Shared Parenting Keeps Families Together
For decades, it was a woman’s job to raise kids and a man’s job to pay for them. Our family courts are still forcing those gender roles on people, even when they divorce or separate.
We still see courts making mothers the primary custodians over 80 percent of the time. It’s still a woman’s job to raise the kids, married or not. The same courts send fathers the bills. It’s still the man’s job to pay.
Things are quickly changing. A light of hope arose this week in a surprising place. On April 26, Gov. Matt Bevin signed a new child custody law (House Bill 528) that was initiated by the National Parents Organization. The bill passed both chambers of the state legislature overwhelmingly. Republicans and Democrats spoke with one voice, stating that children deserve the best chance in life, and that means equal access to both parents.
The law will no longer pit parent versus parent in a winner-take-all situation. Instead, Kentucky law now states that children should have equal time with both parents when families split. It states that joint custody is in kids’ best interest. The law includes safeguards for children by excluding parents who are unfit due to drugs, violence or similar serious issues.
