Sally Hicks was a 17-year-old head girl at St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School in Perth, Australia, who died in March 2022, seven months after a horrific car accident left her in a coma. She was a vibrant and confident young woman who was loved and respected by everyone who knew her. She had organized a fundraiser for cyclone victims and participated in an international student exchange program. She was also one of the Hicks babies, a group of more than 200 newborns who were illegally sold or given away by Dr. Thomas J. Hicks, a Georgia doctor who ran a black market adoption ring in the 1950s and 1960s.
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Who Was Dr. Hicks?
Dr. Thomas J. Hicks was a well-respected doctor in the small town of McCaysville, Georgia, who provided healthcare to poor copper mining families. He also offered adoption services, care for women who opted for pregnancy termination, and prenatal care—including the delivery of babies. Abortion was illegal in Georgia at the time, but he advertised it in the local community and in nearby areas along with his other services.
How Did Dr. Hicks Get Babies for Illegal Adoptions?
Dr. Hicks obtained babies by convincing biological mothers to put them up for adoption, or by lying to birth parents and telling them their babies died. Pregnant and often unmarried women who wanted to terminate their pregnancy would approach him for an abortion. While he performed the procedure on some of these women, he convinced others to give up their babies for adoption instead. Whenever Dr. Hicks delivered healthy babies who never considered an abortion, he would tell them they died of childbirth so he could sell them.
Dr. Hicks sold the babies to families from McCaysville and surrounding areas without any vetting process, as long as they could pay for the illegal adoption. Each baby was sold for about $1,000, which is worth $11,000 today. He gave the adoptive parents a fake birth certificate and left no records of the birth mothers.
Who Is Jane Blasio?
Jane Blasio is the youngest of the known Hicks babies, who works with TLC’s Long Lost Family co-hosts Chris Jacobs and Lisa Joyner to unravel the mystery of Hicks’ crimes. She was adopted by Jim and Judy Blasio, a couple from Akron, Ohio, who paid $1,000 for her in 1965. She learned that she was a Hicks baby when she was six years old, and began searching for her biological family when she was 18.
Jane Blasio is also the author of Taken at Birth: Stolen Babies, Hidden Lies, and My Journey to Finding Home, a memoir that chronicles her journey of discovering her true identity and finding her birth mother.
Did Any of the Hicks Babies Find Their Birth Parents?
Some of the Hicks babies have been able to find their birth parents through DNA testing and genealogical research. In 2014, Ancestry.com and ABC News helped the Hicks babies conduct DNA tests on themselves and members of the McCaysville community. They also created a Facebook group called “Hicks Babies” to connect with each other and share information.
However, many of the Hicks babies are still looking for their birth parents or siblings. Some of them have faced challenges such as finding out that their birth parents have passed away, or that they have half-siblings who do not want to meet them.
How Can Hicks Babies Find Their Birth Mothers?
Hicks babies who are looking for their birth mothers can use various resources such as DNA testing services, genealogy websites, social media platforms, adoption registries, and private investigators. They can also contact local newspapers or TV stations that might be interested in covering their stories and reaching out to potential relatives.
However, finding their birth mothers might not be easy or possible for some of the Hicks babies, as some of them might have changed their names or moved away from McCaysville. Some of them might also not want to be found or contacted by their biological children.
What Happened To Dr. Hicks And His Associates?
Dr. Hicks gave up his medical license in 1964 after he was indicted on charges of performing an illegal abortion. He died in 1972 at age 83, which was 25 years before the shocking story of his black market baby ring came to light.
None of his associates or accomplices were ever prosecuted or held accountable for their involvement in his illegal adoption scheme. Some of them have denied any knowledge or participation in his activities, while others have refused to comment or cooperate with the investigations.
According to Country Living, some of the adoptive parents who bought babies from Dr. Hicks have also been reluctant to share their stories or admit that they knew what they were doing was wrong.
