In the United States, shared parenting has been strongly encouraged. Missouri is the latest state that has passed its shared parenting bill into legislation, where an egalitarian approach to child custody and visitation are highly recommended.
Aside from Missouri, the states of South Dakota, Utah and Minnesota have also enacted their own shared parenting or child custody reform laws. But why is child custody law reform happening all over the United States in spite of skepticisms on its concept?
One reason that made several state governments support the shared parenting law is perhaps the increasing cases of parental alienation. Several research studies have also shown that spending equal time and having a meaningful involvement with both parents are highly beneficial for a child's well-being.
Despite the positive impact of shared parenting to children, this child custody reform law has also attracted criticisms among bar associations and feminist organizations, U.S. and World Report News revealed. Shared parenting supporters, however, remain optimistic that many states will still follow and enact this child custody concept.
Even though the specifics of the shared parenting law varies, its main focus revolves around the child's best interest to maintain the status quo of both parents following a divorce or separation. But Missouri's shared parenting law version is a more relaxed form of Arizona's policy proposal in 2010, which has been considered a success.
With that said, Arizona's shared parenting law has been deemed as a "format worth copying" since it does not concentrate solely on custody and visitation. Instead, it encourages parenting time, where equality and responsibility of parenting regardless of time is practiced.
Meanwhile, Missouri's shared parenting or child custody reform law is also giving fathers a fair shot in custody battles, where the court often assumes that children should remain with their mothers and a reliable physical dwelling is more vital compared to having substantial time with both parents, 5 On Your Side noted. With the new law, judges are no longer allowed to make custody decisions based on a parent's gender or a child's age.
As more U.S. states support the shared parenting bill, it won't be surprising if more will follow. According to Wall Street Journal, 20 states had pending child custody law reforms since a year ago. Unfortunately, Florida may not be joining the other states in advocating shared parenting since it strongly opposes that type of child custody approach, as discussed in a previous article here at Parent Herald.
So, why do you think many states are advocating shared parenting laws? Share your thoughts below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
