Michael Hunter (Update)

It appears that Shawn McDonald has lost his court battle to gain custody of his own son, Michael Hunter. Shawn McDonald is the biological father to Michael-Hunter, and was not aware of his son until two days before he was born.

Hunter was given up for adoption through LDS Family Services by his mother, without Shawn's consent. The baby was taken to Idaho and given to an LDS couple there, whom Shawn has been fighting in court. Shawn already has a 3 and 1/2 year old daughter with his ex, but for some reason she felt the need to give Hunter up for adoption, and she and LDS Family Services clearly conspired to hide the pregnancy and ensuing adoption from Shawn.

Shawn has been going through a living nightmare, that I cannot even begin to imagine, although I sympathize fully and completely. He was granted visitation with his son, and some monetary compensation to cover legal bills. This recent ruling is a major blow, and in my opinion - extremely unjust. LDS Family Services gets away with their kidnapping tactics yet again!

Here are some words from Shawn, a little over a year ago:

On his daughter: "She's missing out on her brother, too."

On how LDS Services wins: "And that's how they get it done, they just drain people, make you spend all your money on lawyers when they got endless amounts of money, you know."

What Shawn's previous lawyer, Rob Kersey had to say: "I've never seen an agency take off with a child. Nobody has a custody order. Nobody has anything."

Well obviously Mr. Kersey had never dealt with LDS "Family Services" before, but lawyers all across the country are getting an education in LDS illegal/immoral tactics more than ever!

(For a link to the original article: click HERE)

I would like to know how much the LDS church is contributing towards legal bills for the Hess's, and if they are covering all the legal fees entirely.


A video about the latest ruling:

Another earlier video, about the case:


We will see what legal proceedings are left for Shawn to pursue, and what will happen from here. The jury did award Shawn visitation which is good, but a minor consolation compared to having his own son - which should be his right! But as Shawn himself says, fathers have no real rights.
It's especially difficult for anyone to battle a multi-billion dollar corporation. The LDS church has millions at its disposal to throw away in order to ensure that an LDS couple gets the baby they want, and they have the resources to pump the ol' PR machine and make the father look as bad as possible. What average person can compete against such odds?

I will be keeping an eye on this case, and updating everyone as events occur. Shawn I just want you to know that many of us (probably all), in the ex-mo community support you fully, and our hearts go out to you in what must be an incredibly horrible ordeal.

BADMOUTHING FATHERS

I've been sickened (but not surprised) to read on message boards and forums, the nasty things people have to say about the fathers in these cases, particularly LDS people. They claim the fathers are unfit, bad people, selfish, arrogant and that the babies are better off in "two-parent" homes. The gossip abounds about the fathers being criminals or anything else that's negative and unsubstantiated.

First of all, no one is arguing that a two-parent stable home is not the ideal. Of course it is. But this is the real world, and not every baby is born into that situation. What gives the LDS church (or anyone else for that matter) the right to rip children away from parents that love and want them -- and give them to someone else based on religious/social standing?

Perhaps we should start taking children away from all single parents and giving them to LDS couples. If you earn under $40,000 a year? Your baby gets taken and given to an LDS couple. Did you used to have an addiction? Ever been to rehab or counselling for depression? Your baby is going to an LDS couple! Did you grow up in an imperfect family, or have a case of high blood pressure and heart disease? The baby is going to an LDS family! Did you once purchase an X-rated magazine as a teenage boy, or cheat during a high school exam? Your baby is going to an LDS family!

I mean, it's absolutely ludicrous! What person is perfect? What family is perfect? Who can score A+ in every part of life and meet unrealistic qualifications? No one! The only reason the LDS church is able to get away with this is because they usually do it very secretively, and they are experts at kidnapping children, no exaggeration! It's swept under the rug because no one wants to face the issue, no one wants to deal with it, and everyone is too damn PC. And the LDS people won't complain because ... when Mormons do it, it can't be wrong! The church is always true!

