Taken at Birth - General Discussion

[druzy]

Over three nights this October, TLC’s TAKEN AT BIRTH will share the untold stories of the “Hicks Babies,” the name given to more than 200 newborn babies illegally sold or given away from the back steps of a small-town Georgia clinic run by Dr. Thomas J. Hicks during the 1950s and 1960s.

In 1997, the shocking news story broke, revealing that Hicks was alleged to have spearheaded a black-market baby ring out of his clinic, denying over hundreds of babies their true identities and biological families. Since the undercover operation was exposed, many Hicks Babies have desperately searched for their origins, yet decades later, they are still looking for their birth parents.  To this day, a cloud of secrecy remains around Dr. Hicks himself and the notorious adoption ring that changed the course of hundreds of lives.

“Sharing emotional family journeys is a part of TLC’s DNA and we are proud to tell the profound stories of loss, hope and reunion that make up TAKEN AT BIRTH,” said TLC President and General Manager Howard Lee. “This special event shows a different side of TLC, while embodying the heart, hope and human connection that speaks directly to our viewers.”

The Hicks Babies share an urgency to find their roots and uncover the truth about Dr. Hicks’ clinic before the clock runs out.  At the helm is lead investigator Jane Blasio, the youngest of the known Hicks Babies, whose resolve helped break the story, and who has since dedicated her life to finding out the truth. After 20 years of hard work and heartbreaking dead ends, Jane is determined to get some answers.  To aid in the search, she enlists TLC’s LONG LOST FAMILY co-hosts Lisa Joyner and Chris Jacobs, hoping their investigative skills and experience reuniting families, combined with the benefit of today’s advanced technology, will finally provide results. Together, they set off on a journey to solve a decades-old mystery, reunite birth families and ultimately help them find closure, acceptance and truth.

Each two-hour episode is punctuated with raw, emotional reunions that often turn bittersweet. Following the hugs, laughter and tears, many of the Hicks Babies find themselves torn between the overwhelming joy of finally being reunited and the reality of missing out on these relationships for so long, bringing closure for some and new questions for others.

Interlaced with the long overdue reunions, is Jane, Lisa, and Chris searching for answers that have haunted the Hicks Babies for years. Why did Dr. Hicks start selling babies? Were some mothers misled into believing their babies were stillborn when they were actually alive?  And the monumental question that’s been looming over the Hicks Babies community for years: Were any of them biological children of Hicks himself?

Standing between Jane, Lisa, and Chris and the truth are long-since buried secrets, and without any known medical records, they have their work cut out for them. Despite the obstacles, the investigative team – with the blessing and cooperation of the Hicks Babies community – works tirelessly to try and bring answers to the families impacted by Dr. Hicks’ actions, from conventional DNA searches and door-to-door interrogations, to a mausoleum search. They even follow along as one Hicks family member exhumes the grave of a relative with the hope of helping others, and to find her ultimate truth.

Throughout the journey, they experience epic reunions and devastating disappointments, encounter unexpected twists and turns, and break through old barriers to uncover new evidence that may finally provide the truth for many Hicks Babies, and that could help the search for others moving forward.

[druzy]

[druzy]

I don't think there were any documents hidden in the mausoleum. Why would the doctor leave a paper trail?

Is anyone watching this? If anyone is considering watching, I suggest DVR it and watch it in one sitting so you can fast forward the typical TLC nonsense of recapping and coming up scenes.

[Scarlett45]

I saw this but I didn’t put it on my list because it just seemed so sad. 

[Chippings]

Am watching, and just not sure if it will be continued past Episode 3. They sure are doing that TLC thing of repeating the same bits over and over.  If they can connect a few people it will be worth the waiting.  But with some prudent editing this two hours could've been done in about 40 minutes. 

[Lizzing]

I really liked the first two hours, but the second two (Thursday night's show) was a huuuge waste of time.  They spent at least 1/3 of the air time on the exhumation storyline, when they ALREADY showed us in the previews at the end of the first episode that Sallie's father's coffin was dug up and at a facility of some kind being opened.  There was zero tension on that whole "what will the judge say" scene that drug on over 2 commercial breaks.

