[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 38 (Thursday, March 30, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H1624]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            INTERNATIONAL ABDUCTION: BRING OUR CHILDREN HOME

  (Mr. LAMPSON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to tell the story of Jeff and 
Ludwig Koons, a father and his son who have been forced apart because 
of a country's refusal to abide by the Hague Convention on the Civil 
Aspects of International Child Abduction.
  Jeff Koons' son, Ludwig M. Koons, was born in New York and was 
abducted from the family residence to Rome by his mother. Mr. Koons was 
awarded custody in the United States, but the Italian courts refused to 
accept any American jurisdiction. Mr. Koons won custody in Italy, but 
the ruling was overturned.
  Two investigations were started internally within Europe and within 
Italy, but they were abruptly stopped when the Italian Supreme Court 
awarded his ex-wife custody, therefore covering up the tremendous 
injustices done to Mr. Koons and his son. Their ruling was based on the 
amount of time Ludwig had been kept in Italy since his abduction. Jeff 
has been allowed only strictly supervised visitation in Italy.
  Mr. Speaker, this 1 minute is not just about Jeff and his son, 
Ludwig. It is about the 10,000 American children who have been abducted 
to foreign countries. These children, and the parents they were taken 
from, are suffering. This House must work together to solve this 
problem and bring our children home where they belong.

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