Anna Mae He Back in the News on 20/20
ABC's 20/20, revisited the He family as they prepare to move back to China. It all began with little Anna Mae and her family's need for help during a difficult time.
Jack and Casey He came to the United States from China so that Jack could pursue a doctorate at the University of Memphis in Tennessee. After Jack was charged with sexually assaulting another student and later acquitted of the charges, he lost his position at the university and his student visa. Their income was slashed and Anna Mae was born, a month early. The He's worried about caring for her properly.
Little Anna Mae He was initially placed with the Baker family on what the He family thought to be a temporary basis while they worked out their legal and financial issues. They were supposed to allow visitation with Anna, but at Anna Mae's second birthday party, the He's were "escorted" from the Baker home and told not to return. In 2004, a court ruled that the He's had abandoned Anna and the Bakers were given full custody. But the He's fight continued. On January 23, 2007, the Tennessee Supreme Court determined that the lower courts had made a mistake and that Anna Mae should be reunited with her biological family.
Anna Mae was reunited with the He family, which now included a little brother and sister, in July 2007. Anna Mae struggled with the transition as the Bakers ended all contact when she was 2 and she did not know the He family. She refused to eat, sleep, or drink. The He's found a picture that Anna had drawn of her holding hands with Aimee Baker, one of the Baker's daughters. The He's asked her if she wanted to see Aimee and set up a visit. After that the girls spent more time together including sleep overs. Anna Mae's transition began to smooth over. The Baker's were then invited to be a part of Anna's life, including her 9th birthday party.
There is such a lesson here not only for adoptive parents but for foster parents. The Bakers fought to keep Anna Mae all to themselves and in my opinion, seemed to only be looking out for their best interest. The He's seem to really care about what Anna Mae needed to be successful and happy and so included the people who raised her back in her life. The He's seem to understand that by cutting out or cutting down verbally those that Anna loves will not encourage the fledgling bond that they are trying to build with Anna Mae.
I have utmost respect for the He's. They were treated very badly by the Bakers yet encourage a tie with them for Anna's sake. They were looking out for the child's best interest. Kind of reminds me of the wise king in the Old Testament who knew that the real mother wouldn't allow her baby to be split in half.
But now as the two families are working together, the He's are having to leave America for China as they are facing deportation. They were granted temporary permission to remain in the U.S. until the custody battle had ended. The He's are set to leave on February 9, 2008.
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For background information see past blogs:January 25, 2007
March 17, 2007
SOURCE:
For the Love of Anna Mae - ABC News
I watched this story and it bugged me so very much that the Bakers were so determined to take this child away from her real parents. The Bakers were so evil and mean to the He family and all the He’s did was want their baby girl happy and let the Bakers visit with her still. On one condition the Bakers couldn’t refer to themselves as Mom and Dad. Then what did Mrs. Baker do tell Anna mommy loves you. Sorry I am so against this and I cannot believe that no court let this child with the He family. I am so happy that the He family got their little angel back into their family (they truly are kind people that Anna needs to live and learn from). Way to go HE FAMILY!!! For not giving up to the mean BAKER family who said all this mean stuff – well guess what if you would have never taken this girl from the He family she would never have to suffer with all this crazy stuff to begin with!! Bakers you can learn something from the He family!! By the way I am a white female married to a Mexican man and I am proud to say that I do not look at stories based on race, sex, or religion! I base them truly on what is right and what is truly best for everyone! Thanks!
“real” parents (comment from Cindy) don’t show up 2 years after leaving their daughter with another family and decide it’s time to get her back. They thought they were signing for the bakers to pay her health insurance. Well, why didn’t they try to see her for 2-years? That is not a parent. The Bakers do strike me as prejudicial against chinese culture but that may be igorance which can be rectified or embodiement of the couple who are trying to steal THEIR child. Adoptive parents’ rights are never held to the same standard as birth parents. A parent is a person that cares for a child not one who simply provided genetic materia. Shame on you Cindy.
Jeann, the He’s did remain in contact with the Bakers during the first two years. It wasn’t until Anna’s second birthday that the Bakers changed the rules. That is how the facts have been presented in the different articles that I have read.
