Lesbian demands
custody of Christian mom's 6-year-old
Ex-partner
argues in court faith 'is harmful to children'
Posted: April 18, 2008
12:00 am Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2008 WorldNetDaily
No Comments needed here as to the true nature and meaning of
legalizing same sex marriages.
A ruling from the Virginia Supreme Court, if it goes the wrong way, could
yank a 6-year-old girl from the Christian home her mother has created and set
her up to be "paraded as a political trophy of the homosexual community in
Vermont," according to a lawyer who argued the case before the court
today.
Mathew Staver, chief of Liberty
Counsel, said the impact of the decision will reach far beyond the
important determination of the future for the child in question, also impacting
states' sovereignty and the values on which Christian parents make decisions.
"This case is exceptionally important because the future of [the child]
Isabella hangs in the balance," he said. "Her future will be to
either remain with her biological mother, Lisa Miller, or potentially be ripped
away from her mom and placed in a lesbian household… This case is also
important because states must also have the sovereign authority to maintain
their marriage policy as the union of one man and one woman, while rejecting same-sex unions.
"But if
Staver argued on behalf of Miller, who left a lesbian relationship and became a Christian,
and her daughter.
The other part of the now-terminated relationship, Janet
Jenkins, has alleged that because of Miller's Christian parenting practices,
she no longer is a fit mother. She's seeking full custody of the child.
The Vermont Supreme Court already has granted parental rights and visitation
to Jenkins. But Miller and her daughter live in
"This hearing will determine whether a lesbian woman who is Lisa
Miller's former partner will share custody of Isabella, Lisa's daughter,"
wrote Matt Barber, policy director for cultural issues at Concerned
Women for America. "The woman is neither an adoptive
parent nor is she biologically related to Isabella. In fact, she's a total
stranger to the little girl.
"Isabella, who is now 6 years old, hadn't seen this woman since she was
17 months old. This case could have national ramifications and will help decide
whether states like
WND reported earlier when the Vermont
Supreme Court opined that it, alone, has jurisdiction over the child custody
battle because the pair lived together briefly in Vermont. That ruling came
even though Miller gave birth in
The two women were living in
The relationship ended when Miller became a Christian and claimed Jenkins
was abusive. Miller, who says she no longer is a lesbian, lives with her
daughter in
Lower courts in
Liberty Counsel characterized the case as a "precedent-setting legal
battle between
Among the precedents developing in the case is whether one state can force
another to recognize its "same-sex" arrangements or whether states'
sovereignty will prevail. Also at issue is the acceptance as valid Christian
values parents use to raise children.
"That's true. Janet Jenkins, in court documents in Vermont, argued
because Lisa prays for her daughter and her well-being, and even prays for
Janet, that in fact that is not in the best interests of Isabella. She
[Jenkins] says because Lisa prays for her daughter, and tells her she's praying
to do God's will, Janet has taken the position that … Christianity is harmful
to children," Staver told WND.
Staver said
Barber noted Miller's own account reveals emotional problems triggered by abandonment
by her father, abuse from her mentally ill mother and a decade-long war with
alcohol led her into the lesbian lifestyle. In 1999, the relationship with
Jenkins was begun and on a weekend trip, they traveled from
After Isabella was born, Miller and Jenkins moved to
But things were unstable and Miller alleged Jenkins was abusive.
"It was a troubled relationship from the
beginning," Miller told "World Magazine," The relationship did
not improve as Jenkins … grew increasingly bitter and controlling."
Months later, the relationship ended and Miller and her daughter returned to
Then in 2003, Jenkins demanded that the courts in
Since the Vermont court's ruling, Miller and her daughter "now [are]
required to make the several hundred mile roundtrip
journey from Virginia to Vermont every other week to visit a total stranger
[Jenkins] who, according to reports, outrageously forces the confused and
traumatized little girl to call her 'momma,'" Barber said.
"After Lisa ended her relationship with Janet, when Isabella was only
17 months old, Lisa became a born-again Christian. … She has attempted to raise
her child according to biblical principles," said Rena M. Lindevaldsen, a Liberty Counsel who has worked on the case.
"According to recent filings by Janet, however, Janet believes that
Lisa's religious beliefs render Lisa incapable of properly parenting
Isabella," she said.
"Lisa and Isabella's story tragically demonstrates that it's all too
often children who are ultimately victimized by state-recognized immorality.
It's the children who suffer when adults selfishly depart from God's intended
design for human
sexuality
and marriage
– as reaffirmed by Christ's teachings in the New Testament – and enter into
counterfeit homosexual 'civil-unions' or 'same-sex marriages,'" Barber
said.
"Although Lisa and Isabella's situation is both heartbreaking and
unjust, it shouldn't be at all surprising. In the name of so-called 'gay
rights,' the militant homosexual lobby has made its position crystal clear. The
selfish individual interests of those who define themselves based upon a choice
to engage in deviant homosexual behaviors supersede the best interests of
everyone else … even children," Barber said.
There's no timetable yet for the decision to be issued.