As a physician in internal medicine, Newton’s Dr. Ned Holstein encountered families torn apart by byzantine child-custody arrangements. This led him to found the National Parents Organization, which aims to improve children’s lives through family court reform so that mothers and fathers share equal parenting responsibilities post-divorce.
“I became aware of many stories of people who had been divorced and dealt with the family courts. I didn’t believe the stories. I found it outlandish until I heard so many. And being Jewish, I couldn’t just go along with it. I had to meddle,” he says with a laugh.
Holstein will host the third International Conference on Shared Parenting over Memorial Day weekend at Boston’s Westin Copley Place, bringing together experts around the world to discuss how to protect children’s best interests after divorce.