Elizabeth Morgan

See: http://web.archive.org/web/20060913000000/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Morgan 

'Jean Elizabeth Morgan''', M.D., Ph.D. (born 1947 in Washington,_D.C., USA) is a Plastic_surgeon who was involved in a widely publicized and long-running Child_custody case over her daughter Hilary. Morgan claimed that the father, Dr. Eric A. Foretich, an oral surgeon, had sexually abused Hilary. During the course of the case, Morgan was incarcerated for two years, and following her release from prison she went into hiding overseas; the United States Congress passed two laws as a result of this case. After Morgan sent Hilary into hiding, Foretich never regained custody of his daughter. == Early career == Morgan, as a surgeon in Washington,_D.C., in 1980 published a successful book titled ''The Making of a Woman Surgeon'', which recounted the rigors of her training in this predominantly male profession. The publication of the book was covered by ''Reader's_Digest'' and ''People'' magazines. Morgan wrote the ''Reader's Digest'' article, "Give the Lady a Knife"; the title was presented as having been said by a male surgeon. The ''People'' article was titled "Elizabeth Morgan says she learned women surgeons don't have to be as good as men—they have to be better." == The Hilary Morgan case == Morgan first met Foretich in Fairfax Hospital in Kirkland,_Washington, where both were on the staff. Foretich's second marriage was breaking up at the time; after dating Foretich for a few months, Morgan became pregnant, and the two flew to Haiti and were married. Morgan left Foretich before she came to term; their daughter Hilary was born August_21, 1982, and the two were divorced in late 1982. In 1984, after a legal battle, Morgan was awarded custody of the child; Foretich had visitation rights on vacations and alternating weekends. It was after visitations in early 1985, when Hilary was 2½ years old, that Morgan said her daughter gave the first verbal indications that she had been abused. Eventually, Morgan also accused both of Foretich's parents of sexually assaulting Hilary. Morgan privately attempted to photograph the evidence, as one might do with a Culpascope, but the photos only lead to suggestions that she had produced child pornography. The primary psychologist on each side, Mary_Froning and Elissa_Benedek had different fears: Froning claimed to fear for Hilary's safety but Benedek claimed to fear for her own safety when dealing with Morgan. Froning had over 70 sessions with Hilary over a period of 18 months. Another Morgan expert, psychiatrist Dr. David_Corwin, spent over 200 hours evaluating Hilary's case. After a trial, a jury found in favor of Foretich and his parents. Around this time, Foretich's daughter from another marriage also said she was sexually abused by her father. Her therapist advised not to let the other daughter see Dr. Foretich. In the movie of the case, the daughter's name was "Hayley." === Prison === After many other inconclusive motions and appeals, the presiding family court judge, Herbert_B._Dixon_Jr., in 1987 ordered unsupervised visitation for Foretich. Morgan then sent Hilary into hiding with her parents. Judge Dixon then found Morgan to be in Contempt_of_court and sent her to prison. For the next two years, Morgan's incarceration received a great deal of publicity. In much of it she was portrayed as a model prisoner, and a woman of fortitude. She also convinced many famous and influential people, including Chuck Colson that abuse had indeed occurred. === Congressional action and flight === : ''See main article atDistrict_of_Columbia_Civil_Contempt_Imprisonment_Limitation_Act This Act allowed Morgan to leave prison by altering local D.C. law, only for custody cases. Morgan's case was mentioned extensively during deliberations. On September_25, 1989, Morgan was released from prison; she then retrieved her passport from the D.C. Superior Court, and went into hiding. It turned out that Morgan, her parents, and Hilary had fled the country, and were inNew_Zealand, where they were located in February 1990 by a Private_investigator hired by Foretich. New Zealand chose to maintain the Status_quo. At around this time, Hilary's name was changed to Ellen. === The Elizabeth Morgan Act === : ''See main article at Elizabeth_Morgan_Act The Act, passed in 1996, allowed Elizabeth Morgan to return to the U.S. with her daughter without having to share custody with Foretich. Elizabeth and Ellen Morgan returned to the U.S in 1997. The Act was overturned in 2003, and by that time, Ellen was no longer a minor, but despite its Mootness, Foretich pursued the matter to clear his reputation. === The case in popular culture === In 1992, a made-for-television movie about this story titled ''A Mother's Right: The Elizabeth Morgan Story'' was filmed and aired nationally. Actress Bonnie_Bedelia played the part of Morgan. Patricia_Neal played Morgan's mother, Antonia. Many consider it to be prejudicial in Morgan's favor. == Subsequent events == Morgan now practises medicine back in the United States in the Washington, D.C. area, having also gained a degree in Psychology. She operates a medical