Terry Achane reunited with daughter.

Today SSG(Drill Sgt) Terry Achane was reunited with his daughter today.

It was a happy ending to Achane’s lengthy court battle to gain custody of the girl, who was placed for adoption at birth without his knowledge.

“I’m very happy,” a smiling Achane (pronounced A-chan) said Friday. “It’s 22 months too long — but the wait was worth it. I’ve got my daughter.”

The father and daughter will leave for Fort Jackson in South Carolina on Saturday. Waiting for them is Achane’s extended family, who can’t wait to meet Teleah.

So it looks like this is the conclusion to this who ordeal and that this case is bringing attention to the adoption laws in Utah that have some people caling Utah a place to “buy a baby”.

Hutchins has served as the president of the Utah Adoption Council and says he wanted to investigate an unsettling hunch.

He had employees from his law firm called adoption agencies at random. They posed as a woman asking about the process for an expectant mom from another state. The woman said her sister was unexpectedly pregnant, unmarried and wanted to place the child, but the birth father did not.

Hutchins recorded those conversations.

One agency said, “If he’s going to just be a total pain in the butt, then we can definitely just not have him involved at all.”

Another said, “I’d say literally over 99 percent of the time the guys just get caught up in it and everything, and then they find out they’re gonna have to pay $30,000 in legal fees, they’re just like, ‘Whatever, never mind.‘”

“Many adoption agency actually coach on what they should say and what they should do and what they shouldn’t say and what they shouldn’t do in order to keep birth fathers in the dark,” Hutchins said.

On the recordings, a counselor said, “Well, [the birth mother] won’t have to worry about [the birth father]. Let’s just put it that way.”

Another said, “You can tell the birth father anything after you give birth; might be easier to tell the birth father that you were in an accident, and the baby died.”

Also there is more on this coaching business.

Hutchins presented the transcripts to the Utah legislature saying the coaching from some adoption agencies is at the very least manipulative and wrong. He used them as evidence that the law in Utah needs to be changed.

“For example, they’ll say, ‘Don’t tell the birth father that you are coming to Utah. Wait until just before you are ready to come, and then send him a little text message, make sure you keep a copy of it, that you are going to Utah temporarily, but you’ll be back,'” Hutchins said.

Manzanares says that mirrors what happened to him.

“I’ll be flying to Utah to visit my father in Feb. for a week maybe a little longer,” A message from Terry said, in part. “In April, I will be willing to sit down and talk with you.”

On a final note.

Manzanares is the first father to fight the Utah adoption system and win. His name is now on his daughter’s birth certificate, and he has earned custody rights

Now it is at least two. Granted this is a win but with all the information coming from this case the people of Utah have some major issues to fix. Thank you to commenter JO for the link.

Category: Breaking News, Society, Veterans Issues