Dad Wins Custody of Son, Again, in Ohio Court

Grayson's father will be able to take him home soon. We hope. From the Toledo Blade:

The Ohio Supreme Court Thursday said it will not reconsider an earlier decision that allowed Benjamin Wyrembek to have custody of his biological son, Grayson. He has been raised since birth by Jason and Christy Vaughn, of Sellersburg, Ind.Although his biological son remains with an Indiana couple seeking to adopt the boy, a Swanton man may be able to bring his almost 3-year-old son home.

In a 4-3 decision, the high court rejected the Vaughns' motion for reconsideration and lifted the stay it had placed on other court orders in the case, including the order from Lucas County Juvenile Court that required the Vaughns to turn Grayson over to Mr. Wyrembek last month.

Mr. Wyrembek's attorney, Alan Lehenbauer, declined to comment, saying the two sides had agreed in court not to speak to the media. 

What does this mean for the future of adoptions, as those who contend that the boy called Grayson should remain with the family that has never adopted him? Well, at least one woman predicts more international adoptions: As the Blade reports:

"I can't tell you how many families I've talked to who want to go international because they don't want to deal with something like this," said Betsie Norris, executive director of Adoption Network Cleveland, a support organization for adoptive parents, birth parents, and adoptees. "I tell them this doesn't happen the vast majority of time … and there were things done wrong. You have to be so careful from the beginning that you're working with a reputable agency and reputable attorney, and everyone's going to do everything right and dot every i, cross every t."

Sounds to me like Betsie Norris is quite involved in promoting adoptions, and not that concerned about natural/biological parents who wish to raise their own children. From our careful reading of this case, Benjamin Weyrembek did everything right, he registered with the putative father's registry in Ohio in the required time, he continued to fight for his son the whole time, he doted ever i, crossed every t. Why do I not think Ms. Norris is talking about him in her quote? And the Vaughns knew from the very beginning that the boy's father wanted him:

Jason Vaughn said in a previous interview with The Blade that he and his wife decided to adopt after the birth of their 7-year-old son was followed by a series of miscarriages. Mr. Vaughn said they knew Grayson's biological father opposed the adoption, but he said they felt from the beginning that the law was on their side. Their attorney maintained that Mr. Wyrembek's consent was not required for the adoption to go through because he allegedly had failed to support the child's mother during her pregnancy and the child after he was born.

However, at the time of "Grayson's" birth, Christy Vaughn was four months pregnant.
We've written about this before so if you need background see: Biological Father Wins in Court, Again; Will the Vaughns Comply?  and Transition Time in Contested Adoptions: Just Another Excuse for Delay and Biological Dad Seeks Return of His Son; Adopters Resist, Claiming: Best Interests.

For the story in the Blade today, see Swanton dad wins custody of son, 3. 

Hooray!  The Vaughns and their minions are still praying that the boy stays with "the only family he has ever known." We are thrilled God is busy doing other work and let man decide that a father has the right to raise his own son.--lorraine