me on y!a’s today.
The Improper Adoptee // October 1, 2008 at 6:51 am |
Like I said Gershom, if you wanted to delete my comment that is fine with me. All Adoptees get upset and seriously go off on the internet, I have seen it many, many times, on many boards and in many forums. As I told you in my email, I have chosen not to live in the if we express anger towards Adoptive Parents and the Adoption System we are ax murders that the Adoption Industry, the Social Worker Industry and the Christians built for us out of that lie. AP’s love to shove us in that box too, online and off, and they try to use guilt and manipulation to keep us in it. I am digusted at the self-centeredness and lack of love and caring so many AP’s show towards the children they Adopt and to Adoptees in general on line, because they put their own wants, needs, ego fufillment, and the ability they are given by the Adoption Industry to corrupt the unatural power they are given over us. That does not make a good parent, or even a good human being. Whether my comment is up or down, it doesn’t matter to me as this is your blog and I will respect that.
The Improper Adoptee // October 1, 2008 at 1:54 pm |
Whoops-typo-
As I told you in my email, I have chosen not to live in the if we express anger towards Adoptive Parents and the Adoption System we are ax murders *that the Adoption Industry, the Social Worker Industry and the Christians built for us out of that lie.
*box
Kimberly Pehrson // June 15, 2009 at 10:22 am |
Something happend to me just like Theresa………Help me too! Kimberly Pehrson
Elise Free // October 26, 2009 at 2:20 pm |
I worked for ABC in the 90’s and saw fraud. I went to the police, they could not stop her. I quit and went on with life and Debbie West went on hurting countless women and families. She should have been stopped years ago.
Udora // October 27, 2009 at 3:32 pm |
Hi! I am a victim of Debbie West and it was so refreshing to know that there was someone out there who could relate with me on her fraudlent activities and malpractice that sje was conducting. She supposely secured my son, and now after 10 years sooo many things are unfolding about this crook.
Please contact me directly if you would,cause if you could imagine this is very heartbreaking.
Elise Free // November 24, 2009 at 4:23 am
She has sentencing January 25th. We need to talk. Please call me at 727-374-7285.
Elise
Nancy // November 2, 2009 at 12:29 pm |
Elise Free please have a heart and reach out and talk with me. I know y0u can help in a mighty way just jsut by talking with me. Hope you dont feel trapped cause Im not out to harm you just want my heart to be set free. you may reach me anytime @ 813-735-2272 I pray that you follow ur heart. My you be blessed for doing the right thing then and now.
Nancy
nancy / udorac // October 27, 2009 at 2:13 pm |
I will also like to participate in the reform for birth moms. Im a G-ma in the same situation where Debra West took my daughter’s son in the same manner. This is heart breaking. Please freely contact me.
Also ELISE FREE, please contact me. I know that this will very important for me to hear from you. Im not angry nor upset with you. Im happy that you got out once you decerned the evil Debra was trying to cloak for good, as well was hurting children and families. DWest need to face justice here on earth as she will in the end times to come. Thank God for truth, nothing is hiden under the sun. Thanks for sharing, my heart needed this to help with the healing process. I know this will come when my Grandson is in my daughter arms.
Kimberly Pehrson // October 31, 2009 at 12:13 pm |
Udora, Please contact me and anyone else that has been a victom this crazy lady Debora West! 702-426-4449…CALL ANYTIME! We need to come together and see where our children and grand children are today!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks so much Kim
Kimberly Pehrson // October 31, 2009 at 12:32 pm |
My life has been Hell because of this adoption agency and Debrah West! I am a birthmother in search of my son and daughter! It scares me to death that my children could be dead and I would’nt even know. If anyone that is a birth parent that wants to talk and get together to see if we can do something please call me I have psted my number on this site! Kim
Nancy // October 31, 2009 at 5:09 pm |
Hi Kim, U WILL B HEARING FROM ME SOON. I’m the Grandmother and when u hear Nancy on the other end of the phone it will b me. A lawyer informed my daughter to go to family law court to read her TPR papers and to our shock “there was nothing “. No birth, no adoption papers nor anything filed showing that my daughter ever had a court case for TPR in this State ! This is erwy!! Yes we are going forth with our search. Pleas anyone and each one that has been a vitcim of Debra West please write the Judge that is hearing her case. The Jugde is Honorable Fuente. Her next court date is Jan. 25, 2010. Please show up, all that is in the Fl. area.
