Using a “Hear our voice” battle cry Friday, supporters of “Baby Richard”-and of all adoptive parents-staged a Chicago rally to declare that the fight for his adoptive parents to retain custody is not over.
The show of unity was held by legislators, members of the national Deboer Committee for Children’s Rights and adoptive parents who gathered outside the State of Illinois Building. They chanted, “Hear our voice” and expressed frustration about recent developments that seem to be paving a road for Richard’s biological father to receive custody of the 3 1/2-year-old boy.
The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the decisions of two lower courts last month and ordered Richard back to his biological father, Otakar Kirchner. Kirchner has said he did not promptly come forward to seek custody of the boy because he had been told the baby had died.
Organizers of the more than 200 demonstrators Friday presented an award to Elizabeth Edgar, who accepted it on behalf of her father, Gov. Jim Edgar, who was recovering Friday from emergency heart bypass surgery.
Gov. Edgar had made an unprecedented plea Thursday to the Illinois Supreme Court to allow him to argue for a reconsideration of its decision in the Baby Richard case, a request denied a few hours later.
Those at the rally listened to two state legislators who sponsored a bill signed into law Sunday by Edgar. The law requires, among other things, a hearing to decide who will raise children in cases such as Richard’s.
“Their worst fears are behind them,” said Sen. Dan Cronin (R-Elmhurst), speaking of adoptive parents.
State Rep. Thomas Dart (D-Chicago) said, “There are real children involved here. There are a lot of Baby Richards out there. Somewhere along the line, the opinion of the Supreme Court has become skewed.”
Those attending the rally included members of several state delegations of the DeBoer Committee for Children’s Rights. The nationwide organization was formed Aug. 2, 1993, the day the child known then as “Baby Jessica” DeBoer, began her life with her biological parents after they had won a long legal battle with the girl’s adoptive parents.
“We had Baby Jessica last year and we failed her,” said Kate Kemmerer, treasurer of the Iowa chapter of the committee. “But we can still get this stopped. It’s a cruel thing to do to little children.”
Jini Clare, president of the Illinois chapter of the committee, emphasized that the Baby Richard case was not over. The Illinois Supreme Court still must decide whether to reconsider its ruling. If it decides not to, it still must consider whether to apply the state’s new law to the case.
