Jaxon Adams, crying, reaches for his mom at the end of a rare visit with his family. Source: Bring Jaxon Adams Home Facebook page.
by Terri LaPoint
Health Impact News
As the Adams family continues to struggle to get their son back from the state of Missouri, they are reaching out to the public and to the media in the hope of exposing the tragic reality that far too many people are facing when they simply seek a second opinion or better medical care for their beloved child.
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Parents face daunting custody battle with the State of Missouri after their child was medically kidnapped by a local hospital Independence, Missouri, February 25, 2015:
The Adams family is yet another family that has fallen victim to the disturbing trend of “medical kidnapping” which is occurring across the United States. Medical kidnapping is a term used to describe children being taken into state custody after parents disagree with a course of treatment recommended by a doctor, or in the case of the Adams seeking a second opinion and/or a change in medical care. Upon being informed of the same, the physician then places a “hotline” call to child protective services and reports “medical abuse” by the parent.
These physicians frequently allege that one or both of the parents suffer from Munchhausen’s by Proxy also known as Factitious Disorder Imposed On Another (“FDIOA”), a mental illness whereby a caregiver fabricates symptoms of illness in another under their care (i.e., children, elderly adults, disabled persons, etc.). FDIOA is a diagnosis made upon the parent and/or caregiver, not the child, and it is difficult to diagnose and often requires prolonged evaluation of the individual allegedly suffering from the disorder. In medical kidnapping cases, it is a doctor at the children’s hospital attempting to affix this FDIOA label to the parents and in many cases the doctor attempting to do so has never met the parents of the child, as is the case with Jason and Tiffany Adams.
The Adams’ son, Jaxon, was taken into state custody on September 17, 2014, after doctors from Children’s Mercy Hospital placed a hotline call alleging Jaxon’s parents were medically abusing him. Jaxon had been under Children’s Mercy Hospital’s care for a number of years. In July and August of 2014, the Adams were becoming more and more dissatisfied with Jaxon’s medical care and sought to transfer his treatment to the University of Kansas Medical Center in addition to changing his primary care doctor. However each time the parents attempted to remove Jaxon from care at Children’s Mercy Hospital, the new physician would receive a phone call from one of the Children’s Mercy doctors and the new physician would refuse to treat Jaxon. Jaxon’s parents followed the recommendations of the physicians at Children’s Mercy and based upon physician recommendations, Jaxon underwent a number of procedures and tests.
The physicians now claim that the tests and procedures were “unnecessary” yet admit that the physician ultimately has the final decision as to whether a procedure is performed. So now the Adams find themselves in the position of having to defend themselves for medically abusing their child when all they did was comply with physicians’ advice. Not only did the Adams’ fall victim to the physicians at Children’s Mercy Hospital; however, the have also been savagely victimized by the Children’s Division of the State of Missouri Department of Social Services. They have suffered countless indignities, they are not allowed to talk to their son or Skype with him, and on a number of occasions they have not been allowed to visit their child. In the month of February, they have only seen their child one time using only two units of the twelve units allotted.
As a result, Children’s Division is in violation of a Court Order with regard to visitation. The situation with Children’s Division has devolved to the point where the Adams have requested that the Missouri Department of Social Services do an investigation as to how their case is being handled as well as how cases are being handled in Jackson County, Missouri.
Jaxon’s parents, Tiffany and Jason Adams, were recently interviewed for a segment on 41 Action News Kansas City about Isaiah’s Law – a bill named for Isaiah Rider, another Missouri child who, like Jaxon, was medically kidnapped by the state when his parents sought a second medical opinion.
Read this article and comment on MedicalKidnap.com
Supporters may follow Jaxon’s story and get involved by going to the Bring Jaxon Adams Home Facebook page.