NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION
PRESS RELEASE
April 1, 2016
Following a strong show of support for shared parenting in child custody cases during a Monday, March 28, legislative hearing, National Parents Organization looks forward to future possibilities, including landing the issue on the November 2016 ballot.
During the Colorado House of Representatives committee hearing, legislators voted down HB16-1110, known as the Parent’s Bill of Rights, which establishes parental rights as a fundamental liberty interest and a fundamental right. However, the more than 20 parents that testified, many of them with their children, all supported the bill, and parents speaking on the child custody aspect of the bill were in agreement: Colorado needs law reform supportive of parents’ rights to custody of their children when facing divorce or separation.
“While the defeat of the Parent’s Bill of Rights is unfortunate, we’re encouraged by the overwhelming agreement from citizens urging the state to recognize the inherent right to parental equality in divorce courtrooms,” said Dr. Ned Holstein, MD, Founder and Board Chair of National Parents Organization. “What’s more, we know from a growing body of research that shared parenting is what children most want and need when their parents divorce or separate.”
Gilbert Tso, Chair of National Parents Organization of Colorado, testified in favor of the bill and said following the hearing, “The U.S. Supreme Court and numerous lower courts have repeatedly extolled the fundamental rights of parents to the care, custody, companionship and control of their children. So why does the state of Colorado believe that a family court judge should not grant equal, shared custody, , absent clear and convincing evidence of unfitness or abandonment, .That would respect the fundamental rights of both parents and their children.”
Tso added, “I’m looking forward to working with fellow parents and state leaders to advance efforts to make shared parenting, rather than sole custody, the norm when parents divorce or separate. Whether it’s on a ballot or as new legislation, I look forward to seeing a shared parenting proposal return to Colorado as soon as possible.”
RECENT RESEARCH: SHARED PARENTING VERSUS SINGLE PARENTING
Shared Parenting Data
- The Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health published a 150,000-person study titled “Fifty moves a year: Is there an association between joint physical custody and psychosomatic problems in children?” in May 2015 that concluded shared parenting after divorce or separation is in the best interest of children’s health because the arrangement lowers their stress levels.
- The Journal of the American Psychological Association published a paper titled “Social Science and Parenting Plans for Young Children: A Consensus Report” in 2014, and the conclusions were endorsed by 110 eminent authorities around the world. Authored by Dr. Richard Warshak at the University of Texas, the paper concluded, “… shared parenting should be the norm for parenting plans for children of all ages, including very young children.”
- The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) published the recommendations of 32 family law experts in 2014, and the group concluded, “Children’s best interests are furthered by parenting plans that provide for continuing and shared parenting relationships that are safe, secure, and developmentally responsive and that also avoid a template calling for a specific division of time imposed on all families.”
Single Parenting Data
According to federal statistics from sources including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Census Bureau, children raised by single parents account for:
• 63% of teen suicides;
• 70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions;
• 71% of high school drop-outs;
• 75% of children in chemical abuse centers;
• 85% of those in prison;
• 85% of children who exhibit behavioral disorders; and
• 90% of homeless and runaway children.
ABOUT NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION
National Parents Organization, a charitable and educational 501 (c)(3) organization, seeks better lives for children through family law reform that establishes equal rights and responsibilities for fathers and mothers after divorce or separation. The organization is focused on promoting shared parenting and preserving a child’s strong bond with both parents, which is critically important to their emotional, mental, and physical health. In 2014, National Parents Organization released the Shared Parenting Report Card, the first study to rank the states on child custody laws. Visit the National Parents Organization website atwww.nationalparentsorganization.org.