And then there's this other thread of "how many Hicks babies were fathered by Dr. Hicks" nonsense.  Look, given the lack of morals the guy had, it is a valid question.  However, all of the participants had to have done their DNA test by now to even be looking for relatives on Ancestry.  Those DNA tests would have turned up if anyone of the Hicks babies had a parent in common, thus they would have known at least that much--even if the identity of the shared parent were yet unknown.  As no group of Hicks babies have been introduced as half-siblings, it is highly doubtful a group of them were sired by Hicks himself.  (Sallie, OTOH, I could see being either Hick's bio daughter or bio granddaughter.)

Initially, I got this case confused with that of Georgia Tann, who also operated a black market baby ring also in the state of Georgia.  So I did some searching on Hicks and came across this article that goes into a bit more of his background.  I find it curious that the TLC show put in all this non-starter drama of digging up Hicks' son and whatnot but left out his federal narcotics conviction, his copper mill billing fraud, and the whole Akron tire company connection that explains why so many of the kids were found in Ohio.  https://www.appalachianhistory.net/2017/09/busted-not-for-selling-babies-but-for.html

In any event, I was glad that Stephen got to meet his half-sister and I hope the final episode has some real content,  and doesn't waste 40 minutes on whether the funeral director can get the lid on the coffin open or some other bullshit.

[Maisiesmom]

I'm glad I'm not the only one watching this. There is a lot of filler and commercials ad nauseum but I DVR it and watch after its over. I feel for all these people who are searching for the truth as to what really happened and think that the horn dog doctor was a real jerk inducing labor then selling these children when they should have been cared for in case of complications. What happened to the babies that did'nt live? And the poor mothers who never had a chance to know their child at all?  And Lizzing, good on you for adding that other info on the doctor. The show could have used that instead of stupid flashbacks. They should'nt have to drag out the disinterment too long since what they will do is pretty cut and dry. I don't envy the funeral director having to pop the top on that fugly casket because the funk would be incredible. (I'm a director also and been there, seen that ,(and smelled it too))

[seasons]

I'm here too, guys. Totally fascinating. Have more thoughts but i.just woke up and will check back in.

Ps - I love Stephen. He breaks my heart. I'm glad his daughter seems so good to him. 💕

[seasons]

Wait - what happened to Stephen's  twin brother? Did they ever say?

so who is sallie 's birth father or mother? Did I miss that too?

[Lizzing]

I'm not surprised that the last episode was a let-down, but I'm still disappointed.  There was SO much time wasted on the dis-internment, only to find out that just one person was a Dr. Hicks' bio-child, and that person wouldn't participate.  (Not that I'm disappointed that the person wouldn't go on camera--good on them, and probably for the better for privacy's sake.)  I did want to know if Sallie was interested in finding out who her bio parents were--it is weird that she didn't opine on that at all.  And while I respect that she loved her Dad, even if he was a flawed person (condoms in the ditty bag and all), I do wonder what her Mom thought of him and if she even got on with her Mom.  That Mrs. Hicks was hardly a thought in the story (or even Dr. Hicks' wife, for that matter).

My prior supposition that the group of Hicks babies had been DNA tested was incorrect; going by the last episode, only 20 or so had done the DNA testing.  I do wonder why the others hadn't--maybe they aren't interested?  Surely they could do the testing and still decline to be on the show.

Nevertheless, with the coda that others had found their bio-parents since filming, I'd at least would have liked to hear the start of their stories, or how they searched even if the meetings weren't filmed, rather than an hour of "bodies buried for 41 years might be gross & stinky" footage.  Yeah, that's obvious.  No one doubted that for a nanosecond.  Hell, I'd have preferred 15 minutes on Mr. Cook.  That dude's face read like he's seen a looootttt of f'd up shite in his day.  Let him tell us about it. Or delve into why the medical examiner had googly eyes for his assistant....he read about 50% shady to me.

As an aside, I also watch a lot of true crime stuff.  So instead of the "dig up the younger Dr. Hicks" storyline, I *so* wanted Sallie to stage with TLC a "you've won a free dinner!" invite for her paternal cousins, have them collect all the utensils and drinkware, and do DNA tests on that.  It could have provided some comic relief or some legit tension.