Cindy:
I am the “real” parent of my 7 year old daughter who just happens to be adopted. She is not my adopted daughter, she is my daughter. “Not blood of my blood, nor bone of my bone. But still somehow, miraculously, my own. Never forget for a single minute, you did not grow under my heart, but in it.” I take these words to heart and so does my daughter. Just ask her who mommy and daddy are. She’ll tell you. It really “bugs” me (to use your word) how you refer to adoptive parents as not real. What the heck are we, fake??? I give REAL hugs, real kisses. I make her real food, clean her real house and wash her real laundry. I go to my real job and earn real money to buy her all the real necessities a kid needs. Convinced yet that we are real??
Jeann, please learn the truth before you spew. Your email makes you sound ridiculous. The Bakers barred the Hes from seeing their daughter and actually called the police on them when she was 2. They didn’t abandon her — they were forced away by the police and the so-called Christian Bakers. The Hes kept fighting in courts because they love their daughter. The Bakers did everything they could to make sure Anna Mae would hate her parents. They told her she was Mexican. They brainwased her to hate all things Chinese. I even saw Mr. Baker on TV giving the girl a dollar every time she answered a question the way he liked! And they did not allow Anna Mae to see her parents from age 2 to age 9. Christian? They will burn in hell if there is a just God. And the Hes in turn allow the Bakers into their daughter’s life because they know it’s the healthy thing to do. In time, the poor girl will see how evil the Bakers really are. She’s in a healthy place now, with family, among people who look like her and truly love her.
In my state, adoption cannot be reversed after it is final for one year EVEN IF fraud is proven. This is to protect the child. Yes, I am aware Anna was not adopted. But she lived with the Baker’s for many, many years as their child. I truly believe something fraudulent occurred but, you cannot vindicate the birth parents by causing permanent damage to Anna’s psyche. What about Anna’s rights? She has the right to stability. She has the right to the only home and family she has known. She has a right not to be torn from the arms of her parents. And, yes, the Bakers are her parents, whether legal or not. In Anna’s eyes, they are Mom and Dad. It may make people angry, furious even, that a child could be taken from birth parents who had not relinquished their rights. And it really is truly wrong that this happened. And, yes, it is up to God, and only God, to decide what happens to the Bakers in eternity. But to take the child away from the Bakers to “correct” a wrong that was done is punishing Anna. It is not “healthy” to live with strangers, and unfortunately, that is exactly who the Hes are. I am in no way condoning what the Bakers did. I just wish that people could understand the permanent damage that is being done to Anna. Children are not property. And it doesn’t matter if your child looks like you or doesn’t. The fact that those around her in China also have almond-shaped eyes and black hair will have no meaning. To her, the faces of the Bakers and her extended family here in the U.S. are the faces of those who truly love her. If the Hes truly loved Anna, they would put aside their own feelings and let her live with the Bakers.
I am a 36 year old single mother of 4 beautiful children. In age ranges 18,17,12 & 6 months. Although my baby was falsely & illegally taken from me at birth, I am still fighting the System(CPS), to get him back! Would Love to have my story told/heard by those who may be out there who might be able to help me/us?! But always remember- someone so dear- so special to one’s self & belong’s only with family/you!! Never Will You — Let Up– Give Up– Give In– or — Let Go!! With Greatest Respect & Deepest Love & Happinest to Your Futures… Jennifer Leonard, My Daughter: Mandee Lea , My Son: Stuart Lee, My Son: Anthonee(Stuart) Lee, & My 6 month old, Son: Elijah Constantine.
