Parental Custodial Rights
Summary
When couples with children are divorced, they must legally agree to
terms for visitation rights. In Washington, it usually means that
the father is denied an appropriate amount of time with his children.
This is a flagrant wrong that is committed not only against the father
but also against the
children. It is a sad, biased state of affairs when fathers in
Washington State are made to feel like second-class citizens because of
discriminatory, anti-father custodial rights.
Proposal
Introduce or support legislation that would mandate that both parents
be treated without bias based on gender. Ideally, each parent would have the children
for half of the time. The particulars of this could vary greatly
depending on the working schedules of the parents, but a 50-50
arrangement should be the ideal.
Of course, if either parent is convicted of crimes such as child,
drug, or alcohol abuse, their time would be adjusted by a hearing in
front of a Superior Court Judge.
