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Yesterday, we appeared before an appeals court in Alexandria, Virginia to defend Lisa Miller. The ACLU and Lambda Legal Defense Fund are seeking to transfer custody of Lisa's biological daughter, Isabella, to Janet Jenkins, a lesbian living in Vermont.

The Virginia Court of Appeals heard oral argument on the issue of whether Virginia must enforce a custody order and visitation order arising from a Vermont same-sex civil union. Virginia's state law and constitution expressly ban enforcement of any right or order arising from same-sex marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnerships.

This is not the first time this case has been on appeal, but the prior litigation focused only on whether Virginia had to register the Vermont order. This case presents for the first time whether Virginia must enforce the terms of the civil union order, which Virginia law declares to be "void in all respects."

The Vermont trial court recently ordered that Lisa must send her own daughter to live 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 transfer 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.

Please pray for victory in this appeal. The future of Isabella is literally being weighed in a balance between two states. Same-sex unions affect children. Such unions deprive children of the opportunity for both a mother and a father. 

Read an earlier Liberty Alert for more details on this case.

Read our News Release for more details. 

Same-Sex Marriage: Putting Every Household at Risk  

Anyone who cares about children should read this book by Mat Staver. Order online from our secure website or by calling 800-671-1776. This book discusses the impact same-sex "marriage" will have on the culture and answers the central questions that concern everyone about same-sex unions.

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