US Court: Christian woman forced to turn over her daughter to former lesbian partner
A former lesbian, who subsequently became Christian and completely renounced the homosexual lifestyle, is forced by US Court to give up custody of her 7-year-old biological daughter and told by the police she could face parental abduction charges.
Lisa Miller, a former lesbian who subsequently became a Christian, had given birth to her daughter Isabella through artificial insemination in 2002 while still living in a civil union with Janet Jenkins in Vermont, US, but left Jenkins and the lesbian lifestyle about a year later. Ms Jenkins, who has no biological or legal relationship with Isabella, later brought a legal action in a Vermont Court pursuing custody of Ms Miller’s daughter, who is currently living with her mother in Virginia, US.
(For the background see the CCFON report)
Ms Jenkins maintains the Vermont homosexual civil union guarantees her parental rights and states she believes it is not good for a child to be raised in a Christian atmosphere.
In 2003, a Vermont Family Court judge ruled in favour of Ms Jenkins, ordering that she be allowed liberal, unsupervised visits with Isabella. Ms Miller was reluctant to allow an active lesbian to spend time with her daughter.
At the end of November 2009, a lower Vermont Court issued the order of sole custody to Ms Jenkins despite Ms Miller’s insistence that her daughter Isabella has shown signs of ‘violent reactions’ from previous court-ordered visitations with Ms Jenkins, including a complaint from Isabella that she was forced by Ms Jenkins to bathe naked with her. Ms Miller told the Court that for this reason she refused to comply with the visitations that the Court had ordered.
‘I do not feel safe leaving my daughter with her, and I believe I have a God-given and constitutional right to raise my child as I see fit. There is a homosexual agenda at work here, and Isabella is a pawn in their game,’ Ms Miller said at that time.
On 01 January 2010, the Supreme Courts of Virginia and Vermont ordered Ms Miller to turn over Isabella to Ms Jenkins’ home, saying the case was the same as a custody dispute between heterosexual couples. According to the police and Ms Jenkins’ Vermont-based attorney, Ms Miller did not show up with the daughter in Court, and therefore, the Jenkins family called police and a detective from the department’s child exploitation unit was called to investigate the matter.
Rena Lindevaldsen, one of the lawyers representing Ms Miller, said Isabella has not lived with Ms Jenkins for years and that Ms Jenkins has shown contempt for her former partner’s beliefs.
‘Isabella, who has been attending a Christian school in Virginia, would be uncomfortable with Ms Jenkins' lifestyle,’ said Ms Lindevaldsen.
Steve Crampton, an attorney of Liberty Counsel who also took part in the case, says Virginia is a state that only recognizes the union of one man and one woman.
'There's a very serious constitutional issue regarding whether Virginia must enforce the Vermont court order. So the clock is ticking quite loudly right now, and it remains to be seen whether we can get any relief in Virginia,' Mr Crampton said.
Earlier, Ms Miller was reported on the Life Site News website as saying:
‘We just keep on praying, and we don’t lose hope, and we look to the Lord for his mercy and his justice. I really really believe that this case God is using to not only bring people to him, to Christ, but also to bring Christians to a better understanding that we need to take a stand for what is right and continue with that, with His help, and with His grace, because that's the only way that I've been able to get through all of this.’
In response to what Ms Miller’s attorneys call ‘judicial tyranny’, concerned Virginia citizens have joined together to form the Protect Isabella Coalition, a grassroots effort aiming to create awareness about Ms Miller and Isabella’s court proceedings.
The coalition’s website states:
‘Six-year-old Isabella Miller did not arrive in the world in ‘the usual way’. Her ‘dad’ is an anonymous sperm donor. The only father she really has known is her Heavenly Father, thanks to the love and godly teaching of her real (biological) mother and role model, Lisa Miller.’
(See also the YouTube video)
Since the last court ruling, reports say that Ms Miller seems to have ‘disappeared’ with the child.
Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor who has followed the case, said it was likely the Vermont judge would issue another contempt order in the wake of the disappearance.
Andrea Minichiello Williams, Director of CCFON, said: ‘Ms Miller is another Christian who finds herself caught up in the net of pro-homosexual laws simply because she wants to raise her child according to her Christian values. This heartbreaking case presents the reality of our times when the so-called liberal agenda has created great confusion in the social fabric of our society.’
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