Anyone think a follow-up short series on the Chattanooga angle might happen?

[tres bien]

I am wondering why Sally never wanted to look for her birth mother years ago. Or at least in 1997. And didn't she have a brother?

[druzy]

5 hours ago, Lizzing said:

As an aside, I also watch a lot of true crime stuff.  So instead of the "dig up the younger Dr. Hicks" storyline, I *so* wanted Sallie to stage with TLC a "you've won a free dinner!" invite for her paternal cousins, have them collect all the utensils and drinkware, and do DNA tests on that.  It could have provided some comic relief or some legit tension.

This is beyond brilliant ^^^1000 likes ❤️

5 hours ago, Lizzing said:

Anyone think a follow-up short series on the Chattanooga angle might happen?

You need to make it happen and show TLC how it's done!

[Chippings]

While this was an interesting story and the research interesting as well, it was padded so badly that in the end I came away 40% satisfied with the story and 60% frustrated with the time I wasted watching the stretched-out parts.  The whole five hour thing could have been presented very completely in three, maybe?  Less shots of driving along in the rain, another view of that intersection in McCaysville -- showing the same conversation once before a commercial break, and then again immediately after.  Maybe that is good documentary-making, but it's lousy viewing.   

[seasons]

Lol @Lizzing - I thought the same thing about the medical examiner and his giggly assistant. her giggling irritated me and was inappropriate for that scenario. They both seemed like they couldn't wait to run off and be naughty or something. Your post is excellent - read it several times! No one here at home would watch this with me so I'm so glad to come here and read everyone 's insight! I toO watch a lot of true crime and read true crime stuff too so I had high hopes for this series but was disappointed.

I also really liked that funeral director.

Edited October 12, 2019 by seasons

[smittykins]

I felt so bad for Stephen—not only was he taken from his birth mother, who was told that he was stillborn, but he was placed with a family that clearly didn’t want him.  I was glad to see him meet his sister.

[eyelash]

On ‎10‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 7:20 PM, seasons said:

Wait - what happened to Stephen's  twin brother? Did they ever say?

so who is sallie 's birth father or mother? Did I miss that too?

I'm confused there right along with you.  Sallie wasn't shown to have the slightest curiosity who her birth mother might be, which made me wonder if she knows that information already.  But her curiosity about whether she was the bio child of Dr. Hicks Sr. or Dr. Hicks Jr. led her to an exhumation, leading me to believe  she either can't find out anything about her birth father from her birth mother, or still doesn't know who her birth mother is.  The DNA said no to Dr. Hicks Jr. being her bio father, but does that also mean it can't be Dr. Hicks Sr?  And then at the end she was said to have a half-sibling who chose not to participate.  So is that half-sibling related to Sallie on her bio mother's or bio father's side?  And did Sallie or her half-sibling find out as a result of that connection the identify of either one of their bio parents? 

We were not told anything further about Stephen's twin brother.  I'm guessing the show couldn't find out any other info about that, but had to tell Stephen because he was about to see his birth certificate for the first time (the Dr. Hick's version of it anyway) and would see that it said he was part of a twin birth.  Stephen's story is really heartbreaking.  Presuming his was a "typical" $1000 Dr. Hicks adoption, why would his adoptive family reject him? 

I'm going back to live in a happy Hallmark fantasy world now where Stephen's twin saw him on the show from his nursing home in Cincinnati or something and gets in contact him.

[seasons]

Great post, @eyelash! 

Yesterday I just watched one of my favorites "Forever in my Heart" which was predictable and wonderful! 🍀

[pezgirl7]

7 hours ago, eyelash said:

The DNA said no to Dr. Hicks Jr. being her bio father, but does that also mean it can't be Dr. Hicks Sr?  And then at the end she was said to have a half-sibling who chose not to participate.  So is that half-sibling related to Sallie on her bio mother's or bio father's side?  And did Sallie or her half-sibling find out as a result of that connection the identify of either one of their bio parents? 

They would be able to tell from the DNA if Sallie had any Hick's DNA. I got the impression she doesn't know who either of her birth parents are. The "aunt" she now has is the daughter of Hicks Sr.

