Poland

Poland -- Alleged Lesbian Mother Loses Child Custody In Polish Court

Warsaw, Poland - 3 June, 2008 A Court in Wroclaw, Poland granted custody of a child to its grandmother after the grandmother described her daughter as a lesbian. The Court acted without proof of the child's mother being a lesbian. The Court ruled that it was in the best interests of the child to stay with the grandmother.

The mother had given the child to the grandmother for care shortly after the child's birth because she was experiencing some severe personal problems. According to testimony, those problems included having been raped. That and other personal problems made it difficult for her to care for the child.

In the witness box, the grandmother testified that her daughter was a lesbian. And a drug addict. No substantiating proof came before the Court about either her sexual orientation or relationship with drugs.

Also appearing before the Court was a psychologist who described the mother as egocentric and manipulative. It was his opinion that the child should stay with the grandmother. He added that the grandmother should give access to the mother so that with time custody of the child could be transferred to the mother.

The Court ruled that it would be in the best interest of the child for it to remain with the grandmother and agreed with the psychologist that the mother should be able to visit the child and talk with both the child and the grandmother.

The Court did not mention in its ruling that in any way was the ruling based on the accusations of the mother taking drugs or being a lesbian.

Observers are questioning how much the uncorroborated allegations made by the grandmother did in fact weigh in the Court's decision.

The case has received wide play in the Polish press.

See in Polish Sad po stronie babki przeciw matce lesbijce