A few months ago we took a look at parental child abductions where Japanese mothers abducted their American children in violation of U.S. child custody orders back to their home country. In this post we will take a look at how those abductions occurred and how one American father has dealt with his loss.
Fathers' rights may be expanded in one more state
Currently only seven of 50 states in the United States have a presumption of shared custody when a child custody issue is decided in a divorce case. One more state may join that child custody perspective if the proposed law makes its way through the South Dakota state legislature. Currently, like many other states, South Dakota law decides the issue of primary custody on the basis of what parent will be the child's primary caregiver. Supporters of the new bill argue the current primary custody law makes it more difficult for fathers' rights to be recognized.
Federal bill to improve child custody rights of military members
Military service members may receive enhanced child custody rights because of a proposed federal law. The proposed legislation would prevent military service members from losing child custody because of deployment. The bill is somewhat controversial because family law issues are often left to the states to decide and the federal law would create one uniform policy on the issue across the nation. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the Department of Defense also now support the legislation.
Texas program helps noncustodial parents with employment
Often when we see stories about parents in the news, it is for negative things like the failure to pay child support. Two weeks ago we talked about a fugitive father who topped the list of back child support payments in Texas. After years of running from the law and running from his duties as a parent, authorities caught up with him. This week we will talk about a program in the state of Texas that helps noncustodial parents avoid situations of back payment by helping to ensure that they have employment and are therefore able to make their child support payments.
Changing families, grand-parents and child custody
The face of American families has changed dramatically over the second half of the last century. Today when Americans think about family, images of the 1950's era atomic family probably do not rush to mind. Instead, many American families are blended, and now more than ever grandparents are taking on the role of parenting their grandchildren. As a consequence, some states are considering child custody rights for grandparents.
Millionaire father refuses to pay more than "basic" child support
A millionaire father who lives in a home fashioned after a castle in Connecticut refuses to pay more than "basic" child support to the mother of his 1-year-old daughter. The mother of the daughter and the 1-year-old daughter face eviction from an apartment in Brooklyn says the lawyer for the mother. The father claims he cannot pay more than $1,000 in child support because of financial hardship.
Study says divorce hits women harder than men
According to a recent study, divorce makes the lives of women more difficult than men. Three of the largest factors that make divorce more difficult for women are property division, disproportionate child care responsibilities and the difficulty of find a new partner. A new study says that after divorce the quality of life of a woman drops by 45 percent. One attorney and divorce book author says that women often decide to get divorced before they plan what their finances will look like afterwards.
Texas dad who owes hundreds of thousands in child support arrested
On January 6, the most wanted child support evader in Texas was arrested at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City. Before the arrest, the elusive man and father attempted to enter the country of Oman, but the man was deported back to the United States because of an invalid passport. The man has two children and owes $420,000 in back child support. Officials in Texas have been on the hunt for the fugitive dad for 13 years.