Kimberly Pehrson // November 2, 2009 at 9:51 am |
Elise Free,
Pleases call me right away! I must talk with you. Thanks much Kim
Kimberly Pehrson // November 2, 2009 at 10:24 am |
My mom suggested this agency and had me call them so my son could have a good home and both parents, you know a stable environment. Well I talked to an lady named NANCY, which worked for Debrah West. She saw that I was a good target and took full advantage of me! After speaking with this agency, they flew me and my son which was 2 1/2 years old, to Tampa FL. They put us in a hotel…let me spend the last night with him and then the next day came. Debrah used her adopted daughter ( Kristy ) to talk me in to this and make sure I was gonna sign those adoption papers the next day! When me and my son were at the Agency there in Hillsborough. I was totally thinking the entire time of how to get me and my son out of there but I had no family, no friends, and was under lots of presure to sign those papers. While in the signing process..the adoption agency told me to put on the paper that the father was UNKNOWN! So they could continue on with the adoption!!! The entire time I was crying and did not want to do this. After I met a couple named GEORGE AND LUCI which were the one that were gonna adopt my son. I got to talk to them for about 10 minutes and Luci looked confused on some of the questions I was asking. Again they were told on what to say! The agency took me out of the room and drove me straight to a old run down motel some where. I had no money and no one to help me. I changed my mond and wanted my son back like with in a 4 hour grace period. The adoption agency said it was to late. Debrah sent her daughter, Kristy to the motel room to calm me down..I was so frightened and did not know what to do. That same day the AGENCY placed me on a Plane back to Vegas! Let me just say that I would not want this to happend to anyone ever again. My heart still Hurts for my Son! Im not even sure if he is with the couple that I met that day! The agency sent me pics for the first year . After that first year all pics stopped! No letters, no pics, no contact, no nothing! I wrote to them, and called them and left msgs for Debrah West that I was gonna take her to court and she did not care. They never called me back. Its been about 11 1/2 years now and I cannot find a lawyer to take my case because its been so long. I am so affraid of what is happening to my child and if he is even alive today!!!! Help me please!!!! Lets get together all of us birth parents and take this to the supreme court…My number is posted on this wall. All in favor call me. Or if you have any questions call me. Thanks much Kimberly
Nancy // November 2, 2009 at 1:59 pm |
Hi Kim,
My name is Nancy but not the NANCY that worked for DWest. Im the Nancy that had a conversation with U the other night. A victim of her greed at the life of my Grandson. In which at the time my daugther heart wished our child was intrusted over in truth for a better life. My prayer is that he is not affected by any of her wrong doings and is safe in a loving family until we meet again. Now it appears that DWest lied to my daughter all the way around , by taking advantage of her emotional state at the time. Then received my G-son without evening filing the adoption papers. This we just found out after a trip to Family Law Court.
“ELISE”, you have to hear the hurt and pain in my broken heart. The echo is so deep and extremely loud. Please call me, cause the pain is as loud as each aching moment Iasiah Franklin is away from us. Hopeful he’s with the adopted parents , a bi-racial couple “Bill (blk.) / Patty(wh.) ” . Bill, a fireman, Patty, a stay @ home Mom . They also have an older interracial adopted son. Both parents was said to be active in their church. I pray so.
When I last talked with DWest in 2006, before she just stop taking our calls. She spoke about my G-son like he was in her household, with one of her family members, a friend of hers or someone she sees in church regularly. She had so much info right at hand. Now Im wondering, is her info real or a lie ? Its hard to know if there was any truth in what she was telling me , this is a heart breaker !
WE ALL NEED TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT OUR BABIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For those who think the kids was giving up due to not wanting them in the First place, “YOU ARE WRONG. ” So keep all immature comments to urself cause this is no place for them. To all concern and grieving bio parents if u get any jerks, foolish comments or nonsense please ignore by not replying back. Our time as well as our emotions is on our children safety. Negative opinions is not what we as bio parents and Grandparents is pushing to reform and fighting for. STAY FOCUS !! DWest have given us enough foolishness with lies, deceit and her mayhem. Its our time to let her trickery that she caused in the pass face her “Face to Face”
PLEASE, ANY LAWYER, IF YOU WILL HELP US ! FAMILIES IN PAIN THAT IS NOT LOOKING FOR GAIN! BUT LOOKING FOR LIVE BABIES (LEGAL PAPER WORK),AND TRUTH TO KNOW OUR KIDS WAS NOT TREATED AS A PUPPY MILL !BY DWest of ABC Adoption agency!!
nancy carter // November 10, 2009 at 8:59 am |
Continue to sing….
Kimberly Pehrson // December 1, 2009 at 12:47 am |
Just emailed all potential adoptive parents from ABC’S website all the cruel information about debra west and her agency!!! Im determinded to stop them from taking advantage of any one else whether it be adotive parents or birth parents like me….Someone needs to stop her ..she is a scammer, liar and I need to find my son…