Baby M: Mother Wants 2 Visits a Week, Dad None

Surrogate mother Mary Beth Whitehead-Gould has asked for twice-a-week visitation with Baby M, while the child’s father wants to block all visitation, according to court briefs released today.

” . . . Only a suspension of visitation will ensure that Melissa is provided with a loving, supportive, nurturing and peaceful environment, free from interference, at the critical stages of her development,” said Gary Skoloff, a lawyer for the girl’s father, William Stern.

In legal papers released by Superior Court Judge Birger M. Sween, Skoloff said he will present testimony at a visitation hearing Monday that will show the child’s psychological welfare is at stake.

“Indeed it is contended that the proofs will indicate that the emotional and psychological burden which Melissa will have to sustain in establishing a relationship with Mrs. Whitehead will be significantly more damaging than any benefit which might occur to her as a result of visitation at this time,” Skoloff said in the 25-page brief.

Hearing Ordered by Court

The visitation hearing was ordered by the state Supreme Court in its landmark ruling Feb. 3 that restored Whitehead-Gould’s parental rights while awarding custody of the baby, now known as Melissa, to Stern and his wife, Elizabeth.

Whitehead-Gould has been allowed to see Melissa once a week, for two hours, under supervision at a youth center here. Court papers released Thursday by Whitehead-Gould’s attorney called that schedule insufficient.

The East Brunswick housewife, who gained notoriety by refusing to turn over the child she agreed to bear under a $10,000 contract, says in court papers that she wants her visits with the child to be expanded eventually to half the summer and some holidays.

Whitehead-Gould also rejected a request by Stern to terminate contact between mother and child for at least six years. She contends that a break in visitation could be harmful to the child.

Visits at Her Home

She requested that the visits be expanded immediately to two days a week, eight hours each time, at her home for the next six months.

She also requested the schedule be expanded to allow her to see Melissa overnight every other week, alternate weekends when Melissa is 3, and half the summer and one week of Christmas vacation when the child is 5.

The court papers say that when Melissa is 12 she may “voice a desire for more or less visitation.”