Allison Lee Quets

Allison Lee Quets is an American birth-mother of twins, who were placed for adoption with another family when they were six weeks old. She was thrust into the international spotlight in late December 2006 when she fled to Canada with the twins during a legal visitation with them. On September 14, 2007, Quets pleaded guilty to kidnapping in conjunction of the case and was sentenced to time served and probation in December 2007. Subsequent legal attempts to nullify the adoption or reinstitute visitation have been not been successful.
Background
Quets was a systems engineer, who had worked for Lockheed Martin for 21 years. In 2004, she became pregnant with twins through the process of in vitro fertilization with donated eggs and sperm. and gained only 10 pounds during the pregnancy, spending the last five weeks before her due date on a feeding tube. During her illness and the pregnancy, a friend suggested his relatives, the Needhams from North Carolina, as possible adoptive parents. Prior to the birth, Quets discussed with the Needhams the possibility of giving up one of the twins for adoption.
Quets then became involved in a lengthy custody battle with the Needham family of Apex, North Carolina, during which she was allowed to visit the twins.
The search ended on the evening of Friday, December 29, 2006 when police in Ottawa, Canada located Quets with the children. She was charged with international parental kidnapping and state charges of second-degree kidnapping, and spent 8 months in jail before her trial.) On appeal, the NC Court of Appeals confirmed the ruling that Quets had no legal right to custody or visitation, but overturned the order that Quets pay the adoptive family's legal fees.
Quets has positioned herself as an advocate the rights of birthmothers, and has used the internet to advocate her case, as did the Needhams.<ref name nodec2007/><ref nameocdec2007/><ref name=nojuly2009/>

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