Evening star., 1940-02-14

The city's busiest adoption agent
told Star reporter today how she
conducts her business as a commit
tee of citizens whipped into final
form bill designed to halt the al
legged practices which inspired q
congressional investigation of child
placing agencies in the District.
The proposed legislation, formu-
lated by subcommittee of the
Council of Social Agencies Legisla-
tive Committee, will be presented to
the House District Committee at its
session next Monday. Final revi-
sions will be made in the bill at a
meeting of the subcommittee to-
morrow.
Most active of the city's adoption
agents is Mrs. Annie L. Grover, who
claims to have placed 750 babies
in the 18 years she has handled the
placing of children with foster
parents. It was Mrs. Grover whose
name was mentioned during two
habeas corpus actions last year
which resulted in a statement from
Justice T. Alan Goldsborough. who
heard the cases, that the adoption
of infants should be put in the
hands of a public organization
having no possible commercial in
terest.
Mrs. Grover described to a Star
reporter how she carries on her
business.
Most of the mothers from whom
she takes babies are unwed and
can't care for their children, Mrs.
Grover said.
Doctors or friends refer them to
me-" she went on. II never have
asked for baby. The mothers
either send for me or come to me-
I never take any money from the
mother or pay the doctor for send
ing her to me.
IF I know a girl is poor, see to
it that she has plenty of fruit, milk
and vegetables before her confine-
ment. I have a Wasserman test
made then, too. If she can't pay
her hospital bills, I pay it. I take
her to lunch or out for ride and
watch her reactions. If you know
human nature, you know what kind
of girl she is.
| Sometimes, knowing she can de-
pend on somebody to take care OF
the child prevents a girl from hav-
ing an abortion or committing sui
eide. I always ask a girl If she
feels she can marry the father Of
the child, but they almost always
won't hear of it. Their greatest
feeling is that their mothers are
not to know what has happened
to them.
Foster Parents Pay Expenses.
''When the baby comes, I have
it examined shortly after it,is born
and then again before it goes to
the adopting parents. Sometimes I
have X-rays made of their thymus
gland and, If there's anything at
all suspicious, have tuberculin
tests made, too.
Usually the mother arranges to
give up the child about three
months before she goes to the hos
pital She signs the surrender pa
pers while she is in the hospital,
but there's a Today clause In it
that gives her a chance to change
her mind. I have paid hospital
bills and not gotten the baby.
"The babies 60 to good homes.
The adoptingfparents have to give
references and they fill out an appn-
cation blank with their nationality
and descent, religion, education, in
come, business, size of their families
and descriptions Of their immediate
relatives.
1.-THE people who get the babies
| pay the expenses of the child. That
includes the hospital bills, II paid
them, the baby's boarding care at
my home, the doctors examinations,
clothes for the child and a share in
the general expenses of running the
home-such as the salaries of the
day and night nurses and the laun-
dress, refitting the nursery twice a
year, the drug bill and the $50 I
spend a month for gas for my car
while I'm investigating cases."
Average Charge Is $500.
The average charge, Mrs. Grover
said, was $500. What she loses on
| one child, whom she may keep for
some months, she said, she makes
up on another. Last year. however,
she said she ended with q t40o de-
dcit. She emphasized that she did