News

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

VIRGINIA, February 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Six year old Isabella Miller has been forced to endure new visits with her mother’s former lesbian partner, which is reportedly causing “emotional and spiritual trauma” to the child.

Following a decision to enforce Vermont court orders by Virginia Judge William Sharp, Lisa Miller, 40, was required to turn her daughter over to Janet Jenkins, 44, despite testimony that Isabella has suffered serious harm from previous visits.

“If I don’t obey the court order, the alternative is that Janet would have a Sherriff come pick her up and take her to Janet and me to jail – this is how Judge Sharp ruled on Jan 6th at the Virginia hearing,” Miller wrote in a recent letter to her supporters.

As reported by LifeSiteNews earlier this month, ex-lesbian Lisa Miller had decided to refuse all further visits ordered by the Vermont courts for her child, Isabella, due to the traumatic effects she says Isabella has suffered as a result (see story at https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jan/09010507.html). However, she now believes she has no alternative but to surrender her daughter to Jenkins.

According to Miller, Isabella has spoken of killing herself after visits with Jenkins, and has said that she has been required to bathe naked with her.  Miller’s attorneys say they have other witnesses supporting allegations of trauma resulting from the child’s visits, but the court has never scheduled a hearing on the issue.

Miller has also stated that Jenkins repeatedly abused her during their relationship, which led her to leave Jenkins and ultimately to reject lesbianism and return to her faith in Jesus Christ.

Liberty Counsel, an organization providing legal assistance to Miller, recently asked for the “continuing fervent” prayers of supporters, adding that “even a few days of visitation that was allowed under court order a few weeks ago caused emotional trauma to Isabella. Unimaginable damage could be done in five weeks if Isabella is forced away from the only mother she has ever known.”

Following a new hearing in Vermont on January 28, Jenkins was awarded additional visits, including a seven-day visit in March.  Miller was told that if she fails to comply with the orders, she will lose custody of her daughter to Jenkins.  Miller may also lose custody if she loses an appeal that is currently being reviewed by the Vermont Supreme Court.

“I am asking you to join me in prayer that the next visit is stopped by whatever means God has in mind,” wrote Miller to her supporters two days later. “If the visit is not halted and I have to take her … then Isabella will be spiritually and emotionally harmed.”

Miller conceived her daughter during a “civil union” with Jenkins in the state of Vermont.  Although the child was conceived by in-vitro fertilization and never adopted by Jenkins, Vermont Judge William Cohen has granted the status of “parent” to Jenkins, as well as visitation rights.

Although the state of Virginia has a constitutional amendment expressly prohibiting the recognition of same-sex unions of any kind created in other states, the Virginia Supreme Court has ruled that Cohen’s custody orders will be enforced on Miller, who is a Virginia resident.

Miller told LifeSiteNews in a recent interview that she was convinced she was a lesbian by psychologists at a state institution following the breakup of her marriage during the 1990s.

To learn more about Lisa and Isabella’s story, go to: https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=81022155363

Contact Information:

Judge William D. Cohen
RUTLAND SUPERIOR COURT
83 Center Street, Suite 3 TM Rutland, VT 05701 TM
(802) 775-4394
(Please be polite and respectful in your communications)

Previous LifeSiteNews Coverage:

Mother Told that Daughter Will Be Taken from Her by Force for Visits with Lesbian
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jan/09011903.html

Mother Refuses All Further “Parental” Visits with Daughter by Former Lesbian Partner as Trial Looms
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jan/09010507.html

Vermont Judge Reportedly Threatens to Transfer Custody of Child for Refusal of Unsupervised Visits with Lesbian “Mother”
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/dec/08121510.html

Exclusive Interview with Lisa Miller, Ex-Lesbian Fighting for Custody of Own Child against “Civil Union” Partner
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/oct/08102707.html