practice, and offers herself as a "beacon of hope" that protective parents can free their children from harm. Since her return from New Zealand, Morgan has made many public appearances and speeches, focusing on custody issues, child abuse and mother's rights. She compared Maryland’s family-court judges to the Spanish Inquisition in their potential to inflict cruelty. In her own words: :"''Osama bin Laden had nothing to teach me about evil on September 11.''" An organization called The Friends of Elizabeth Morgan (which later changed its name to ARCH) was on watchlists of groups that monitor child custody issues. Ellen Morgan is now an aspiring actress. In September of 2005, Dr. Morgan moved her practice to Los Angeles to spend more time with her daughter. Antonia Morgan died in Washington, D.C. on April 3, 2006 at the age of 91, attended only by her live-in caregiver. Dr. Foretich lives with his fourth wife and their two boys. It is not publicly known if he and Ellen have ever reconciled. === The Elsa Newman case === In 2002, Morgan was involved as a consultant in another controversial child custody case. Elsa Newman, an attorney, was in a custody fight with her husband, Arlen Slobodow. Concerned that Newman represented a flight risk, Judge S._Michael_Pincus said, "I don't want another Elizabeth Morgan case in my courtroom." According to an online Washingtonian article http://www.washingtonian.com/people/deadlytriangle.html, Newman did in fact consult Morgan, whose emailed advice was: :"''I don't have the answers. I only know the choices, which are grim: Give in and accept the incest, kill the abuser, or grab the kids and run.''" On January_7, 2002, Newman's close friend, Foreign Service officer Margery Lemb Landry, wearing a ski mask, broke into Slobodow's home while he was sleeping, and with the children present, shot him twice in the leg. Just before shooting him, Landry had plantedChild_pornography in Slobodow's home. Slobodow did survive; Landry pleaded guilty to attempted Murder and was sentenced to a twenty-year prison term. Newman was convicted of conspiracy in a jury trail, and also received a twenty-year sentence. After their arrests, neither was granted Bail. Morgan, in a letter to the presiding judge, supported Newman's release before her conviction. === Mention in a similar case === On his July_5, 2004 radio show,Larry_King made a reference to Morgan in a discussion with Bridget_Marks, who was involved in an ongoing public custody case of her own. King cited Morgan as a famous surgeon and Harvard graduate who ran from the jurisdiction of a "Rogue judge" (Marks' term), but Marks, who had her lawyer present, demurred, saying, "No, never. I believe that the legal system will correct itself." Although Marks had been found by the court to have lied in her claims of incest, and was punished with a transfer of custody to her spouse, on March_31, 2005 she regained custody. == References == * ''The Making of a Woman Surgeon'' (Putnam Publishing Group, 1980) ISBN 039912361X. * "Give the Lady a Knife" (''Reader's Digest'', June 1980) * ''Solo Practice'' (Berkley Pub. Group, 1982; reprinted 1984) ISBN 0425059715. * ''Custody: A True Story'' (Boston: Little, Brown, 1986) ISBN 0316582948 * ''The Complete Book of Cosmetic Surgery: A Candid Guide for Men, Women, and Teens'' (Warner Books, 1988) ISBN 0446513709. * ''Hilary's Trial: The Elizabeth Morgan Case and the Betrayal of Our Children by America's Legal System''. Jonathan Groner (Simon and Schuster, 1992) ISBN 0671691767. *Book review of "Hilary's Trial" with discussion by Prof. LeRoy Schultz *MenWeb page with a brief review of "Hilary's Trial" == External links == *Photographs & Other Evidence for Child Abuse arguing that Morgan's abuse photography were a mistake and best left to professionals. *{{imdb title|id=0104920|title=A Mother's Right: The Elizabeth Morgan Story}}, a TV movie. ===Press coverage=== *A Hard Case of Contempt: Elizabeth Morgan: Mother Courage or a paranoid liar? TIME, Inc. 09/18/89 *Prison Releases a Defiant Mother The New York Times 09/25/89, Archive by Timothy M. Hagle *A Question of Contempt: The cases of two jailed mothers put the issue of civil contempt reform in the spotlight. National Law Journal 10/30/89 *Morgan - Foretich Fight Ends — for Now; Mother Wins in New Zealand, but Is Said to Desire Return to U.S. Washington Post 12/01/90 *Grandparents in controversial child custody case not "public figures" 11/01/94 *Deadly Triangle Online Washingtonian 06/01/02 *Morgan Describes Advising Md. Defendant *Congressional Action On Behalf of Another Daughter: The Elizabeth Morgan Case Jewell (Colson's former Chief of Staff) March_24 2005 blog archive Alternate URL *Antonia Morgan; Fled U.S. With Granddaughter 1915 - 2006 === Other organizations related to Dr. Morgan === *The Children Of the Underground Watch(tm): Leaderswhich reads: "Alliance for Rights of Children (ARCH) use to be called The Friends of Elizabeth Morgan. They are alleged to help parents go Underground." ** http://web.archive.org/web/20010419230630/www.springfield.va.us/organizations/arch.html Morgan, Elizabeth Morgan, Elizabeth Morgan, ElizabethMorgan, Elizabeth Morgan, Elizabeth