'''Parents Without Rights''' is a political interest and support group based in [[Florida]], [[United States]] that campaigns for the reform of [[family law]]. It was founded in [[1991]] by a group of Kennedy Space Center Scientists who felt that the Florida's Family Courts did not consider them competent to be active Father and Parents, or have custody of their children, when their marriages ended in [[divorce]]. In [[1995]], they were reorganized.
==Florida law==
In a recent study of cases involving contested custody in Broward, Palm Beach, and Dade Counties, the mother was awarded residential custody in 96% of all contested cases. Although the Florida Court usually grants the father [[visitation]] rights, the group argues that this "turns the Father into a visitor in the lives of his child(ren)".
Parents Without Rights argues that ''unless one parent can be proven to be unfit and dangerous to the child(ren), anything less than 50/50 parenting is child abuse.'' They argue that children's fundamental rights are protected only when both parents are treated as equals, starting with equal time with the children.
The '''standard visition''' of the Florida courts consists of alternating weekends and a few holidays; this amounts to about 14% of the child's time. Parents Without Rights argues that this standard visitation does not allow enough time for the non-custodial parent to form a meaningful relationship with their child.
==Constitutional law==
Their argument for equality and equal parental rights is based upon the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourteenth Amendment]] of the [[United States Constitution]]. This position was affirmed by the [[United States Supreme Court]] in Troxel et vir. v. Granville, 530 US 57, 67 (2000). The Court stated that parenting is a fundamental right protected by the US Constitution. In [[Troxel]], the court wrote: ''The liberty interest at issue in this case -- the interest of parents in the care, custody, and control of their children -- is perhaps the oldest of the fundamental liberty interests recognized by this Court.
==Activism==
Parents Without Rights has testified many times before the Florida Legislature's committee on families and children. Representative [[Randy Ball]] introduced the [[Uniform Parental Rights Enforcement and Protection Act]] at the behest of Parents Without Rights. They worked with the National Congress of Families and Children for the passage of the [[1998]] Visitation Reform Act.
In [[1998]] and [[1999|99]], the group mounted a successful campaign to prevent the appointment of [[Jessie Preston Silvernail]] to the Fifth District Court of Appeals.
Parents Without Rights is a member of the [[Million Dads March]] and [[Thomas Lessman]].
In [[2006]], the organization worked with Republican State Representative Ellyn Bogdanoff. Parents Without Rights held "meet and greet" parties for Ms. Bogdanoff, assisted in fund raising, and contributed to Ms. Bogdanoff's 10 point margin of victory on November 7, 2006.
==External links==
*[http://www.parentswithoutrights.org Parents Without Rights] Parents Without Rights Website
*[http://www.crcflorida.org Florida CRC] Florida Civil Rights Council
*[http://www.ParentsBeforeTheCourt.org Florida Class Action Suit] Florida NCP Class Action Suit
*[http://www.geocities.com/sharedparentingworks// Shared Parenting Works]
[[Category:Divorce]]
[[Category:Marriage]]
[[Category:Parenting]]
[[Category:Political advocacy groups in the United States]]
This site is not affiliated with or endorsed in any way by the Wikimedia Foundation or any of its affiliates. In fact, we fucking despise them.
|
