I went on the run to keep my baby

Did Sam do the right thing in running away? Do you think it was right for Sam to fear the worst or was she just paranoid? What impression does running away give to the authorities? Should social services change the way they handle cases like Sam’s?

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Comments

[jenny]

i think she did the right thing i ran away with my daughter from ireland to the uk where im from in 2001 i had joint custody with her father whom she lived with and was not getting to see her so i got the ferry over when i arrived i called her dad and told him where i was it was not fair for him to worry but under the hague convention for child abduction she was taken from me by police there was a short hearing at the high court but the judge said he had no choice but to return the child to ireland and i can fight for sole custody there if i want, i stayed in the uk for a few weeks but could not bear to be so far from her so i returned to ireland got a job and somewhere to live and started to see her again her dad is fantastic i have to say although i hated him at the time the mother daughter bond is lost though i shes my daughter and i love her but its not the same, i have a son now too i keep him close as i can never let anyone mind him ive gone through too much to have another child taken for whatever reason, i also suffered an eating disorder in the past which was used against me in court i cant see how that can make you a bad parent? if anyone ever tried to take my son i would run to the end of the earth with him.

[Wanda]

My heart went out to Sam Thomas. Being pregnant is difficult enough but add to that the stress and fear that your baby might be taken away - I'm amazed she didn't give birth prematurely or make herself ill. Yes, she had a troubled past, but that doesn't give anyone the right to take her child away. Surely in these situations it is better for the mother and child to be closely monitored, rather than separated? At the end of the day, it's what is best for the baby that counts, and being with its mother is surely the best thing?

[Jaime Woollen]

I would have done the exact same thing 12 months ago, as the social services have my son in foster care due to my past of an mentally abusive ex-partner. My heart goes out to all of those in the same situation, don't take the chance !!!!!