I know who I think is a twin to one of the Hicks babies. My mother for one. Stream It Or Skip It: 'Tom Jones' On PBS, A Romance-Focused Adaptation Of Henry Fielding's Novel, Stream It or Skip It: 'Spring Breakthrough' on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Proves We Need More Keesha Sharp, Stream It or Skip It: 'Hearts in the Game' on Hallmark Just Might Be the Network's Movie of the Year. "My story is not unique," saidJane Blasio in the first segment of the special. Taken at Birth airs on TLC October 9-11 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET/PT. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. But considering the series was billed as a special event, Id say a Season 2 is unlikely. Writing the book gave her a "better understanding" of not only herself but her adoptive parents. Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. Thomas Hicks, a Georgia doctor, had illegally sold more than 200 babies from the back door of his clinic. This would be the time it would be almost impossible to hide a pregnancy. The final segment of Taken at Birthairedon Friday, October 11th, 2019 on TLC. JaneBlasio began her birth search in the early 80s at 18, this journey has taken her from phone calls, pre-internet research, knocking on doors and meeting in back parking lots at night, to DNA matches and a blackmarket business run by a small town doctor that sold 200+ babies Helping her in this story of loss and reunion are Long Lost Family hosts Chris Jacobs and Lisa Joyner, adoptees themselves. According to ABC News, Dr. Hicks convinced a few of these young moms to keep the babies and put them up in a hotel in town until they gave birth. This testimony is borne out by another story that focuses on John Stapleton, another "Hicks Baby." "It was cathartic," Blasio said of her research. He was married and had two children, a son and a daughter. ), RELATED:Meet The 9-Kid, No-Technology Plath Family Featured In New TLC Show 'Welcome To Plathville'. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Although Dr. Hicks got his supply of babies from advertising to pregnant women in distress, he did not have to advertise that he was selling babies. The Hicks Babies share an urgency to find their roots and uncover the truth about Dr. Hicks clinic before the clock runs out. Before her mother Joan died, Joan begged her husband Jim to tell the girls everything. Others were given away at birth as their desperate, dirt-poor mothers simply couldnt afford another mouth to feed. Here's When It Returns With New Episodes, Drew Barrymore Halts Segment After "Severely Old" Mac and Cheese Noodle Flies off Her Desk: "It's Rock Hard". But the full, darker tale of how she was acquired didnt emerge until much later, after the death of her adoptive mother freed her to ask hard questions to the remaining parent who raised her. Ms. Blasio found that many of the children were born weighing less than 5 lbs. The show shows the happy, sad, and frustrating side of dealing with both government and individuals. Two hundred babies? Why did Dr. Hicks start selling babies? Taken At Birth is based on the true story of an illegal adoption ring run by Thomas Hicks Appalachian History Net explains that "Hicks cared for the mundane health issues of local farmers and townspeople in the front of the clinic while performing abortions . Sallie & the Hicks babies learn the DNA results. Buried Truth | Taken At Birth. Following the hugs, laughter and tears, many of the Hicks Babies find themselvestorn between the overwhelming joy of finally being reunited and thereality ofmissing out on these relationships for so long,bringing closure for some and new questions for others. Dr. Hicks died a disgrace in 1972, one year before the Roe v. Wade decision. All rights reserved. 1,239, This story has been shared 1,213 times. Meet Kody Brown's Rumored Fifth Wife On 'Sister Wives' Who May Or May Not Be Real. In the series, the victims, dubbed Hicks Babies, team up with a group of investigators to search for answers. Though Blasio didnt understand the full meaning of the circumstances surrounding her birth, she had a sense that something was off. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. He was a Georgia-native who became infamous for his illegal side gig selling newborns. Abortion is legaltoday (though whether that remains to be true depends on that weird Supreme Court we have right now), but black markets for babies still exist in the United States. Investigation journalism at its best. To her horror, she discovered that she was a Hicks Babyas the children trafficked by Hicks came to be called---one of possibly 200 children sold by the monster who started operating his clinic in the 1940s and carried on his business for almost 30 years. Taken At Birth was billed as a three-night/six-hour special event. As of now, theres no fourth episode of Taken At Birth. What Time Does 'Yellowjackets' Season 2, Episode 6 Air On Showtime? Born in 1965 at a clinic operated by Thomas Jugarthy Hicks in a small town in northern Georgia, Jane, a prematurely born baby, was sold, not legally adopted, and passed through the back door of the clinic to the couple whom she grew up believing were her birth parents. One of those peddled babies was Blasio, author of the new book "Taken at Birth," released earlier this week. Dr. Hicks found a way to play God delivering preterm babies and selling them before they could pass away. By April Neale. Awesome show, I love that they are delving into how this happened, and how technology is so awesome that we are able to find kin. 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. Dr. Thomas Hicks apparently convinced more than 200 pregnant mothers that their babies had either died or that they should put them up for adoption, claiming he found suitable parents. Blasio wanted to find out what happened before she was adopted. On her journey to discover the truth about her adoption and birth parents, "the facade" of her life kept more complicated, she said. Deeply disturbing and surprisingly redemptive, author Jane Blasios memoir plumbs the depths of human depravity and the mystery of Gods mercy. As Blasio shares her quest for her biological family, she relates how God was always seeking her, even though, in the depths of her emotional pain, she tried to run from him. 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. '", Ana Navarro Jokes About Sara Haines' White House Correspondents' Dinner Antics on 'The View': "Maybe There Will Be a Restraining Order", Sunny Hostin Opens Up About Receiving Hurtful Emails on The View: Im Not Liked By Half The Country, Sunny Hostin Shades Meghan McCain for Scathing Column About 'The View': "Our Show Is a Wonderful Place". Dr. Hicks served as a town doctor in McCaysville, Ga., and was known for performing abortions, which were illegal at the time. TLC The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. And I had nothing, other than the birth certificate that said Hicks Clinic.'. Hicks eventually lost his medical license in 1964 for performing abortions illegally, according to People magazine. Premiering on TLC in October of 2019, the six-hour special follows the story of the Hicks Babies, the name given to more than 200 newborn babies illegally sold by a small-town Georgia clinic during the 1950s and 1960s. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Our website services, content and products are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Taken at Birth, TLC's six-part, three-night special revisits the case of Dr. Thomas J. Hicks, a who sold and/or gave away more than 200 newborn infants between the 1950s and 1960s. Jane Blasio (left) and sister (Credit: Jane Blasio), "He knew what he was doing," the author said of her father's decision to purchase a baby from the clinic. As an interesting historical sidebar,this writer remembers when her maternal grandmother recounted the tale of how Lysol was recommended as a douche when she first came to the United States. When women came to Hicks Community Clinic in McCaysville, Georgia wanting an abortion, he would perform these but would first try to persuade the young women to carry their child to term and place the child up for adoption. pic.twitter.com/aTH43ks3Co. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Interlaced with the long overdue reunions, is Jane, Lisa, and Chris searching for answers that have haunted the Hicks Babies for years. He was stripped of his medical license in 1964 but served no jail time. The author found out that she was adopted at 6 but started to question how when she was a young teenager. By Bernadette Giacomazzo Written on Apr 26, 2020. He reportedly performed abortions, which were illegal at the time, for $100. See production, box office & company info. Inside Black Market Baby Ring Featured In TLC's 'Taken At Birth' And Jane Blasio's Role In Bringing It Down, Meet The 9-Kid, No-Technology Plath Family Featured In New TLC Show 'Welcome To Plathville', saidJane Blasio in the first segment of the special, Who Is Leah Marie Brown? Stream now on discovery+. This is tricky. Some were told the child was stillborn or had died. Stapleton and his adopted sister, Cyndy, were just two of more than 200 newborns sold by Dr. Thomas Hicks. It's a six-hour documentary special that's broken into three separate episodes. Dr. Hicks' karmaventually caught up with him something fierce. They stated that the adoptive parents were called and told they had to be there in 12 hours. Hicks' illegal. (It doesn't make it right it just explains it. Let's