April 13, 2009
Fathers & Families‘ Dr. Ned Holstein discussed the problems faced by child support obligors during the recession on CBS Radio today (4/13/09).
The interview was prompted by a new front page Boston Globe story discussing this issue and Fathers & Families‘ highly-publicized lawsuit against Massachusetts’ child support guidelines. To learn more, click here.
Holstein told CBS:
Courts need to start treating fathers like human beings, not ATM machines. Most fathers love their children dearly and want to support them, but everybody has economic ups and downs. When fathers suffer financial reverses, they need to be treated fairly.
Holstein said that four things need to be done:
1) Make child support orders reasonable in the first place.
2) Modify child support quickly when there is a job loss or major decrease in income.
3) Stop jailing fathers who are simply unable to pay.
4) Fathers who lose their jobs or suffer a major loss of income need to file for downward modifications as soon as possible.