
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, July 31, 1994                   TAG: 9408020041
SECTION: NATL/INTL                    PAGE: A11   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: BLAIRSTOWN, IOWA                                 LENGTH: Medium

'MY NAME IS ANNA SCHMIDT'

When the public knew her as Baby Jessica, she was a terrified little girl, screaming and crying as she was carried away from the only home she had ever known after a bitter custody fight.

Now, the dark-eyed, dark-haired youngster says she's Anna, not Jessica. She has a new home with a sister and swings and a watchful dog.

And she has new interests.

``I can tell you, she does like to shop. She likes to shop and so does her Aunt Rob. Whenever we are together, we go shopping - McDonald's and shopping. Anna loves chicken nuggets with french fries and lots of ketchup,'' said Robbie Schmidt, the girl's aunt.

``I can guarantee you she's doing fine. She's wonderful. As far as Anna is concerned, she is Anna Jacqueline Schmidt and she will tell you that. That is her identity. If we've ever been out in public and maybe someone has come up and called her Jessica, she has informed them, `My name is Anna Jacqueline Schmidt' and she often wonders why they call her that.''

On Aug. 2, 1993, Baby Jessica was transferred under court order from the home of Jan and Roberta DeBoer of Ann Arbor, Mich., to birth parents Dan and Cara Schmidt, who named her Anna Jacqueline Schmidt.

The couples had battled for more than two years in Iowa and Michigan courts over the little girl - a fight that polarized the country over the issues of children's rights, birth parents' rights and adoptive parents' rights.

Cara Schmidt, then unmarried, gave birth to the little girl in Cedar Rapids on Feb. 8, 1991, and gave her daughter up for adoption. But she named the wrong man as father.

The DeBoers were granted custody, but, on March 8, they learned Cara had gone to court to get her baby back. Then Dan Schmidt identified himself as the baby's father and sued to win custody. He and Cara married April 11, 1992. The DeBoers fought for custody through courts in Iowa and Michigan. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected their pleas. Since then, other than appearances on

ABC-TV's ``PrimeTime Live'' program in March and again Thursday night, the Schmidts have avoided the media. Roberta DeBoer, however, has written a book about the custody battle and is promoting it through interviews. Anna and

her parents are adjusting to their new life, said Robbie Schmidt, Dan's sister.

``Our lives are going to go on. The media attention is not important for us at this time. What's important to us is the fact that she is home and it's wonderful,'' she said.

by CNB