look at the gob-smacking revelations about Dr. Thomas Hicks, the "Hicks Babies," and the black market adoption practice thatBlasio brought to light. For nearly three decades, Hicks sold as many as 200 babies to local and out-of-state couples who didn't have the time or money for legal adoptions, for prices ranging from $100 to thousands of dollars. How did Dr. Thomas Hicks run this black market operation? It's Me, Margaret' Streaming on HBO Max or Netflix? The six-part, three-night special revisits the case of Dr. Thomas J. Hicks, who sold or gave away . Taken at Birth. As a young doctor in 1917, Hicks got busted for illegally selling narcotics. Nonbinary 'Yellowjackets' Star Liv Hewson Is Sitting out of Emmy Season Over Gendered Categories, 'Yellowjackets' Season 2 Episode 5 Recap: Digging the Antler Queen, Drew Barrymore Admits She's "Not Sure" She's "Drawn to the Manscaper" on 'The Drew Barrymore Show': "I Love Funk", Drew Barrymore Opens up About Up Close and Personal Interview Style: "I Feel This Magnetic Pull", Why Isn't 'The Drew Barrymore Show' on Today? Dr. Hicks was a town doctor who performed illegal abortions. No medical records of the mothers were kept by Hicks, but now some of the hundreds of babies sold are using DNA data from 23andMe to find their blood relatives. Fri Oct 11, 2019 at 12:37pm ET. And it took the efforts of one woman to finally bring this practice to light. Its time the truth came to light. (Ain't that some bull!) Blasio's father was a police officer who "knew right from wrong," though he eventually got his first felony. 3,362, This story has been shared 2,880 times. 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Lead investigator Jane Blasio is joined by Lisa Joyner and Chris Jacobs to find closure for those stolen babies. }, if (typeof(allpass_containerRequests) !== 'undefined') { allpass_containerRequests.push([jQuery('#allpass_container10'), 'Narrow', null, null]); }, Lonely Hurts, But God Can Redeem It Encouragement for Today May 1, 2023, How God Uses Your Weakness for His Glory Senior Living May 1, 80s Movie Star Left Hollywood To Raise A Family But Now Hes Ready To Chase His Dream Again, Grandma Learns the Sinister Story About Her Abduction 40 Years Ago, Grandma Kept Family Secret 35 Years Hoping Her Parents Would Tell Her, Twin Sisters' DNA Test Results Uncover a Dark Family Mystery Involving Their Dad's True Identity, Florida Issues Birth Certificates For Parents Grieving Miscarriages, Adopted Sons See Their Parents After 3 Long Years, Parents Write Thank You Letters To Children's Step Parents, Missionary Family Flies Home For Christmas To Surprise Their Family, Grieving Parents Share Photos Of Their Baby Who Died At Birth, Struggling Family Gets Christmas Surprise From Ellen, 'I Had Pasta Tonight' Is A Secret Code On TikTok Parents And Grandparents Need To Know About, Doctors Operate on Partially-Born Baby with Birth Defect As Parents Hold out Hope for Tiny 'Fighter', Family Surprises Bride And Groom With Flashmob, California Do Not Sell My Personal Information. A destination online, TLC.com offers in-depth fan sites and exclusive original video content. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Decades later, those babies want to find their familiesand the truth. For over 50 years this small town has been hiding a shocking secret. Concluding on a note of mercy for all those who were affected by Hicks actions, including Hicks himself, Blasio says, Belonging is where unconditional love is, where you want to be., Warning: graphic, though not gratuitous, scenes relating Hicks crimes against women and babies make for perturbing, troubling reading. Lukas Matsson's Tweet Explained. Its a six-hour documentary special thats broken into three separate episodes. Keep scrolling for all the details on Taken at Birth on TLC. The TLC special unites Blasio with Lisa Joyner and Chris Jacobs, hosts of the networks Long Lost Family reality show, in an effort to pierce the secrecy and broken biological ties that still surround many of the Hicks Babies, of which Blasio, born in 1965, appears to be the last and the youngest. Find Us; Watch; Tv Guide; . He got his licensed revoked because he was caught performing an abortion. This seems to be an odd coincidence, but there are reasons for this. It tells the story of Dr. Thomas Hicks, a small-town physician who illegally sold babies throughout the '50s and '60s. Season 1. Dr. Hicks allegedly sold over 200 babies in a black-market adoption ring. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. As we kick March to the curb, we prepare to welcome Bong Joon-hos Oscar-winning film Parasite (April 8), the final season of Future Man (April 3), and the beloved 2009 classic Zombieland to Hulu. 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.