CNN 20: Custody Battle Ends, August 2, 1993
ED GARSTEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The feeling of dread permeated the DeBoors' (ph) home all day in Anne Arbor, Michigan, as Jan, with a heavy heart, loaded a van filled with baby Jessica's bed, and clothes. and toys. Then, as the 2:00 p.m. deadline hit, desperate screams of grief with from within and without.</s>CHESTER BELECKI, PHOTOJOURNALIST: To see this one. It was just something about it, to see this girl taken away, crying hysterically, that you couldn't help but feel so sad for the whole situation, for everybody involved. And that was real tough as a photographer to try and cover that.</s>GARSTEN: The DeBoors lost Jessica after a bitter two-year court battle with the Schmidts (ph). Jessica was born out of wedlock to Cara Clauson (ph) and Dan Schmidt (ph) and given up for adoption for the DeBoors. But Cara changed her mind, first naming one man as the girl's father, then Dan Schmidt, The couple married and together they sought Jessica's return, finally winning last Friday when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to intervene.</s>GARSTEN: The rights of the child all of a sudden became something everyone was talking about. This really gave a very strong impetus to the whole idea of the rights of a child. And from that point on, I believe every adoption that occurred after the DeBoor case was effected in some way.