The latest on the disputed custody of Isabella. Miller has apparently disappeared with her child, rather than comply with the court order to surrender her daughter to a woman she used to have sex with.
Lisa Miller and Janet Jenkins were joined in a Vermont civil union in 2000. Isabella was born to Miller through artificial insemination in 2002. The couple broke up in 2003, and Miller moved to Virginia, renounced homosexuality and became an evangelical Christian.
(Judge) Cohen awarded custody of the girl to Jenkins on Nov. 20 after finding Miller in contempt of court for denying Jenkins access to the girl.
The judge said the only way to ensure equal access to the child was to switch custody. He also said the benefits to the child of having access to both parents would be worth the difficulties of the change.
This is the most recent press release from Lisa Miller’s attorney at Liberty Counsel.
The Vermont trial court recently ordered that Lisa must give up custody of her daughter and place custody with Janet, despite the fact that the same court has repeatedly found Lisa to be a fit parent of Isabella. The Vermont court has ordered the transference of custody to take place by January 1, 2010.
Unrefuted testimony has shown that for the last five years, Janet has neither attempted to phone nor write Isabella. She has never sent Isabella a card of any kind for any occasion. Janet has refused to attend Isabella’s Christmas plays, because she does not want to be around a Christian environment. She has also said that it is not in Isabella’s best interest to be raised in a Christian home.
The court is ordering a perfectly fit parent to surrender custody of her child to a person who is not related to the child, either by blood or adoption. Why? Because she used to have sex with this person, and this person is claiming parental rights.
Contrary to what the court claims, I don’t think this is at all like a heterosexual custody dispute. This is more like a custody dispute between a parent and a stepparent, who claims parental rights to a child that he/she never adopted.
For the court to assign itself the power to say, this person has “enough” of a relationship to count as a parent, is way too much power.