Everything these spectators have to say about the fathers amazes me, since they don't even know them personally. But somehow everyone knows everything, and "knows" that these men could not be good parents, or are rotten people, or that the LDS couple can provide a better life. How do they know? I suppose it must be the burning bosom!

The mud slinging is just fantastically pathetic, but typical. It's like my own brother who witnessed a stabbing. He held the victim as he was dying, trying to stop the bleeding and save his life. Only to have it thrown back at him later on in court, with LDS Family Services implying that he's unfit to be a father because he is "implicated in a murder". I mean, it sure makes it sound a lot different than what actually happened!

I for one, am utterly repulsed at the rude messages, judgmental messages, and LDS-can-do-no-wrong-brainwashed messages people have written about Shawn McDonald, Matt Tenneson, Cody O'Dea and others. All because these men WANT THEIR OWN CHILDREN! Their own flesh and blood children whom they were denied for no proper reason ... children that were simply moved out of state and given away to LDS couples like some toy or trinket!

How can the states, and the government of America allow such kidnappings to go on and turn a blind eye? This is incredible! And it needs to be exposed for the country and world at large to see!

I am not advocating the idea that fathers should win custody merely because they are the father. For instance, a father who is a known heroin addict, who has been convicted of spousal abuse, and who has a history of molestation or violence in his family obviously should not get custody. But come on, we all know that those sort of cases are a rare event! Most fathers trying to win their children back from LDS couples are normal, loving people with normal families who are losing because they don't have the money to fight, and they aren't Mormon. If a father is functional, loving, and not abusive -- his rights should be considered first, as is only logical, ethical and fair under the law.

At least give the fathers equal rights. Judge them based on their own merits. They deserve that much! They deserve the same consideration and treatment that LDS couples receive.


LDS FAMILIES ARE NOT PERFECT

LDS people are like anyone else: imperfect. They have the same flaws and struggles as non-LDS people do. I was a Mormon for 8 years, and knew many Mormon families, and they were not perfect. Case in point:

I knew a woman (whom I respect greatly) who was an LDS member. She babysat my son. She was a kindhearted, smart, loving woman that I can't say a bad thing about. She and her husband were not able to conceive and so they adopted a daughter through LDS Family Services.
A few years later, her husband had an affair and left her. This "temple worthy, two parent home" underwent a very sad divorce and situation. Did giving this girl to an LDS home ensure that her life would be perfect, or that she would have two parents? No.

That is not an isolated case. I know many stories very similar, and the same, as the one just mentioned. Yes, there are great LDS families, but there are many imperfect ones, dysfunctional ones, or sad ones as well. Because LDS people are just like everyone else. And pretending that they are perfect and can give a superior life to a child as opposed to the father or non-LDS people is just the epitomy of arrogance and foolishness.

If LDS children were being taken from the mothers and given to Catholic couples, or Jewish couples on a regular basis -- the church would be in an uproar! But somehow, because it's LDS couples taking other people's children, it's "God's will" and acceptable. And seeing as Utah is the most corrupt state in terms of adoptions (and many other things), everyone turns a blind eye. The legislature regarding adoption isn't going to change any time soon - because Utah is Mormon controlled! And the corruption goes on ...


Every day I cannot open a newspaper, or go on the internet, or do anything without seeing how the LDS church is destroying people's lives. For such a small organization (only 13 million worldwide or less) it causes catastrophes everywhere. I'm in awe of how such a small cult can create such devastation continually.

There needs to be proper investigations, publicity and measures taken to change the adoption laws in Utah, and elsewhere. And we need proper watchdog groups monitoring LDS Family Services and others, and holding people accountable for kidnapping and baby selling.

We sure as hell can't count on the Mormon church doing it. Mormon members generally believe they are following 'God's will', and that they are right, their church can do no wrong, that they have the one and only "true church and truth" of the universe, and are on their way to Godhood in eternity everlasting! There is no reasoning with these people or this organization. We need outside, non-LDS intervention NOW!