CARBON COUNTY, Utah -- In the fight for their family, a Carbon County couple won an important battle. Three days after Judge Scott Johansen ordered that a nine-month-old foster child be removed from the home of lesbian couple April Hoagland and Beckie Peirce that judge has now reversed his decision.
“Tuesday is not going to be a daunting day," Hoagland said. "It’s just going to be another day. I'm just grateful that the judge has decided not to take her out of our home today."
The couple’s attorney, Jim Honeycutt, was pleased to hear about the reversal Friday.
“The judicial system is getting it right," Honeycutt said. "They made a mistake a few days ago, and today they're correcting that mistake."
When the judge gave the Division of Child and Family Services a week to remove the child and place her in the home of a heterosexual couple, Hoagland and Peirce were overwhelmed with a wide range of emotions.
“To be honest I was angry, and just thinking about, 'What are we going to do next?'" Peirce said. "April was mostly emotional and upset."
In the days that followed, the couple has been equally overwhelmed by the support they’ve received.
“It’s definitely nice to know we not only have the community behind us, but the nation,” Peirce said.
Describing themselves as people who don’t like attention, the couple has been shocked to see their story make national headlines, but they also say they did what they needed to do to fight for their family. It’s a fact that will not be lost on their little girl.
“We were talking about this earlier, and we'll probably make a scrapbook so she knows how important she truly is," Peirce said.
The couple may have won the battle, but the war is not over. Judge Johansen is still presiding over the case and the next hearing is scheduled for December 4. In the meantime, the baby will remain with the couple in their Price home.
