Efforts to reform legal standards that determine child custody rights for fathers during divorce are being blocked by special interest groups in the law industry according to the National Parents Organization. The reforms, which are designed to combat standards established more than 40 years ago, are designed to give fathers equal parenting with mothers. Legal standards favor mothers, but statistics show that mothers aren’t always superior custodians.
In the United States, mothers are given favorable outcomes in custodial hearings five out of every six times. While the legal standard that set this precedent was written to meant to punish fathers who had no interest in parenting their children, fathers who do want an active role in their kid’s lives are being affected. Fathers’ rights is important to both the well being of men and their children. A documentary recently released by RT named, “Forgotten Fathers,” highlights this issue.
Advocates of reform are pushing for shared parenting legislation, and they argue that their approach is popular with a vast majority of the public. According to polling by the National Parents Organization, 70-80 percent of respondents supported equitable treatment of fathers and mothers in child custody hearings. Unfortunately, the current adversarial system pits parties against one another, often forcing mothers to paint fathers as negligible caregivers.
When fathers believe they are facing unfair treatment during divorce proceedings, they may benefit from seeking representation from legal professionals who advocate for fathers’ rights. While men encounter disadvantages in family court, legal advocacy from lawyers who specialize in this area of the law may improve results related to visitation, child custody, and child support. Lawyers may recommend solving custodial issues out of court when possible.