The Bakers did not bar the Hes from seeing their child. The Hes chose not to have contact with Anna for more than four months which constitutes abandonment in the state of TN. The court decided, not the Bakers. There are too many fallacies in the article above. Mr He did not come to the US to attend the University of Memphis. He first arrived to attend the University of Arizona. For some reason, he decided to go to Memphis. Casey did not come to the US for quite a few years after that. Jack and Casey met on the internet. Jack visited China. Casey arrived in the US fraudulently on a F1 visa. She stated that she was the wife of a student in the US when the Hes, in fact, were not married. This is all in the court’s transcripts. Casey He was pregnant when she arrived in the US. Anna was not initially placed with the Bakers for the insurance coverage. The Hes could not “take care” of her and went to an adoption agency while Casey He was pregnant. The Hes selected another couple (not the Bakers) to adopt Anna at first, but then decided against the couple because they were not “wealthy enough.” The agency arranged for several weeks of foster care. Anna was placed with the Bakers when she was just three weeks old. The Bakers became legal guardians of Anna after three months. This was a private arrangement between the Hes and the Bakers. The Hes claim insurance was the reason, but the Bakers say that the Hes asked them to raise Anna until she was 18 years old. The Hes visited Anna for short amounts of time until the dispute when Anna was two years old. Anna was sick and the Hes wanted to take the child out for a portrait. The Bakers said no. The Bakers were given this right by the Hes when they signed over legal custody of Anna to the Bakers. The court terminated the Hes’ parental rights after this. The Hes appealed and lost. Finally, the TN Supreme Ct. ruled, when Anna was eight and 1/2 years old, that parental right’s were more important than the child’s rights. Carrie, you really need to read more before commenting on this case as you have quite a few major points wrong. The Hes are not the good guys; the Bakers are not the bad guys. Anna’s best interest should have been decided, not the Hes’ best interest. The Hes, especially Jack He, are very good at manipulating the media and you have fallen victim. The Hes were not looking out for Anna’s best interest at all. If so, they would have never signed away their parental rights and would have raised her themselves. Many services and help was available to them. Take a look at the original court transcript before passing judgment against the Bakers. BTW, the Bakers were only invited to Anna’s birthday party to make Jack He look “good” in the public eye. The media was invited. This is a complicated issue and you need to take a second and unbiased look. My comments are actually the short version of this poor child’s life and the real story. Anna will have psychological problems for her whole life. Can you imagine being ripped from the only home and family that you know after 8 1/2 years?
Anna’s Friend,
My points came from 20/20 as stated in the blog. Did you contact 20/20 with your version of the truth?
That’s the biggest problem with this case – it all depends on who you ask and what side of the fence you’re on.
I see that all sides are good at manipulating the media and the ONLY fallen victim here is Anna Mae, as I’ve stated before in previous blogs on the subject.
Anna’s Friend,
No matter what happened, a family that visits their daughter each and every single week for two years (according to the Baker’s logs), then filed for custody when they were “escorted” out of the home, did not abandon their child. Why would the Bakers, who acknowledge their role as foster carers for those two years, fight so hard to keep the child away from her parents?
The problem is, baby-stealing episodes like these really won’t end here. Foster parents are usually never this blatant, but it does happen. Unfortunately, sometimes the foster parents win, but this case really was a no-brainer, since the Supreme Court made a unanimous decision after an exhaustive review of the case.
While the child Anna Mae would have a better life with the wealthier white American family, I also think the biological parents have rights as well and those should not be easily taken away. In this case, it seems that the Birth Mother did not want to give up Anna and wanted to regain custody. Just because a child is born into poverty or to unemployed and uneducated parents does not mean that the birth parents are unfit. I think if the Bakers really wanted the best for Anna they would never have cut off her contact with her birth parents but instead find a way to co-parent with the Birth Parents and help them get back on their feet. A child should never have to deny her blood family, even if the courts disagree.
I have a very good friend who is going thru something very similar. I have a letter she has written to address the situation she is in. She lived here in the US until after many wrongs and her own struggles w/ADD, she had to leave 3daughters in CA and 1 boy in Ohio. The boy was living w/his dad and they both had custody. She is living in Africa and wants her little boy back (11yrs) since his father died last year. The foster family decided THEY loved him and wanted to keep him like he is some kind of toy. WELL, I ALSO HELPED RAISE HIM W/HIS DAD FOR AWHILE and i got no say so in the matter and would never have tried to keep him away from his birth mom!!! That is all these people have done. Keeping him in glory w/video games and going places his unemployed father couldnt afford has put a big bag over his head because he loves doing all those things. Well so would I if i never had it before. But he needs to be w/his mother. If anyone has any idea what to do please email me at jbettinger111@aol.com or Murielle at murielle_dasylva@yahoo.fr