Rashad Head sees his son returned

My previous posts on the case were Rashad Head and Ricky Watters and Rashad's Law. From 11alive.com on December 29th:

A young Lawrenceville father says he wants to hold his son by the New Year. The child was in the process of being adopted by an NFL player and that has sparked a raging custody battle.

Seventeen-year-old Rashad Head said from the moment his 16-year-old girlfriend got pregnant, there was never any doubt that he wanted to be a father.

Friday night, Head stood outside a gated-community where the baby’s mother lives and hoped to persuade her to let him see the baby.

The child was in the process of being adopted by Superbowl standout, Ricky Watters who eventually returned the baby to the mother.

“I just want my son back. I just want full custody of my son and I want everything to work out. I’m tired of going through the legal situations that we’re going through,” said Head.

The custody fight will go to court on January 5.

There were several adoption activism blogs, primarily being Musings of the Lame, that covered this story with detail and passion. The father of Rashad Head, posting as "Strong" here and on SoA, had this message yesterday:

Rashad got to see his son today!

We're so excited. Rashad is busy putting together a toy he got for his son as we speak. Hopefully, this is the beginning of the 2 families coming together for the sake of the baby. We have a long way to go, but we'll get there.

I can't thank each and every one of you for your support. Please know that you can and do make a difference. I hope you all take comfort in knowing you helped bring a child back to his biological father. And, if I can be of help to anyone going through a similar situation, I’m here for you. And I pray that the good Lord blesses each and every one of you always. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all!

Ricky Watters' family returned the child to the mother, and the adoption was annulled. From this point on, the adoption element is going to fade as it turns into a regular custody case. Hopefully all sides will eventually resolve their differences.

What this case has reinforced for me is the need for private adoption reform. There are a lot of sleezy agencies out there. "A Chosen Child" in Florida has come up in other discussions as a particularly problematic one. I believe private adoption reform is necessary to protect families of origin from being manipulated or coerced into relinquishment. This would have the secondary effect of protecting future adoptive parents from unnecessary heartache.