Althouse: "My lawyer said 'We have to bring the other baby' and I'm like 'What'? and he said 'We've found the other family, you have to hand him in.'"

June 3, 2016

"My lawyer said 'We have to bring the other baby' and I'm like 'What'? and he said 'We've found the other family, you have to hand him in.'"

"We barely had time to say goodbye. I got all his clothes and we took him in the office. And we handed him in. And that was the most difficult part of all the situation. Then at the same time got our own baby, and that was so happy. And he was smiling."

13 comments:

YoungHegelian said...: I heard that story yesterday, & it was heartbreaking to hear that poor woman speak, through her tears, of giving up the "wrong" baby that she had taken care of for those months. No mother should have to endure that.

When you bring a mother a baby & she says "I don't think this is my baby", it pays to listen. If in doubt, a quick genetic test, even maybe a blood test, will tell the tale. Even in El Salvador they can do this.; 6/3/16, 3:41 PM
Virgil Hilts said...: How could this article not have asked the question -- what the hell are you doing in El Salvador if you are 8 months pregnant?; 6/3/16, 3:42 PM
Rick said...: Sucks for Jacob, I'd feel guilty leaving him behind.

This turned into an ordeal because people couldn't be convinced they made a mistake.; 6/3/16, 3:42 PM
MadisonMan said...: Sometimes nagging doubts reveal underlying truths..

Still -- is it a can of worms I'd open, after raising a child as mine? I don't know.

Both my kids look like me, and they were distinctive at birth, so hard to mix up with other infants.; 6/3/16, 3:45 PM
SeanF said...: YoungHegelian: When you bring a mother a baby & she says "I don't think this is my baby", it pays to listen.

Blogger Rick: This turned into an ordeal because people couldn't be convinced they made a mistake.

Did you guys read the same article I did? There's no indication that the mother said anything to the people at the hospital until after she had a DNA test done, four months later. And then, "Within hours, Jacob and Moses were swapped once again - this time handed to their biological parents." Within hours.

What I don't understand is the birth certificate problem. Why would the originally-issued birth certificate for "Moses Cushworth" not be valid?; 6/3/16, 4:05 PM
Amy said...: Ann - in a very small-world moment, the Cushworth family (baby's grandparents) lives in Wilmington Delaware, very close to where you are grew up. We knew Richard very well as a young man.
Crazy story. I was aware of it months ago, am surprised it is still receiving publicity.; 6/3/16, 4:08 PM
Sydney said...: It is obvious from their family portrait that the first baby comes from a different gene pool than the parents.; 6/3/16, 4:20 PM
Eddie said...: The third picture makes me laugh.; 6/3/16, 4:20 PM
effinayright said...: "How could this article not have asked the question -- what the hell are you doing in El Salvador if you are 8 months pregnant?"

Answer: probably much the same as 8-months pregnant Salvadorean women.; 6/3/16, 4:39 PM
YoungHegelian said...: SeanF,

Did you guys read the same article I did? There's no indication that the mother said anything to the people at the hospital until after she had a DNA test done, four months later.

Hidden in my post is the clue: "heard" not "read". But, it was, I must admit, not particularly a clear clue.

NPR did a radio report on this story, & that's why I mention not only the mother's crying & sobbing, but also that she told them that it wasn't her baby. I'll be damned if I can find the link, however. I suspect that they have some sort of contract with the BBC or whomever that prevents them from linking under their own rubric for a story they "shared".

So, no I didn't "read" the same story you did.; 6/3/16, 4:56 PM
Michael K said...: This is why footprints are made in the delivery room. Was that done?; 6/3/16, 5:06 PM
the gold digger said...: what the hell are you doing in El Salvador if you are 8 months pregnant?

Exactly. The Honduran woman with Zika made sure to be visiting relatives in the US right before she was due to deliver.; 6/3/16, 7:00 PM
traditionalguy said...: The Government is one of the Spanish Empire's former colonies runs on a hierarchy Roman Catholic authority structure resulting in long slow responses that allow time for the always required bribes to be discussed, collected and distributed up the chain.

Obama has installed much of that same system. We call it part Crony Capitalism, and part a Bureaucracy run by political bagmen and bagwomen.; 6/3/16, 7:39 PM