Hicks, a family physician who performed illegal abortions in the 50s and 60s in McCaysville, Ga., also delivered babies and sold them to couples in off-the-books adoptions. Stapleton and his adopted sister, Cyndy, were just two of more than 200 newborns sold by Dr. Thomas Hicks. So infamous was his Decades later, those babies want to find their familiesand the truth. Many of the Hicks Babies birth certificates listed their places of birth accurately as McCaysville, Georgia. the last one. Used with permission of Bill Palmisano. But, here's the worst part: Dr. Hicks didn't get his licensed revoked for selling babies. The sentiments were echoed in other news stories. There is no evidence that any of the babies that were adopted through the actions of Dr. Hicks are related to him. 2023 The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., A nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Charitable Organization. done. His wifes Facebook page shows him actively involved with the Shriners Yaarab Temple, participating in activities including a parade. Until 1965, married couples couldn't get birth control; until 1972, single people couldn't. - The True Story Behind Taken At Through her research she learned These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. She realized he was a man and a mess just like her and she no longer wanted to judge him. positive matches. Jane began going to the library and learned all about Dr. Hicks and how he lost his license in 1964 for performing abortions. into the airstrip at Ducktown, up the highway. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. He died in 1972 at age 83, which was 25 years before the shocking story of his black market baby ring came to light. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. But it was years later that she learned her adoption was far from typical -- a doctor in Georgia essentially sold her to her adoptive parents. How many seasons are there of taken at birth? Kriste Hughes discovered she was a Hicks Baby at the age of 51 and she was able to connect to a cousin using Ancestry.com. In the early 1950s, Hicks reportedly began advertising illegal abortion and adoption services on phone booths, bus stations, and bridges. solved. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Dr. Thomas J. Hicks performed abortions in the 1950s, long before abortions were legalized in Roe v. Wade. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. who ran the Tasty Freeze. Taken at Birth TrueStory https://t.co/E14faD7AFT pic.twitter.com/cXOtajC4yQ, Sugar Mummy (@findsugarmummy) October 9, 2019. Movie stars Dick Powell and June Allyson were among people who adopted children from Tann, who was fond of saying children were going to people of the higher type. Professional wrester Ric Flair also was a Tann baby. One touching picture shows Dilbeck holding his great-grandson for the first time. So, at this time in American history, women weregoing so far as to shove nearly-straight-up acid up their vaginas to induce abortions because they couldn't get it any other way. for performing an illegal abortion. ``He Dr. Hicks' granddaughter also strongly implied that, in some cases, Dr. Hicks himself was the father of the "Hicks babies" in question. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. As a result, illegal abortions were common. Corporate Information | Privacy | Terms and Conditions | CCPA Notice at Collection. But others are known to have been sent to Pennsylvania, Calls and letters overwhelmed her to the tune of 300 plus a day. Why does her sister Michelle, who was adopted four The mothers pic.twitter.com/EJPSTTu0R8. Hicks mausoleum in search of birth records. It's illegal The winners are: Princetons Nima Arkani-Hamed, Juan Maldacena, Nathan Seiberg and Edward Witten. His wife was a Baptist Sunday school teacher, according to PEOPLE. 'Taken at Birth' True Story There have been over 200 adults dubbed "Hicks Babies" named after Dr. Thomas Hicks, who was known for orchestrating black market adoptions between the years 1950 and 1965. Now, some of these Hicks Babies are coming forward to share their stories, including a few on TLC's new three-night special, Taken at Birth. Blasio blew the whistle back in the 1990s. I still dont know, one of the Hicks Babies, Melinda, told the publication. Dr. Hicks allegedly sold over 200 babies in a black-market adoption ring. WebSeason 1. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. To add to her shock, when Hughes spoke to her cousin on the phone, the cousin revealed that two of her aunts had given birth at the Hicks clinic and that one of them could be Hughes birth mother. Kriste Hughes (left) is seen here meeting her brother Roger Tipton (right) for the first time. Hicks surrendered his medical license in 1964 for Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country. street corner and a limousine would pick you up.''. And she isn't talking. Instead, Dilbeck was passed through the back window of a clinic and sold. Sompayrac believes her grandfathers actions helped the birth mothers in need and gave the babies life. bed-and-breakfast, to a storage shed on his farm, to the Hicks' empty Join the search for truth. Stephen Dilbeck was the first baby Dr. Thomas Hicks sold out of his small-town clinic in McCaysville, Georgia. How can I find my sister who was adopted? In exchange for surrendering his So the existence of black market babies in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s seemed like a foregone conclusion to those who were alive and raisedduring that time. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Dilbeck and many of the others, known as Hicks Babies, began to learn The forgery practice kept the black market adoption process concealed, but also erased any trace of the biological parents for the Hicks Babies, according to Narratively. highway patrol because the babies didn't have papers. In 1989, Alma Sipple of Tennessee would find herself in front of the television, an NBC program called Unsolved Mysteries staring back at her. Between 1950 to 1965 Dr Thomas Hicks illegally sold over 200 stolen babies. given to a couple who drove a big Cadillac. He lives only about 10 miles from McCaysville, Georgia, where he was born and given up for illegal adoption. Those who register will cry but never saw it. For Hughes, who is now 51, finding a sibling or even a relative, would make me feel like Ive found a little part of myself, my true self, she told Nightline. She said that her adoptive father has supported her throughout her journey of trying to unravel the mystery of her biological family. American society has never been kind to women. Ruth has shared pictures of him attending his grandchildrens graduations and holding some of the youngest members of the family. in Akron? When Dr. Hicks began his illicit practice, abortions were illegal in the United States, Phil Trexler wrote in the article. People heard a lot about Decades later, those babies want to find their familiesand the truth. Children disappeared from yards, porches, little shack homes. The Hicks babies seemed to have mixed feelings about his actions from the Narratively profile. From the Inside Flap Jane Blasio is a Hicks Baby, sold at birth and passed through the back door of a clinic in North Georgia. Read more about Dilbeck's life now and his family. Using television and the Internet, CBN is proclaiming the Good News in 149 countries and territories, with programs and content in 67 languages. Dr. Hicks had a granddaughter, Sally Sompayrac, who empathizes with the plight of the Hicks babies. She called the local paper and begged for a couple of lines. Tennessee for selling narcotics, that he went to prison, that he kept two changed her name. Nightline spoke with eight people who identify themselves as Hicks Babies, including Hughes and Dawson, and asked the genealogy website Ancestry.com for help in tracking down their birth parents through DNA testing. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. After years of wondering about her birth family, will Diane finally have closure? About 15 of the 200+ babies have been reunited with their biological parents. Article continues below advertisement New secrets, bittersweet reunions, and surprising DNA revelations. Taken At Birth: Dr. Thomas J. Hicks & Stolen Babies [2021 Copyright 2023 Distractify. Jaladores also orchestrated abductions in hospitals by giving the mothers sleeping pills or notifying them that their babies had died," stated one report, describing a practice that's all-too-familiar to Hicks Babies. ET. Lysol was, in fact, the most popular birth control method during the Great Depression in the United States and it bears noting that the formula on the market, back then, wasfarmore acidic than it is today because it contained cresol, or, the main ingredient in photographic developers and explosives. About 20 minutes into the first segment ofTaken At Birth, one of Dr. Hicks' grandchildren talked about this time in the United States, and said that her grandfather, who was performing abortions at a time that it was highly illegal in the United States, would sometimes recommend that mothers carry their babies to term and subsequently give them away so as to avoid the stigma of having an abortion. She has found none. Jane decided to go live the life she wanted to live, I wanted to erase everything, everyone, and every point of contention or disappointment in my life.. with children. The truth about the adoptions came to light in 1997, more than two decades after his death, as some of the Hicks Babies began seeking out their biological parents. revolves around the unusual Hicks, who carried on a highly unorthodox She was referred to Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina as she tried to locate her true birth certificate. my national background? same time, he encouraged a charade among the adoptive parents. doctor in this little town nestled in the hills near the southern end of TAKEN AT BIRTH How Dr. Hicks sold over 200 children on the black market in small-town Georgia Violeta Idyll June 14, 2021 True Crime In the 1950s and 60s a more. It was reported that at least 49 of the babes were sold to couples in the Akron, Ohio area. There are those who prefer to think of the payments not as pic.twitter.com/77eyWNLdHM. Never has been black market babies, she told WKYC. Hicks would forge birth certificates which would list the adoptive parents as the parents, and list the place of birth in McCaysville, Georgia. It wasnt until after her moms death from cancer in 1988, while studying criminal justice at the University of Akron and working for a local private investigator, that she understood the full story about her adoption. He got his licensed revoked because he was caught performing an abortion. alley behind the clinic. Born and raised in the city of London, Alexander Johnson studied biology and chemistry in college and went on to earn a PhD in biochemistry. Before they left, a Ive got both of my kids, my son-in-law, and my daughter-in-law and three of my grandkids, Im happy, Tipton said. Out of four birth mothers and 23 Hicks babies whose DNA was compared, Betty and Bernie's was the first match. v. Wade legalized abortions. She had particular qualms with the notion of black market babies.. She was also able to forgive her parents. 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