Publisher's Synopsis
Picture a little child that is dear to your heart. Now imagine what actions you would take if that child was suddenly seized from you and placed with a felon, his unrelated girlfriend, and seven other children by no fault of your own. Picture a small, shabby house on a busy road where your precious child would now reside. You know exactly where the house is, but if you attempt to see the child, you will be arrested. You cannot talk to her, give her birthday presents, nor can her siblings, her grandparents, or aunts and uncles. You have been removed from her existence and the next six years you will legally fight to get her back, and the felon will do all he can to blot you out of her memory while you spend tens of thousands of dollars on attorneys and he has one free attorney championing her own agenda. There is in place a law called the Utah Uniform Parentage Act. A law derived out of the federal Uniform Parentage Act, with one exception; Utah excludes the right of a biological father to seek paternity of his own child. This law is designed to "keep families intact" in the event the woman strays. However, in this case, there was no intact marriage. The existence of a previous husband was not even known as he had gone to prison shortly after the child's mother married him and years before she and Jody would meet. But when Payshence's mother's custodial rights were terminated, the existence of the unresolved marriage came out in a psychological evaluation she gave to the court. Payshence was yanked away from her daddy and the "presumed father" was forced to take her and her three half-brothers who had various unknown bio-dads. "Taking Payshence" depicts the life of Jody Rhorer and his fight to reunite with his daughter against an apathetic court system. Later this year the Utah Supreme Court will hear Jody's appeal after the Appellate Court found potential violations of his due process, constitutional rights, and discrimination for being a man. The Utah Supreme Court will also review three other cases with similarities to Jody's. Utah appears to be the only state in America which refuses to recognize a biological father's rights to assert parentage. It is Jody Rhorer's goal to have the UUPA abolished and to once again, regain custody of his daughter.
