DES MOINES – A bill has been introduced in the Iowa Legislature that would help keep children from being “used as bargaining chips” in a divorce or separation of parents.
On January 23rd, 2017, the Iowa legislation introduced into the Iowa House Judiciary Committee a bill that gives parents a rebuttable presumption of joint physical custody of their children after a divorce and custodial divisions. Passing this bill allows for mothers and fathers to have an equal part in raising their child after their separation.
Family’s United Action Network, which is sponsoring the bill, says it “seeks to provide maximum opportunities for children by providing healthy and stable environments for these children.” The nonprofit has been able to work with the Iowa legislation in order to advocate for bills that are in line with their mission statement: “To preserve and protect children & families through repairing and rebuilding current structures & organizations, to create a solid foundation for Iowa’s Families and for the next generations.”
This Bill helps protect the best interest of the child and family by maximizing time with both parents: “Both parents will be awarded joint physical care over their children unless physical harm or significant emotional harm is inflicted on the child under the custody of one parent.” Molly K. Olson, Executive Director of Center For Parental Responsibility, quotes, “The social science research is abundantly clear, children do better with both parents in their lives as much as possible. A clear presumption of parental equality is needed to level the playing field.”
This Bill was introduced by Representative Norlin Mommsen of DeWitt, IA who quotes; “HF 71 will help keep children from being used as bargaining chips in a divorce.”
8 thoughts on “Bill introduced in Iowa that would give separating parents equal rights to their children”
All children deserve their fathers and mothers in their lives.
All mothers and fathers need to be standup role models.
agree more grandparents rights
I have been fighting with my ex wife for about 4 to 5 years about seeing my son she lets me see my daughter every other weekend like she is suppose to. But, when it comes to my son he hasn’t seen or has been in my house for almost 5 years. She always iscwant more child support when her and her new husband can sit there and get new cars and trucks when I sit here struggling to pay for the needs of me and my new family. I don’t think it’s right that the father has to fight for everything when the mother doesn’t struggle and gets all the help from the government. Just like she gets disablilaty off my son.
Now let’s work on easier grandparents rights.
Most dads get no rights.if mom wont let the kids visit the dad has to file contempt chgs. Who can afford that every 2 weeks. Kids sit in the car and cry. 4 days out of 4 weeks and the mothers do not comply. On the other hand, a mother with her current bf junps from hotel to hotel and thinks she shoukd get her 2 kids. All 4 sleep in same bed. 50/50 does not solve snything until the ADULTS change their attitudes.
I agree with this 100 percent if that means it will end child support payments. Both parents would have to pay for their children. Many times the money does not go toward the child.
Mothers can be deadbeats and bad parents too, sometimes worse. This is what all those women marched for, equal rights.
I have a lot of skepticism on this bill being a father that would love to have more contact with his child and has been through 2 custody battles with the court never awarding me more time with my child. I have never missed a support payment and have been in my child’s life as much as his mother will allow with no extra time ever given. All my ex uses our child for is a bargaining chip to get more support.It seems all the judges in this judicial system believes the woman is automatically the custodial parent. Its pretty sad when my child comes home and says that his mother would be fine if I were to still pay my support and i could have full custody of my child. This system is truly broken and needs more than just this bill to fix this!!