Independence, USA - An Amish woman in Wisconsin may not deny visitation rights to the non-Amish father of her 14-month-old child, despite her interest in raising her daughter solely within her religion, a judge has ruled.
Edna Schrock, 30, had a relationship with Dieter Erdelt, 67, before marrying an Amish man and moving to a religious community in Lavalle, Wis.
She has been seeking to prevent Erdelt from seeing the girl, saying Erdelt's way of life is not compatible with her values, and that she fears her daughter's exposure to the outside world.
"We want her to grow up in our way of life," Schrock said. "What if he would take her out? She would see television and radio and phones; we don't want her to want that kind of stuff."
She said her daughter is uncomfortable around "people with different clothing" and is upset and unable to rest while Erdelt is present.
Judge K.D. Briner said the question in the case "is whether the general presumption in favor of maximum contact with both parents is applicable where the parents live in radically different cultures."
In his decision, Briner said the court claims no ability to decide how the child ultimately should live, but he noted Schrock's has many advantages - age, health, family and community support - in her role as caregiver.
Erdelt, who divorced as a result of the affair, "was more than old enough to know better," Briner said.
"The consequence is that an innocent child will have a complicated and probably conflict-ridden life."
The Rev. William Lindholm, chairman of the National Committee for Amish Religious Freedom, was pleased that Briner condemned Erdelt's behavior.
Although he acknowledged the father's legal rights, Lindholm said the best thing would still be for Erdelt to leave the mother and child alone.
"For the long haul, I say it's not in the child's best interest to have two opposite cultures," Lindholm said.