The one thing that bothered me is that they weren't able to confirm that any of the women who were told that their baby died actually had their baby stolen. Maybe someone watching the show will come forward, and more DNA tests will be done to match the mothers with the children.

Also, I am more resolved than ever that I want to be cremated.

Edited October 14, 2019 by pezgirl7

[eyelash]

3 hours ago, pezgirl7 said:

They would be able to tell from the DNA if Sallie had any Hick's DNA. I got the impression she doesn't know who either of her birth parents are. The "aunt" she now has is the daughter of Hicks Sr.

I can't ignore the possibility that Jr. may not have been the biological child of Sr, throwing even more confusion in the mix.  Maybe Mrs. Hicks was kicking up her heels with someone else while her husband was allegedly busy having children with other women.  It seems unusual to me they had only 1 child together in an era when birth control was not readily available.  If he wasn't using birth control with his other women, it's doubtful he was using it with his wife.  Or maybe they just swore off one another totally after Jr. was conceived.  But I think the possibility exists that Jr. is not the bio child of Sr.  Yep, I'm giving this way too much thought.

[seasons]

@pezgirl7 - I was thinking the exact same thing about cremation while I was watching the show!!!

[pezgirl7]

10 hours ago, eyelash said:

I can't ignore the possibility that Jr. may not have been the biological child of Sr, throwing even more confusion in the mix.  Maybe Mrs. Hicks was kicking up her heels with someone else while her husband was allegedly busy having children with other women.  It seems unusual to me they had only 1 child together in an era when birth control was not readily available. 

They had two children, a boy and a girl. The girl is still alive. Presumably her children are the cousins that did not want their DNA tested.

Was this shown on the show? I thought I watched all the episodes, but I don't remember this part...

Quote

Paul Raymann is the son of loving adoptive parents. A DNA test led Raymann to his biological father, Paul Jack. Jack was 16 when his girlfriend got pregnant. She was told at the time it was a stillborn.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/l/dad-meets-biological-son-after-being-told-he-died-at-birth/vp-AAIAOwm

[Cozy4]

This brings memories of my son that I gave birth to in 1970. I was told he died but he was crying as the Dr walked out of the room with him. I've researched this for years. There is something to these stories that are coming to light. Over 20 women in St Louis were told their child died at birth...but did not. 

The Dr that delivered my son was affiliated with an adoption agency. I keep finding more info that brings up more red flags!! Wish I could find out if he really did die.  I have loads of research on this but no one has taken me seriously. So many red flags!!*

Now that I'm seeing more of these women over the U.S. that gave birth and were told their child died. I bet there is more out there then we realize!

[Sew Sumi]

4 hours ago, Cozy4 said:

This brings memories of my son that I gave birth to in 1970. I was told he died but he was crying as the Dr walked out of the room with him. I've researched this for years. There is something to these stories that are coming to light. Over 20 women in St Louis were told their child died at birth...but did not. 

The Dr that delivered my son was affiliated with an adoption agency. I keep finding more info that brings up more red flags!! Wish I could find out if he really did die.  I have loads of research on this but no one has taken me seriously. So many red flags!!*

Now that I'm seeing more of these women over the U.S. that gave birth and were told their child died. I bet there is more out there then we realize!

Have your DNA tested and see if you come up with any good hits.

[druzy]

4 hours ago, Cozy4 said:

This brings memories of my son that I gave birth to in 1970. I was told he died but he was crying as the Dr walked out of the room with him. I've researched this for years. There is something to these stories that are coming to light. Over 20 women in St Louis were told their child died at birth...but did not. 

The Dr that delivered my son was affiliated with an adoption agency. I keep finding more info that brings up more red flags!! Wish I could find out if he really did die.  I have loads of research on this but no one has taken me seriously. So many red flags!!*

Now that I'm seeing more of these women over the U.S. that gave birth and were told their child died. I bet there is more out there then we realize!

You should call your local news station, I'm sure they would be interested in your story.

[tres bien]

By the end of the show there was so much left unresolved and either not explained or the explanation so flimsy, that I was frustrated.   I hope TLC doesn't revisit this.

Of all the people, I was totally confounded by Sallie.  She had no interest in any of her family history till she decided to have her father's body exhumed? 

