Deaf Anthology: Deaf Anthology #44: "Switched At Birth"

John: "Joan, the unthinkable actual happened at an Atlanta hospital. Hearing gave birth to a Deaf baby. Deaf gave birth to a hearing baby. Deaf parents wanted a Deaf child. Hearing parents wanted a normal child. They give birth at same time, it's a coincident they were sharing same maternity ward room. The nurse became involved by agreeing to switch babies in exchange for help to pay off her medical school tuition. Police arrested the nurse for her role, citing it's illegal as no such arrangements have been formalized. The hospital placed the nurse on administrative leave until an internal investigation have been completed. The DA decided not to press any charges against the parents as it was understood that the parents' lawyers have started the adoption proceedings. I will follow up on this story, many questions remains, such as when does the parents tell their child that they have been switched at birth, does the child want to know the birth parents, what is their home environment, family background, is it legal binding (irreversible), health issues, what became of the nurse, the role of the Deaf medical technician, ethical issues, etc. These are interesting things to think about. Something of a Robin Cook medical thriller. This is a subject matter that needs to be expanded. I will do this research and conduct an interview with the parents involved, the nurse in her jail cell, and the hospital staff. Will also seek the opinions of the Deaf about this situation, political positions, and evangelical reactions."
Joan: "John, are you going to accept the assignment to do a story on it?"
Jason: "I ace on the Milan 1880 project."
John: "I did rather you go to library and do some research, have you ever thought that you may be stuck in the time warp?"
Jeffrey: "We never thought about the risks involved."
Frank: "You think our country going to a recession...?" (playing poker)
John: "I haven't given much thought to it, regardless we will still have entertainment, there are scripts to be written, the demands is there, no matter what mood the country in."
Frank: "We still have a trillion dollars deficit, a burden on our children."
John: "First of all, we have a trade deficit with China, we ought to close all Wal-Marts in this country to balance it, lost jobs, they need union scale wages and benefits, and secondly we ought to rid rid of the penny, it costs more to mint it than its value."
Jason: "We Americans should start hoarding these pennies and sell them to scrap yards to make a profit."

Joan: "We went out of coffee in the teacher's lounge at the Gallaudet Elementary School, my Deaf co-worker, a teacher aide, volunteered to get more coffee, she was arrested for speeding downtown, she expects us to pay the ticket."John: "Look it at this way, suppose a guy drank the coffee and dies of arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), on an overdose of caffeine, would the estate expect her to pay. She doesn't make sense."

John: "I'm purchased airfare on priceline so will fly into Atlanta tomorrow."

Jason and Jeffrey: "Dad, can we join you?"

Joan: "The boys are on their Spring break so you might as well take them."

John: "I'll take them monkeys off your back."

Grady Hospital Detention Center

Nurse: "My lawyer wanted me to plead insanity but I preferred to plea bargain."

John: "I'm here to investigate, the studio wants to obtain rights from the parties involved, to develop a script."

Nurse: "I regret what I have done, the medical school debts overwhelms me."

John: "You may have prevented that Deaf child from a CI, what you did was brave, the rights to your story may pay off your debts, more if the film is a blockbuster."

Stone Mountain

John: "Boys, Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America, and the two famous Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson carved into the granite mountainside."