2.20.2007

A HUGE Victory For a Mother and Daughter...A HUGE Defeat for the Homosexual Legal Agenda...!
In 2001, two Utah women engaged in a lesbian relationship, Cheryl Barlow and Keri Jones, entered into a "civil union" in Vermont. They then returned to their home state, which does not such recognize "civil unions" and five months later, Cheryl became pregnant by artificial insemination, and had a daughter we'll call "Kathy." ₁

Frank Mylar

Then – THANKS BE TO GOD – Cheryl became a follower of Jesus Christ, quit her lesbian behavior, and ended the relationship with Jones, who was an advocate of lesbian behavior. Jones had no biological, adoptive link, or any link to young Kathy, but Jones sued for visitation with the child, claiming that somehow she was Kathy's "psychological parent." Sadly, incredibly, a lower court agreed with Jones' demands and ordered visitation with Kathy -then three years old. This was emotionally traumatic for Kathy as she was exposed to numerous instances of lesbian sexual and other behavior and the deliberate undermining of the Christian values and beliefs that Cheryl, who had moved to Texas, was trying to instill in her daughter. ADF allied attorney Frank Mylar appealed to the Utah Supreme Court.

Meanwhile a very frightened Cheryl, extremely concerned for Kathy's welfare, refused to allow more visitations and was sentenced to jail. Unless the Utah Supreme Court overruled the lower court, Cheryl was headed behind bars – simply for protecting her Kathy! (The ACLU – that demands "tolerance" of all – filed a brief against Cheryl's parental rights and advocating the court create a new form of "parenthood.")

After nineteen long months of deliberation, the Utah Supreme Court issued its ruling this past Friday – overruling the lower court, affirming Cheryl's parental rights, and denying Jones demand for forced visitation! Thanks to you, your prayers, and support Cheryl will not be going to jail, Kathy no longer has to go through the psychological trauma of her visits in an environment of lesbian sexual advocacy, and advocates of homosexual behavior were denied the legal precedent they wanted to fabricate visitation and custody for "psychological parents."

The Utah Supreme Court wrote: "...[to carve] out a permanent role in the child's life for a surrogate parent, this court would necessarily subtract from the legal parent's right to direct the upbringing of her child and expose the child to inevitable conflict between the surrogate and the natural parents." Amen!

ADF Senior Counsel Joe Infranco says: "Protecting the well-being of this dear child trumps the desire of a legal stranger to usurp the care and protection of that child's mom...When the trial court granted visitation rights to a legal stranger in a non-marital relationship, they fabricated a precedent that had not existed before. If it had stood, it would not only have threatened the emotional well-being of this child, but countless others caught in a similar situation."

A copy of the decision can be read at www.telladf.org/UserDocs/BarlowOpinion.pdf.

Special congratulations go to ADF ally Frank Mylar who represented Cheryl in all phases of this case. This God-given victory is also the fruit of the vision of ADF's founders, ADF's National Litigation Academy program which Frank participated in, and to you, our ministry friends, who provide the prayers and support to make nation-shaping victories like this possible. Thank you!

Read the ADF press release here...


Say A Prayer...Hand Out a Bible...Go to Jail...My, Oh My, How Far We've Come as a Nation...

On January 25, 1941, American soldiers received a Gideon Bible which included the following note on the front inside page:

Franklin D. Roosevelt

"As Commander-in-Chief, I take pleasure in commending the reading of the Bible to all who serve in armed forces of the United States. Throughout the centuries men of many faiths and diverse origins have found in the Sacred Book words of wisdom, counsel, and inspiration. It is a fountain of strength and now, as always, an aid in attaining the highest aspirations of the human soul.

Just sixty-six years later – thanks to the chaotic legal climate of fear, intimidation, and disinformation fostered by the ACLU – the number one religious censor in America – and its multitude of censoring allies – handing out a Gideon Bible on a public sidewalk can now land you in jail.

Never mind that the Gideons have already been kicked off of most tax-funded school campuses because of the so-called "separation of church and state." In Plantation Key, Florida, you can be charged with a crime to share God's Word even on public property.

On January 19, 2007 two members of the Gideons International, Anthony Mirto and Ernest Simpson, were arrested, booked into jail, and charged with trespassing for handing out small Gideon Bibles on a public sidewalk outside Key Largo School.

Neither Mirto nor Sampson was on school grounds, but the school's principal called the police anyway. A Monroe County Sheriff's officer asked the men to leave immediately or face trespassing charges. As Mirto and Sampson were complying with the demand, the officer arrested them, placed them in handcuffs and put into his patrol car anyway! Incredible!

You can bet if they were passing out anything but Bibles, the ACLU would be first in line to come to their defense. But they're not.

ADF Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman, along with ADF allied attorney Arthur Spiegel, is representing the two men and a hearing will be held March 5th in Monroe County Court.

Meanwhile, the ACLU and its allies continue to step up their efforts to silence any public expression of faith in the southeastern United States. On May 21st, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit will re-hear the case of John Doe v. Tangipahoa Parish School Board. This is the case in which the ACLU has gone after individuals who had the "audacity" to pray in public before a school event. It's also the case in which then ACLU Louisiana Executive Director Joe Cook compared the praying Christians with the terrorists who attacked America on 9/11 and London in the summer of 2005. He demanded jail for those who prayed, declaring they be "removed from society." (See Adam Nossiter, "ACLU Asks Jail for Tangipahoa School Officials," Associated Press, May 18, 2005).

Like the frog in the kettle, the ACLU and its allies are continuing to turn up the heat on sleeping people of faith in America. That is why it is critical that ADF must increase our resources and capacity to respond to their attacks wherever they may occur. We could not do anything without God's grace (John 15:5), your prayers, and your support. Thank you!

Read the ADF press release here...

1 "Kathy" is not the little girl's actual name. It was changed to protect her privacy.

Prayer Requests | Visit the ADF prayer page
"Without Christ, we can do nothing." - John 15:5

1. Please pray for wisdom and for victory in the many legal battles ahead
   
2. Please pray for the ongoing marriage cases in California, Connecticut, Iowa, and Maryland.