[ChristmasJones]

Despite any weaknesses in the presentation, I had not heard about this case before, so I was happy to see it get wide exposure on TLC. I would enjoy watching follow ups to see how things unfold for the various families.  I like the fact that DNA technology is allowing people to figure out things that would not have been possible to find out any other way. 

[Sykle]

On 10/12/2019 at 6:15 AM, Lizzing said:

Anyone think a follow-up short series on the Chattanooga angle might happen?

I hope they do a follow-up on Chattanooga, or at least release the name of the Chatt doctor. I live in Chatt and my grandmother had said for years before her death that she had 2 twins that she was told were still born, and all the while everyone thought she was crazy and getting senile in her old age because there were no medical records or death certificates that she was given. She lived in chatt but was always in Ringgold, GA and had family down in Dr. Hick’s area. 

so, needless to say, I would be very interested to find out who the Dr. in Chatt was. 

[Jadzia]

I’m glad I finally found this forum. I was looking for it last week when I watched the show and wanted to talk about it but initially came up empty. 

I enjoyed the show overall but I kept yelling at the tv when they were trying to build up suspense about the kids possibly having the same father because they could have easily figured that out with a $49 Ancestry DNA test. No exhumation required!
 

I am probably going to hell but I actually laughed out loud when the granddaughter said that “she might be opening up a can of worms.” I turned to my husband and said “Literally!”
 

[eyelash]

For anyone with a general interest in shows where people meet relatives they didn't know they have, you might want to check out a show called Relative Race.  It airs on the BYU channel, so if that puts you off in general, never mind.  I'm not religious and have not found the content to reference it much.  It has not been offensive to me.

Four teams of 2 seeking information about their origins (could be married couples or siblings) compete in a road race around the U.S and have some kind of wacky challenge to complete before they get the address of their relative and get to go discover more about who they are.  The team coming in last gets a strike, and three strikes and you're out.  It's probably the "nicest" game show I've ever seen, as all of the couples tend to root for one another because they know themselves how much they want to meet their own families.

[pezgirl7]

On 10/18/2019 at 2:14 PM, Jadzia said:

I enjoyed the show overall but I kept yelling at the tv when they were trying to build up suspense about the kids possibly having the same father because they could have easily figured that out with a $49 Ancestry DNA test. No exhumation required!

It wasn't just about them trying to determine if any of them had the same father. They wanted to know specifically if Dr. Hicks was the father. And because none of his living relatives would give their DNA to be tested, they had to exhume the body of his son. Although couldn't they have just have a private eye follow one of the cousins around to get a discarded water bottle or napkin or something? They do that on Law and Order SVU. lol They apparently don't need permission for that.

[Jadzia]

3 hours ago, pezgirl7 said:

It wasn't just about them trying to determine if any of them had the same father. They wanted to know specifically if Dr. Hicks was the father. And because none of his living relatives would give their DNA to be tested, they had to exhume the body of his son. 

I realize that, my point was that the show kept asking the question and trying to build up suspense that maybe all these kids were Hicks’ children, when in reality they could have easily ruled out that possibility by first seeing that they weren’t related to each other. It just seemed like a fake drama they were trying to develop. Dr. Hicks could have possibly been the father of *one* of them but he obviously wasn’t the father of many of hem since none of them were related even at a half-sibling level. 
 
I also had to quibble at the logic of them using the son as definitive proof since they really had no DNA evidence that would have proved that he was his son’s biological father. The son could have been adopted or the mother had an affair, etc. 

Even though the closer relatives wouldn’t test, I also would have liked to have seen them use genetic genealogy to find more distant cousin matches of the granddaughter to help determine if she was a Hicks. 

[Mrs. Hanson]

On 10/22/2019 at 1:47 PM, pezgirl7 said:

It wasn't just about them trying to determine if any of them had the same father. They wanted to know specifically if Dr. Hicks was the father. And because none of his living relatives would give their DNA to be tested, they had to exhume the body of his son. Although couldn't they have just have a private eye follow one of the cousins around to get a discarded water bottle or napkin or something? They do that on Law and Order SVU. lol They apparently don't need permission for that.

