Changing Lives

Between 1981 and 1982, 30-year-old attorney Leo Logan granted one Kansas City couple the gift of new life.

            Logan had recently begun practicing law when he met John and Jane Doe (names have been changed to respect privacy), who had suffered the loss of their firstborn during delivery.

The Does were in their late 30s and had decided to start a family as they entered into their 40s with established careers. They were thrilled about the pregnancy and hoped to expand their family even further after the first child.

The birth did not go as planned, and when the newborn was placed upon Jane’s chest in the delivery room, the terrifying sight of a stillborn baby destroyed the occasion. The shock was more than the Does could bear. Devastated, they reached out to Leo Logan to help them determine the cause of death.

“They didn’t know if there had been malpractice,” said Logan. “But they knew that when the baby was born there was a lot of activity and concern in the delivery room by the hospital staff and doctor.”

Logan obtained the couple’s medical records to investigate the case and consulted with an obstetrician.

“The obstetrician advised me that it appeared there had been medical negligence in the manner of delivery using forceps,” said Logan.

Logan filed a lawsuit against the hospital where the child was delivered. While the case was pending, Logan was approached by a physician acquaintance who had a female patient with an unwanted pregnancy.

“I met up with the young woman and found out about her situation,” said Logan. “I asked her what she wanted to do and how I could help. She convinced me that she had given it a lot of careful thought and weighed all her options.”

The woman was young, jobless and not prepared to raise a baby. She wanted her unborn child to go to a loving and stable home. Logan thought of the Does and immediately contacted them to see if they were interested in adopting the baby.

“I spoke with the couple and told them about the opportunity,” said Logan.     “Without hesitation they very excitedly told me that they wanted to pursue adopting the baby.”

Before the child was born, Logan settled the Doe case with the hospital and doctor. All the Does had to do was wait in anticipation for their new baby to be born.
            “Although money could never replace their loss, the settlement and the knowledge that they were going to be able to receive a new baby into their home seemed to change their lives and outlook all over again,” said Logan.

The day the baby was born, Logan drove the Does to the hospital to meet their baby girl for the first time. The Does and the young woman never met each other, but the Does are forever grateful for her giving them the family they had always wanted.

“We finalized the adoption and they were able to take the baby straight home from the hospital,” said Logan. “The couple named me the child’s godfather out of appreciation for everything I’d done for them. It’s one of my fondest memories of my career and it happened very early in my career.”