I am bit late to the party but I just found this thread.  My takeaways:  So much could have been condensed into two nights, not three.  The entire portion of the bringing up the coffin, how bad it would smell, along with his daughter actually thinking she was going to BE THERE??  Followed by her writing a letter to him.....oh Lord full on stop.  Way too many shots of people driving in the rain, going over what happened to them AGAIN.  Listening to daughter bemoan whether to dig up Dad was getting old.  (Not to sound cold but why was it a decision to even be there?  We buried our dad's body and if we had to exhume him I would be in another STATE, let alone at the site.)

I felt for the lady who found her mom and then met up with her in the diner but things were still awkward.  The birth mom seemed.....snaky.  That Dr. Hicks was getting women pregnant into his early 70's!!  Dude, just stop!

I knew the mausoleum would be empty.  Like a poster above said, why leave a paper trail?

Loved Stephen.  What a kind and loving man, against all odds.

Edited October 24, 2019 by Mrs. Hanson

[iMonrey]

Just found out about this and watched the first 2 episodes on TLC Go. Don't think I will bother with the third. I agree it was padded and repetitive. There's a good mystery story at the heart of this show but they never really moved the needle very far with it. Unfortunately too many people involved are long gone now. I don't have any hope there will be any future breakthroughs or additional info about the cases.

Quote

I felt for the lady who found her mom and then met up with her in the diner but things were still awkward.  The birth mom seemed.....snaky. 

I felt badly for her too, but the plain fact is that her mother wanted to get an abortion and was talked into carrying to term instead. Nothing says "I didn't want you" more plainly than that. To expect a connection with a birth mother under those circumstances is unrealistic. Possibly the birth mother gave her false hope they would have some kind of relationship for whatever reason, although it seems more likely the daughter just read too much into it.

[Gemma Violet]

This was recently rerun on TLC.  I DVR'd the episodes, but I must have missed one because the exhumation one is missing.  Or maybe they didn't rerun that one.

I agree with the comments above.  Interesting story, but so much filler and repetition.

[SunnyBeBe]

On 4/24/2020 at 6:42 PM, Gemma Violet said:

This was recently rerun on TLC.  I DVR'd the episodes, but I must have missed one because the exhumation one is missing.  Or maybe they didn't rerun that one.

I agree with the comments above.  Interesting story, but so much filler and repetition.

TLC is running them again today.  I’m trying to catch up as I got confused when this ran originally.  I’m trying to figure out if the Granddaughter Sally was actually the bio daughter of her legal father (she said she was adopted) OR the bio granddaughter of Dr. Hicks.  

[Gemma Violet]

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

TLC is running them again today.  I’m trying to catch up as I got confused when this ran originally.  I’m trying to figure out if the Granddaughter Sally was actually the bio daughter of her legal father (she said she was adopted) OR the bio granddaughter of Dr. Hicks.  

Thanks.  I may check it out again.  I've kind of forgotten the story.

[SunnyBeBe]

It’s wrapping  up now. I have quite a few questions. Will know more once they make the announcements.  

[SunnyBeBe]

2 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

It’s wrapping  up now. I have quite a few questions. Will know more once they make the announcements.  

Well....I’m not sure that I do know much more.  So, who was the woman they said that Sally was related to at the end?  And, how do they know that she was not the daughter of Dr. Hicks, because Dr. Hicks may NOT have been the bio dad of his son.  They left a lot of questions.  

[Gemma Violet]

2 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Well....I’m not sure that I do know much more.  So, who was the woman they said that Sally was related to at the end?  And, how do they know that she was not the daughter of Dr. Hicks, because Dr. Hicks may NOT have been the bio dad of his son.  They left a lot of questions.  

I had a lot going on today and I forgot to turn it on. 

[SunnyBeBe]

It may be airing later too or may be available On demand.  It was a lot of investment for little payoff, imo.  

[CrazyInAlabama]

https://www.foxnews.com/us/taken-at-birth-book-jane-blasio   This is Jane Blasio's book about her illegal adoption, and how she's tried to connect with other children adopted illegally from the doctor's medical practice.     

The best guess is that about 200 children were illegally adopted out by the doctor who ran the illegal adoption service. 

Edited July 18, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama