Fathers' rights movement
362410
224923777
2008-07-11T00:53:28Z
Sardanaphalus
427947
updating link using [[Project:AutoWikiBrowser|AWB]]
{{Rights}}
The '''Fathers' rights movement''' has been characterized as a [[civil rights]] movement,<ref name="Many Women in Civil Rights Movement">{{Citation
| last =Sacks and
| first =Glenn
| author-link =
| last2 =Thompson
| first2 =Dianna
| author2-link =
| title =Why Are There so Many Women in the Fathers' Movement?
| newspaper = Minneapolis Star-Tribune
| pages =
| year =
| date =2006-06-21
|url=http://www.glennsacks.com/why_are_there.htm}}</ref><ref name="Taken Into Custody 259">{{cite book
| title =Taken Into Custody - The War Against Fathers, Marriage and the Family
| last =Baskerville
| first =Stephen
| publisher =Cumberland House
| date =2007
|pages=259
|accessdate=2007-11-02 }}</ref> whose members are primarily interested in issues affecting fathers and children related to [[family law]], including [[child custody]] and [[child support]] sometimes after [[divorce]].<ref name =fralr1/><ref name =collier/> The movement has also been characterized as a [[social]] movement,<ref>{{cite book
|last=McKee
|first=Alan
|title=The Public Sphere: an introduction
|format=
|accessdate=2007-10-25
|date=2005
|publisher=University of Queensland
|page= p. 47
|chapterurl =
|isbn=9780521549905
}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
|last=Kenedy
|first=Robert
|title=Fathers For Justice: The Rise Of A New Social Movement In Canada As A Case Study Of Collective Identity Formation
|date=2004
|publisher=Caravan Books
|chapterurl =
|isbn=978-0882061085
}}</ref> but members of the fathers' rights movement disagree and state that these issues are "a question not of social science, but of constitutional government."<ref name="Taken Into Custody 282">{{cite book
| title =Taken Into Custody - The War Against Fathers, Marriage and the Family
| last =Baskerville
| first =Stephen
| publisher =Cumberland House
| date =2007
|pages=282
|accessdate=2007-11-02 }}</ref> The movement receives international press coverage as a result of high profile style activism of [[Fathers 4 Justice]] and other national organizations internationally.<ref name =collier/><ref name =fralr1/>
==Background and history==
===The Movement===
The fathers' rights movement includes individuals and groups who are highly diverse in goals, methods and political views, and who focus on a narrow set of issues of interest to their members.<ref name =fralr3/> It is not simply a men's movement, as women have increasingly become involved in activities promoting fathers' rights; these women are often the second wives of divorced fathers or other family members of men who have had some engagement with [[family law]].<ref name=kaye/><ref name="Many Women in Civil Rights Movement"/><ref name =fralr1/>
Discussion about fathers' rights issues began in the West in the 1960s as changes in law (discussed below) prompted an examination of the legal rights and responsibilities of fathers and parents in general.<ref name =fralr3/> During the 1970s fathers' rights organisations such as [[Families Need Fathers]] emerged.<ref name =fralr3/> The movement has become increasingly vocal, visible and organised, and has played a powerful presence in family law debates.<ref name =fralr1/> Some commentators see the rise of the movement as a 'backlash' to increasing female power in the family and in society, and the consequent challenge to men's traditional roles and authority. In this view, the movement is seen as part of a 'gender war' between the sexes. Other commentators propose a more complex analysis that sees several interrelated trends as leading to the growing prominence of the movement. They suggest that shifting household demographics, including greater fragmentation of families through the decline in marriage and rising divorce/separation rates, have increased the fragility of men's relationships with their children.<ref name =fralr1/><ref name =collier>{{cite news
| last =Collier
| first =Richard
| coauthors =Sheldon, Sally
| title =Unfamiliar territory: The issue of a father's rights and responsibilities covers more than just the media-highlighted subject of access to his children
| work =
| pages =
| language =
|publisher=The Guardian
| date =2006-11-01
| url =http://society.guardian.co.uk/children/story/0,,1935970,00.html
|accessdate=2007-10-17 }}</ref>
Some fathers’ rights groups have been short-lived and unstable, as members and leaders do not remain with the group after they have been helped.<ref name=kaye>{{cite journal
| last =Kaye
| first =Miranda
| authorlink =
| coauthors =Julia Tolmie
| title =Fathers' Rights Groups in Australia and their Engagement with Issues in Family Law
| journal =Australian Journal of Family Law
| volume =12
| issue =
| pages =pp 19–68
| publisher =
| date =1998
| url =http://sisyphe.org/IMG/doc/doc-656.doc
| doi =
| id =
|accessdate=2007-03-24 }}</ref><ref name =fralr1/> Infighting within groups has occurred.<ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article531077.ece Fathers 4 Justice split by infighting - Times Online<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
Fathers' rights groups have taken different approaches to address their issues of concern. While Fathers 4 Justice has used demonstrations and stunts to secure public attention, other groups have attempted to engage the political process. The Cheltenham Group has conducted a comprehensive survey of father's experiences, of the then members of Families Need Fathers in 1995. Their report, The Emperor's New Clothes, was published in 1996, and remains online at the Cheltenham Group website.
Some fathers' rights activists in various countries have been accused and/or convicted of criminal activities, including harassment.<ref>{{cite news
| last =BBC News
| first =
| title =Australian militant fathers under fire
|publisher=BBC
| date =2002-07-25
| url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2150665.stm
|accessdate=2007-03-24 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| last =
| first =
| coauthors =
| title =Message proves unsettling
| work =
| pages =
| language =
|publisher=Times Union
| date =2006-06-26
| url =http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=494753&category=STATE&BCCode=HOME&newsdate=6/26/2006
|accessdate=2007-03-24 }}</ref><ref name="Custody Bill Turns Frightful">{{cite news
|last=Morgan Bolton
|first=Michele
| coauthors =
|title=Custody Bill Fight Turns Frightful: Women's Groups Say They Are Being Threatened Over Their Stance On Legislation
| work =
| pages =
| language =
|publisher=Albany New York Times Union
|date=2006-04-21
| url =
|accessdate= }}</ref>
[[Glenn Sacks]], a prominent fathers' rights activist, has criticized persons he has called "the lunatic fringe of the fathers' rights movement", who describe the perpetrators of violent crimes against family court judges and others as "some sort of freedom fighters."<ref>{{cite web
| last =Sacks
| first =Glenn
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title =Do I Even Need to Say This?
| work =
| publisher =
| date =2006-06-19
| url =http://www.glennsacks.com/enewsletters/enews_6_19_06.htm
| format =
| doi =
|accessdate=2007-03-24 }}</ref>
===Changes in Law===
Domestic relations law, divorce, custody, and child support, originates under the [[Common Law]]. [[Natural rights]] as defined under the Common Law had reciprocal Common Law obligations. Initially state interference into domestic relations matters required criminal acts, criminal ‘Breaches of Duty’, i.e., criminal breaches of Common Law duties, i.e., breaches of natural law obligations.<ref name="footnote 1">{{Citation
| title =Pidge v. Pidge, 44 Mass. 257 (1841) regarding the great change in the laws ushered in by MA Statutes 1838, c.126, i.e., no longer requiring courts of criminal jurisdiction for divorce. And to confirm this assertion, see: Barber v. Root, 10 MA 260 (1813) (“Regulations on the subject of marriage and divorce are rather parts of the criminal, than of the civil, code; ...”)}}</ref> Willful and intentional acts which had to be proven in a fair and impartial court, i.e. initially in criminal courts; to which a fair and just punishment for these criminal breaches of Common Law duty included the loss of natural rights associated with these violations of natural law obligations.
Under Common Law jurisdiction the reciprocal relationship between the natural law obligation of supporting one's child and the natural right<ref name="footnote 2">{{Citation
|title=Reidell v. Morse, 36 Mass. 358 (1837) and Boylston v. Princeton, 13 Mass. 381; (1816)}}</ref> to the care, companionship, and custody of the child, did not permit the punishment of child support without a finding of abandonment or abuse by the parent.<ref name="footnote 3">{{Citation
|title=Kirby v. Kirby, 338 Mass 263 (1959); Boggs v. Boggs, 138 Md. 422 (1921) ("... the right of the parent to the services of the children and the obligation of maintenance of the same, devolving upon the parent are reciprocal rights and obligations."); Creely v. Creely, 258 Mass. 460 (1925), Smith's Case, 322 Mass. 186 (1947), Broman v. Byrne, 322 Mass 578 (1948) (“at common law, a father is entitled to custody, society and services of his minor children and bound to support them if sufficiently able.”), Alvey v. Hartwig, 106 Md. 254 (1907) (“[T]he right of the parent to the services of the children and the obligation of maintenance of the same, devolving upon the parent are reciprocal rights and obligations.”); Brow v. Brightman, l36 MA 187 (1884) (“A father is under no obligation to support his child after a decree of divorce in the mother's favor, and awarding the custody of the child to her. His liability is commensurate with his right of control.”)}}</ref>
Under the Common Law, married men had absolute right to their children,<ref name="footnote 4">{{Citation
|title=see Ex parte Winn, 48 Ariz. 529 (1936); Commonwealth v. Briggs, 33 Mass. 203 (1834); State v. Richardson, 40 N.H. 272 (1860), “It is a well settled doctrine of the common law, that the father is entitled to the custody of his minor children, as against the mother and every body else; that he is bound for their maintenance and nurture, and has the corresponding right to their obedience and their services. 2 Story's Eq., secs. 1343-1350; 2 Kent's Com. 193; 1 Bl. Com. 453; Jenness v. Emerson, 15 N.H. 486; Huntoon v. Hazelton, 20 N.H. 388.”}}</ref> while married women had absolutely no right to their children, even when the husband was dead.<ref name="footnote 5">{{Citation
|title=(see Whipple v. Dow, 2 Mass. 415 (1807))}}</ref> Unmarried women had absolute right to their children even if the mother later married the child’s Father,<ref name="footnote 6">{{Citation
|title=see Wright v. Wright, 2 Mass. 109 (1806)}}</ref> and unmarried men had a natural right to their children, which was secondary only to the unmarried mother’s natural rights.<ref name="footnote 7">{{Citation
|title=see Reynolds v. Davidow, 200 Miss. 480 (1946); "The putative father of an illegitimate child is entitled to the custody of the child, as against all persons but the mother; if the mother be dead and the father is a suitable person, it shall be taken from the maternal grandparents and delivered to him." Pote's Appeal, 51 Am. Rep., 540; Commonwealth v. Anderson, 1 Ash., 55; Richards v. Hodges, 2 Saund., 83; "Though a bastard be not looked upon as a child for any civil purpose, the ties of nature are respected in regard to its maintenance. The putative father, though not legally related to it, is so far considered its natural guardian as to be entitled to the custody of it." Moritz v. Garnhart, 32 Am. Dec., 762; The King v. Cornforth, 2 Stra., 1162.; Rex v. Cornfoot, 1 Boot's Poor Laws, 465}}</ref>
Child Support, under statutes and per the Common Law, was a punishment.<ref name="footnote 8">{{Citation
|title=see Foss v. Hartwell, 168 MA 66 (1897); Brow v. Brightman, l36 MA 187 (1884); Smith's Case, 322 Mass. 186 (1947); Hathaway v. Rickard, 323 Mass. 501 (1948), and Brow v. Brightman, l36 MA 187 (1884)}}</ref>
Custody matters were determined based on natural rights, not judicial discretion. Two US Supreme Court have explicitly stated,<ref name="footnote 9">{{Citation
|title=see Barry v. Mercein, 46 US 103 (1847) and In re Burrus, 136 US 586 (1890)}}</ref> in complete agreement with a federal court decision,<ref name="footnote 10">{{Citation
|title=see In re Barry, 42 F. 113 (1844)}}</ref> custody of children cannot be decided in a court of equity and must be decided under Common Law jurisdiction.
States have removed decisions of divorce, child custody and child support from Common Law courts, which provided for punishments of Common Law breaches of duty, and assigned them to courts of equity. Fitness of the parent was never the issue in Common Law courts. The issue was who had a natural right to the child and had that right been abused.<ref name="footnote 11">{{Citation
|title=see Hibbette v. Baines 78 MISS 695 (1900).</ref>
For additional information about changes in the law, please see "No-fault divorce" below.
==Movement's Activities==
The movement's primary focus has been to campaign (including lobbying and research) for formal legal rights for fathers, and sometimes for children, including changes to family law related to child custody, support and maintenance, abuse and violence as well as the perceived inequities in the family court system themselves.<ref name =fralr1/><ref name =angry/> Fathers’ rights groups also provide emotional and practical support for members during separation and divorce.<ref name =angry>{{cite book
|last=Flood
|first=Michael
| authorlink = Michael Flood
| coauthors =
|editor=Stacey Elin Rossi
|others=
|title=The Battle and Backlash Rage On
|format=pdf
|accessdate=2007-09-16
|date=2004
|publisher=Xlibris Corporation
|chapter=Angry Men's Movements
| chapterurl = http://www.xyonline.net/downloads/backlash.pdf
}}</ref><ref name =fralr1>{{cite book
|last=Collier
|first=Richard
| authorlink =
| coauthors = Sheldon, Sally
|editor=Collier, Richard and Sheldon, Sally
|others=
|title=Fathers' Rights Activism and Law Reform in Comparative Perspective
|format=
|accessdate=
|date=2006
|publisher=Hart Publishing
|chapter=Fathers' rights, fatherhood and law reform- International perspectives
| chapterurl =
}}</ref>
Some fathers' rights groups have become frustrated with the slow pace of traditional campaigning for law reform.<ref name =fralr3/> Groups such as [[Fathers 4 Justice]] have become increasingly vocal and visible, undertaking public demonstrations which have attracted public attention and influenced the politics of family justice.<ref name =fralr3>{{cite book
|last=Collier
|first=Richard
| authorlink =
| coauthors = Sheldon, Sally
|editor=Collier, Richard and Sheldon, Sally
|others=
|title=Fathers' Rights Activism and Law Reform in Comparative Perspective
|format=
|accessdate=
|date=2006
|publisher=Hart Publishing
|chapter='The outlaw fathers fight back': Fathers' rights groups, Father 4 Justice and the politics of law reform- reflections on the UK experience
| chapterurl =
}}</ref> Advocacy of fathers' rights issues takes place through the internet, on blogs and forums.
Sociologists Scott Coltrane and Neal Hickman state that like other political advocacy groups, members of fathers' rights groups cast their personal troubles as pressing social problems,<ref name = "The Rhetoric of Rights and Needs: Moral Discourse in the Reform of Child Custody and Child Support Laws"/><ref name = "Child Support Policy in Australia: Back to basics?">
{{cite journal
|last=Smyth
|first=Bruce
|title=Child support Policy in Australia: Back to basics?
| journal = Family Matters
| issue = 67
|publisher=Australian Institute of Family Studies
| url =http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/fm2004/fm67/bs3.pdf
|accessdate=2007-10-10
}}</ref> and that they use rhetorical strategies to elicit emotional responses.<ref name = "The Rhetoric of Rights and Needs: Moral Discourse in the Reform of Child Custody and Child Support Laws">{{cite journal
| last1 = Coltrane | first1 = Scott
| last2 = Hickman | first2 = Neal
|title=The Rhetoric of Rights and Needs: Moral Discourse in the Reform of Child Custody and Child Support Laws
| journal = Social Problems
| volume = 19
| issue = 4
|pages=400–420
|publisher=University of California Press
}}</ref> Michael Flood, a critic of the fathers' rights movement, suggests that its members focus on the needs and wants of fathers as well as issues of "rights", "equality", and "fairness", rather than on the nuts and bolts of actual parenting and the developmental needs and wishes of children.<ref name="flood"> {{cite conference
|first=Michael
|last=Flood
| authorlink =
|title=Separated Fathers and the Fathers’ Rights Movement
| booktitle = Feminism, Law and the Family Workshop
|publisher=Law School, University of Melbourne
| date =
|url=http://www.xyonline.net/downloads/Supportingseparatedfath.doc
|accessdate=2007-03-12 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal
| last =Kolata
| first =Gina
| authorlink =
| title =Child splitting: many states now favor joint custody. But it's not always the happiest arrangement
| journal =Psychology Today
| date =November 1988
| url =http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1175/is_n11_v22/ai_6723180
| accessdate =2007-03-24
| format ={{dead link|date=June 2008}}{{ndash}} <sup>[http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=author%3AKolata+intitle%3AChild+splitting%3A+many+states+now+favor+joint+custody.+But+it%27s+not+always+the+happiest+arrangement&as_publication=Psychology+Today&as_ylo=&as_yhi=&btnG=Search Scholar search]</sup> }}</ref>
==Main Issues==
===No-fault divorce===
{{Main|No-fault divorce}}
Members of the fathers' rights movement state that laws establishing no-fault divorce did not stop at removing the requirement that grounds be cited for a divorce, so as to allow for divorce by "mutual consent"; they also allow either spouse to end the marriage without any agreement or fault by the other.<ref name="Taken Into Custody 45">{{cite book
| title =Taken Into Custody - The War Against Fathers, Marriage and the Family
| last =Baskerville
| first =Stephen
| publisher =Cumberland House
| date =2007
|pages= 45
|accessdate=2007-10-21 }}</ref> They add that while either parent has a right to voluntarily waive their own parental rights and withdraw from their marital and family relationships, the customary practice in divorce courts is to interpret the plaintiff's petition for no-fault divorce as a demand to restrict the defendant parent's family relationships without any evidence that the defendant parent is unfit or harming the child (when unfitness or harm are present, the divorce is not "no-fault"). They also state that no-fault divorce should be referred to as unilateral divorce.<ref>{{cite web
| title =Phyllis Schlafly's keynote address
| publisher =American Coalition of Fathers and Children
| date =September 2006
| url =http://www.acfc.org/media/video/2006nflrc/ka/ka-schlafly.wmv
|accessdate=2007-05-12 }}</ref></br>
Members of the fathers' rights movement state that laws establishing no-fault divorce can be seen as one of the boldest social experiments in modern history that have effectively ended marriage as a legal contract.<ref name="Taken Into Custody 46">{{cite book
| title =Taken Into Custody - The War Against Fathers, Marriage and the Family
| last =Baskerville
| first =Stephen
| publisher =Cumberland House
| date =2007
| comment = page 46
|accessdate=2007-10-21 }}</ref> They state that it is not possible to form a binding agreement to create a family, adding that government officials can, at the request of one spouse, end a marriage over the objection of the other.<ref name="Taken Into Custody 46"/> They state that no-fault divorce has left fathers with no protection against what they describe as the confiscation of their children.<ref name="Taken Into Custody 44">{{cite book
| title =Taken Into Custody - The War Against Fathers, Marriage and the Family
| last =Baskerville
| first =Stephen
| publisher =Cumberland House
| date =2007
| comment = page 44
|accessdate=2007-10-21 }}</ref> Members of the fathers' rights movement propose "reasonable limits" on no-fault divorce when children are involved.<ref name="Taken Into Custody 298">{{cite book
| title =Taken Into Custody - The War Against Fathers, Marriage and the Family
| last =Baskerville
| first =Stephen
| publisher =Cumberland House
| date =2007
| comment = page 298
|accessdate=2007-10-21 }}</ref>
===The Family court system===
{{Main|Adversarial system|Family law|Divorce}}
Members of the fathers' rights movement criticize the win or lose adversarial system currently used in most Western countries to determine divorce and child custody issues, and define "winning custody" not as the right to parent one's children, but as the power to prevent someone else from parenting his children with the help of the government.<ref name="Taken Into Custody 21">{{cite book
| last =Baskerville
| first =Stephen
|title=Taken Into Custody - The War Against Fathers, Marriage and the Family
|publisher=Cumberland House
| comment =page 21
|date=2007
| accessdate =2007-10-22 }}</ref> They state that family courts are biased against fathers, and in favor of mothers, sole custody, and geographical/one-parent stability,<ref name =warren>{{cite web
| last =Farrell
| first =Warren
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title =Three Judicial Biases About Moms, Dads and Children
| work =
| publisher =
| date =2006-03-21
| url =http://www.fapt.org/index.php?option=content&task=view&Itemid=57&id=107
| format =
| doi =
| accessdate =2007-03-12 }}</ref> in making custody decisions.<ref name="Custody to Mom - Delay - Preservation of Status Quo">{{cite web
| title =Select Committee on Constitutional Affairs Fourth Report
|publisher=House of Commons, Parliament UK
|date=2005-02-23
| url =http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmconst/116/116we23.htm
| accessdate =2007-03-18 }}</ref><ref name = "New research shows bias in restraining orders">{{cite web
| last =Charalambous
| first =Mark
| authorlink =
| title =New research shows bias in restraining orders
|publisher=The Fatherhood Coalition
| date =2005-07-10
| url =http://www.fatherhoodcoalition.org/cpf/newreadings/2005/MC_Gardner_Study-2_050710.htm
| accessdate =2007-04-14 }}</ref><ref name="Evidence Submitted by Families Need Fathers">{{cite web
|title=The Operation of the Family Courts
|publisher=House of Commons Constitutional Affairs Committee Family Justice
|date=2004-11-08
| url =http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmconst/116/116ii.pdf
| comment=Evidence Submitted by Families Need Fathers on page 146
| accessdate =2007-03-18 }}</ref> They point to studies noting that women initiate at least two-thirds of divorce, with the claim that "automatic custody" for mothers is one of the reasons for this.<ref name = "Divorce as revolution">{{cite web
|last=Baskerville
|first=Stephen
| authorlink =
|title=Divorce as Revolution
|publisher=The Fatherhood Coalition, also Salisbury Review vol. 21 no. 4
|date=Summer 2003
| url =http://www.fatherhoodcoalition.org/cpf/newreadings/2003/Divorce_as_Revolution_SBsum03.htm
| accessdate =2007-03-22 }}</ref> They also state that family courts are slow to take effective measures to prevent interference with fathers' parenting time.<ref name="Courts on Restraining Orders and Enforcement of Parenting Time">{{cite web
| coauthors = Glenn J. Sacks and Reginald Brass
| title =National Fatherhood Initiative's Ad Campaign Insults African-American Fathers
|publisher=GlennSacks.Com and Daily Breeze, Los Angeles
|date=2004-05-25 Daily Breeze, Los Angeles
| url =http://www.glennsacks.com/national_fatherhood_initiative_ads.htm
| accessdate =2007-03-14 }}</ref> They note that an adversarial approach is expensive in time and money.<ref name="Evidence Submitted by Families Need Fathers"/><ref name="Government and Fatherlessness">{{cite web
| last =Baskerville
| first =Stephen
|title=The Fatherhood Crisis: Time for a New Look
|publisher=NCPA Policy Report No. 267 ISBN #1-56808-136-7. National Center for Policy Analysis.
|date=June 2004
| url =http://www.ncpa.org/pub/st/st267/st267.pdf
| accessdate =2007-03-18 }}</ref>
They state that family courts operate in secret, which protects them from public scrutiny,<ref name="Taken Into Custody 25">{{cite book
| last =Baskerville
| first =Stephen
|title=Taken Into Custody - The War Against Fathers, Marriage and the Family
|publisher=Cumberland House
| comment =page 25
|date=2007
| accessdate =2007-10-22 }}</ref> and that family courts have engaged in censorship.<ref name="Taken Into Custody 83-84">{{cite book
| last =Baskerville
| first =Stephen
|title=Taken Into Custody - The War Against Fathers, Marriage and the Family
|publisher=Cumberland House
| comment =pages 83-84
|date=2007
| accessdate =2007-10-22 }}</ref> They state that fathers who have criticized the court system publicly have been sanctioned by fines and reductions in custody and parenting time.<ref name="Taken Into Custody 88">{{cite book
| last =Baskerville
| first =Stephen
|title=Taken Into Custody - The War Against Fathers, Marriage and the Family
|publisher=Cumberland House
| comment =page 88
|date=2007
| accessdate =2007-10-22 }}</ref> Some activists argue that some men have been driven to suicide by family courts,<ref name = "Divorce as revolution"/> while others acknowledge that these suicides often might stem more from personality factors than legal bias.<ref name = "Fathers' Rights Groups Decry Court Process">{{cite web
|last=Crary
|first=David
| authorlink =
|title=Fathers' Rights Groups Decry Court Process
|publisher=The Associated Press
|date=th
|url=http://www.redressinc.org/Page19.html
| accessdate =}}</ref>
Members of the fathers' rights movement point out that parental rights have been characterized by courts as "sacred", "absolute", and "inherent, natural rights", and that courts have ruled that parenthood cannot be denied without violating fundamental principles of "liberty and justice",<ref name="Taken Into Custody 77">{{cite book
| title =Taken Into Custody - The War Against Fathers, Marriage and the Family
| last =Baskerville
| first =Stephen
| publisher =Cumberland House
| date =2007
| comment = page 77
|accessdate=2007-10-30 }}</ref> but that these unequivocal principles are ignored by family courts as a threat to their reason for existence.<ref name="Taken Into Custody 78">{{cite book
| title =Taken Into Custody - The War Against Fathers, Marriage and the Family
| last =Baskerville
| first =Stephen
| publisher =Cumberland House
| date =2007
| comment = page 78
|accessdate=2007-10-30 }}</ref> Members of the fathers' rights movement state that parents are ordered to pay fees for services demanded by the court,<ref name="Taken Into Custody 59">{{cite book
| last =Baskerville
| first =Stephen
|title=Taken Into Custody - The War Against Fathers, Marriage and the Family
|publisher=Cumberland House
| comment =page 59
|date=2007
| accessdate =2007-10-22 }}</ref> and claim that those working within the court system have a “vested interest in separating children from their parents.”<ref name = "Politics of Fatherhood - S. Baskerville">{{cite web
|last=Baskerville
|first=Stephen
| authorlink =
| title =The Politics of Fatherhood
|publisher=childrensjustice.org: American Political Science Association
| Political Science and Politics, vol. 35, no. 4
| date =December 2002
| url =http://www.childrensjustice.org/politics-fatherhood.html
| accessdate =2007-03-15 }}</ref><ref name="Family Violence - Baskerville">{{cite web
| last =Baskerville
| first =Stephen
| title =Family Violence in America The Truth About Domestic Violence and Child Abuse
| date =May 2006
| url =http://www.acfc.org/site/DocServer/familyviolence.pdf?docID=641
| accessdate =2007-03-14 }}</ref> Members of the fathers' rights movement propose the restoration and enforcement of the traditional rights of parents to the care, custody and companionship of their children."<ref name="Taken Into Custody 298"/>
Critics of the fathers' rights movement note research that fathers are accorded considerable significance in custody decisions and are not discriminated against.<ref name =fralr3/> Some critics also state that based on significant research, family courts discriminate against mothers as a result of gender bias and influence from the fathers' rights movement.<ref name = "California NOW research shows bias against mothers">{{cite web
| coauthors =Helen Grieco, Rachel Allen, Sue Di Paola, Elizabeth McGovern and Melanie Snider
| authorlink =
|title=The California National Organization for Women’s Family Law Court Watch Program Guide
|publisher=California NOW
|date=th
| url =http://canow.org/documents/court_watch.pdf
| accessdate =2007-10-14}}</ref><ref name =fralr3/><ref name = "New research shows bias in restraining orders"/> Critics also claim that most non-custodial parents are fathers, not as a result of actual court bias, but because most fathers do not want to be the primary custodial parent to their children.<ref name="Separation Divorce and Remarriage">{{citation
| title =Families, Labour and Love: Family Diversity in a Changing World
| last =Baker
| first =Maureen
| comments= ISBN 9780774808484 (page 198 - 199)
| publisher =UBC Press
|accessdate=2007-10-08 }}</ref><ref name =resp/> Fathers rights groups respond that this is a sexist position that presumes fathers care about parenting their children less than mothers do.{{Fact|date=March 2008}}
===Child custody - Shared parenting===
{{main|Child custody|Shared parenting|Best interests|Rebuttable presumption}}
Stating that "children need both parents", the fathers’ rights movement calls for greater equality in parental responsibility following separation and divorce.<ref name = "Implement Rebuttable Presumption">{{cite web
|last=Ballard
|first=Travis
| authorlink =
|title=Mitigating the Effects of Divorce on Children
|publisher=National Congress for Fathers and Children
| url =http://www.ncfc.net/chldcncl.txt
| accessdate =2007-03-15 }}</ref><ref name ="Shared Parenting Council">{{cite web
| title =Shared Parenting Council Membership
|publisher=Shared Parenting Council
| date =
| url =http://www.spca.org.au/join.htm
| accessdate =2007-03-15 }}</ref> They call for laws creating a [[rebuttable presumption]] of 50/50 shared custody so that children would generally spend equal time with each parent unless there were reasons against it.<ref name ="Campaign for Rebuttable Presumption in Australia">{{cite web
| title =Why Howard suddenly started to talk about custody battles
|publisher=theage.com.au
|date=2003-06-21
| url =http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/06/20/1055828492831.html
| accessdate =2007-03-15 }}</ref><ref name ="Shared Parenting Council">{{cite web
| title =Shared Parenting Council Membership
|publisher=Shared Parenting Council
| date =
| url =http://www.spca.org.au/join.htm
| accessdate =2007-03-15 }}</ref> They point to studies showing that children in shared custody settings are better adjusted and have fewer social problems such as low academic achievement, crime, pregnancy, substance abuse, depression and suicide,<ref name = "Shared Parenting - Objections vs Facts">{{cite web
| title =Shared Parenting: Common Objections versus the Facts
|publisher=American Coalition of Fathers and Children: The Liberator Volume 32#3
| date =Fall 2005
| url =http://www.acfc.org/site/DocServer/4web.pdf?docID=481
| accessdate =2007-03-15 }}</ref><ref name = "Politics of Fatherhood - S. Baskerville"/><ref name ="Children Happier with shared parenting">{{cite web
| coauthors = Mike McCormick and Glenn Sacks
| title =HB 5267 Will Help Michigan’s Children of Divorce
|publisher=American Coalition of Fathers and Children (also Lansing State Journal)
|date= 2006-05-08 (printed in Lansing State Journal)
| url =http://acfc.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=Lansing_State_Journal
| accessdate =2007-03-15 }}</ref> and claim that shared parenting is in fact in the best interests of the child.<ref name = "Fathers & Families Comment on NYT article"/><ref name="Children's rights"/>
Members of the fathers' rights movement and their critics disagree about the correlation of negative developmental outcomes for children to sole custody situations. Critics claim that father absence covaries with other relevant family characteristics such as the lack of an income from a male adult, the absence of a second adult, and the lack of support from a second extended family system and concluded that it is the negative effects of poverty, and not the absence of a father, that result in negative developmental outcomes.<ref name = "Father Absent Homes">{{Citation
| last =McLoyd
| first =V. C.
| author-link =
| last2 =
| first2 =
| author2-link =
|title=Socioeconomic Disadvantages and Child Development
| journal = American Psychologist,
| volume = 53
| issue =
| pages =185–204
| date =
|year=1998
| url =
| doi =
|id= }}
</ref> On the other hand, members of the fathers' rights movement state that although the consequences of poverty and having a single parent are interrelated, each is a risk factor with independent effects on children,<ref name = "Shared Parenting Research"> {{cite web
| last =Hart
| first =Craig H.
| title =Combating the Myth that Parents Don’t Matter
|publisher=The Howard Center for Family Religion and Society
| date =1999
| url =http://www.worldcongress.org/wcf2_spkrs/wcf2_hart.htm
| accessdate =2007-03-28 }}</ref> and that the negative outcomes for children in sole custody situations correlate more strongly to "fatherlessness" than to any other variable including poverty.<ref> {{cite web
|title=Deconstructing the Essential Father
| publisher =SPARC
|url=http://www.deltabravo.net/custody/deconstruct.php
|accessdate=2007-09-22 }}</ref><ref name="Is there really a fatherhood crisis?"/></br>
Members of the fathers' rights movement criticize the [[best interests]] of the child standard currently used in many countries for making custody decisions, which they describe as highly subjective and based on the personal prejudices of family court judges and court-appointed child custody evaluators,<ref name="Fatherphobia">{{cite web
| last =Schlafly
| first =Phyllis
| authorlink =
| title =The Fatherphobia of Family Courts
| date =2005-02-02
| url =http://www.eagleforum.org/column/2005/feb05/05-02-02.html
| accessdate =2007-04-24 }}</ref><ref name="Family Feud">{{cite web
| last =Newdow
| first =Michael
| title =Family Feud
| publisher =Slate.Com
| date =2004-06-18
| url =http://www.slate.com/id/2102650/
|accessdate=2007-04-30 }}</ref><ref name = "Fathers & Families Comment on NYT article">{{cite web
| title =New York Times Press Gives Major Press Coverage for Fathers
| publisher =Fathers & Families
| date =2005-05-08
| url =http://www.fathersandfamilies.org/site/news.php?id=54
|accessdate=2007-05-27 }}</ref><ref name="Children's rights">{{cite web
| last =Schlafly
| first =Phyllis
| authorlink =
| title =Children's rights should include life with both parents
| date =2007-07-23
| url =http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=21639
| accessdate =2007-09-30 }}</ref> and that courts are abusive when more than half custody is taken away from a willing, competent parent.<ref name ="ACFC Appeal to Parents">{{cite web
| title =An APPEAL to the PARENTS of AMERICA about the DESTRUCTION of the AMERICAN FAMILY
|publisher=American Coalition of Fathers and Children
| url =http://www.acfc.org/site/DocServer/ACFC2saved.pdf?docID=181
| accessdate =2007-03-15 }}</ref> They claim that a rebuttable presumption of shared parenting is supported by a majority of citizens,<ref name ="F&F Testimony">{{cite web
| authorlink =
| Publisher =Fathers & Families
| title =Testimony in Support of an Act Relative to Shared Parenting
| date =2003-09-25
| url =http://www.fathersandfamilies.org/Publications/Test%20HB%202464%20Custody.pdf
| accessdate =2007-10-14 }}</ref> and that their proposals to enact such laws are opposed by divorce lawyers and by feminist organizations, the latter by invoking the specter of domestic violence and child abuse as propaganda directed against fathers and fathers' rights groups.<ref name="Taken Into Custody 303">{{cite book
| last =Baskerville
| first =Stephen
|title=Taken Into Custody - The War Against Fathers, Marriage and the Family
|publisher=Cumberland House
| comment =page 21
|date=2007
| accessdate =2007-10-22 }}</ref>
Critics point to research suggesting that joint custody arrangements are good for children only if there is little parental conflict.<ref>{{cite web
| last =Govorun
| first =Olesya
| authorlink =
|title=Joint-custody arrangements good for children of divorce -- but only if there is no parental conflict
| publisher =Ohio State Research News
| date =2002-11-21
| url =http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/joincust.htm
|accessdate= }}</ref> They argue that if shared parenting were ordered, fathers would not provide their share of the daily care for the children.<ref name="Separation Divorce and Remarriage"/> Fathers rights groups respond that this is also a sexist position that presumes that fathers would not provide for the daily needs of their children for no reason other than that they are fathers.{{Fact|date=March 2008}} Critics also question the motives of those promoting shared parenting, noting that it would result in substantial decreases in or termination of child support payments.<ref>{{Citation
| last =American Bar Association
| title =Guide to Family Law: Effect of Joint Custody
| year =2000
| url =http://family.findlaw.com/child-support/support-guidelines/joint-custody-support.html
|accessdate=2007-03-15 }}</ref><ref name =resp>{{cite web
| coauthors =Irene Weiser and Marcia Pappas
|title=Fathers' Responsibilities Before Fathers' Rights
|publisher=NOW-NYS
| date =2006-07-29
| url =http://www.nownys.org/fathers_resp.html
|accessdate=2007-09-09 }}</ref></br>
Members of the fathers' rights movement respond that shared parenting has been demonstrated to reduce parental conflict by requiring parents to cooperate and compromise, and that it is the lack of constraint by one parent resulting from the ability of that parent to exclude the other, that results in increased parental conflict.<ref name="Taken Into Custody 305">{{cite book
| last =Baskerville
| first =Stephen
|title=Taken Into Custody - The War Against Fathers, Marriage and the Family
|publisher=Cumberland House
| comment =page 305
|date=2007
| accessdate =2007-11-02 }}</ref> They add that only when child support guidelines exceed true costs do parents ask for or seek to prevent changes in parenting time for financial reasons, adding that any argument that a parent is asking for increased parenting time to reduce child support is at the same time an argument that the other parent is making a profit from child support.<ref name="Taken Into Custody 249">{{cite book
| last =Baskerville
| first =Stephen
|title=Taken Into Custody - The War Against Fathers, Marriage and the Family
|publisher=Cumberland House
| comment =page 249
|date=2007
| accessdate =2007-10-30 }}</ref>
Critics claim that some fathers' rights groups are more interested in enabling men to re-establish authority over their children and ex-partners and that issues of power and control in cases of domestic violence and child abuse are ignored.<ref>{{Citation
| last =Michigan National Organization for Women
| title =Mandated Joint Physical And Legal Custody Bill
| year =1996
| url =http://www.michnow.org/jointcus.htm
|accessdate=2007-03-24
| format ={{dead link|date=June 2008}}{{ndash}} <sup>[http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=author%3AMichigan+National+Organization+for+Women+intitle%3AMandated+Joint+Physical+And+Legal+Custody+Bill&as_publication=&as_ylo=1996&as_yhi=1996&btnG=Search Scholar search]</sup> }}</ref><ref name="callander">{{cite web
| last =Callander
| first =Debbi
| authorlink =
| coauthors =Martin Dufresne, Janet Menezes and Ellen Murray
|title=On Abuse, Shared Parenting, & the System
| date =
| url =http://www.womanabuseprevention.com/html/questions___answers.html
|accessdate=2007-03-24 }}</ref> In response, members of the fathers’ rights movement state that fathers have a constitutional right to shared control of their children and through political action they intend to establish parental authority for the well-being of their children.<ref name ="Parental Authority">{{cite web
| title =Fathers' Rights Are Fathers' Duties
| publisher =FatherMag.Com
| date =1998-2000
| url =http://www.fathermag.com/803/action/
|accessdate=2007-10-14 }}</ref> They also point out that a rebuttable presumption for shared parenting preserves a child's protection against unfit or violent parents.<ref name ="F&F Position Paper">{{cite web
| title =Position Paper of Fathers & Families
| publisher =Fathers & Families
| date =2007
| url =http://www.fathersandfamilies.org/Publications/Legislation/2007_HB1460_SB994_Position_Paper_Shared_Parenting.pdf
|accessdate=2007-10-06 }}</ref>
===Child support===
{{See also|Child support|Paternity fraud}}
Members of the fathers’ rights movement campaign for the reform of child support guidelines, which in most Western countries are based on maintaining the children's standard of living after separation, and on the assumption that the children live with one parent and never with the other.<ref name ="Fathers Are Capable Too - Comments on Child Support Guidelines">{{cite web
| title =Comments on the Child Support Guidelines
| publisher =F.A.C.T. Fathers Are Capable Too: Parenting Association
| date =
| url =http://www.fact.on.ca/fin_supp/factcs7.htm
| accessdate =2007-04-12 }}</ref><ref name="Recommendations for Child Support Guideline Revisement"/> Activists argue that the current guidelines are arbitrary, provide mothers with financial incentives to divorce, and leave fathers with little discretionary income to enjoy with the children during their parenting time.<ref name ="Divorce as revolution"/><ref name ="The Subversion of Child Support">{{cite web
| last =Wilson
| first =KC
| authorlink =
| title =The Subversion of Child Support
| publisher =IFeminists.Com
| date =2004-09-15
| url =http://www.ifeminists.net/introduction/editorials/2004/0915wilson.html
| accessdate =2007-03-17 }}</ref><ref name ="Fathers Are Capable Too - Comments on Child Support Guidelines"/> In their place, fathers’ rights activists propose guidelines based on a Cost Shares model, in which child support would be based on the average income of the parents and the estimated child costs incurred by both parents.<ref name ="Mark Rogers - Cost Shares Guidelines">{{cite web
| last =Rogers
| first =R. Mark
| authorlink =
| title =The “Cost Shares” Child Support Guideline: A Working, Superior Alternative
| To Current Guidelines
| publisher =Guideline Economics
| date =2001-05-05
| url =http://www.guidelineeconomics.com/files/CRC20010505.pdf
| accessdate =2007-03-12 }}</ref> Critics of the Cost Share Model guidelines claim that they focus on the relative living standards of divorcing parents rather than the best interests of the children and supporting them at the same level after divorce.<ref>{{cite web
|last=Morgan
|first=Laura W.
| authorlink =
|title=The "Cost Share" model of child support guidelines
|date=2005-02-15
| url =http://www.supportguidelines.com/articles/art200407.html
| accessdate =2007-03-24 }}</ref>
Noting research that cultural communities emphasize different aspects of fatherhood, members of the fathers' rights movement state that the law should value a broader definition of fathering for poor fathers by reducing the focus on collecting child support and encouraging the informal contributions (such as groceries, clothes, toys, time with the children) of these fathers, by counting these contributions as child support.<ref>{{cite web
| last =Maldonado
| first =Solangel
| authorlink =
| title =Deadbeat or Deadbroke: Redefining Child Support for Poor Fathers
|date=2006
| url =http://lawreview.law.ucdavis.edu/articles/Vol39/Issue3/DavisVol39No3_MALDONADO.pdf
| accessdate =2007-06-21 }}</ref>
Members of the fathers’ rights movement suggest that child support should be terminated under certain conditions, such as if the custodial parent limits access to the children by moving away against the wishes of the other parent, gives fraudulent testimony, or if paternity fraud is discovered,<ref name="Recommendations for Child Support Guideline Revisement">{{cite web
| title =Recommendations for Child Support Guideline Revisement June, 2001
|date=June 2001
| url =http://www.fatherhoodcoalition.org/cpf/2001/CSGuidelineRecommendations2001.htm
| accessdate =2007-04-15 }}</ref> adding that two men should not have to pay child support for the same child.<ref name ="Fathers Are Capable Too - Comments on Child Support Guidelines"/>
They also complain that it is often difficult for fathers in financial hardship or who take on a larger caregiving role with their children to have their child support payments lowered. They point out that unemployment is the primary cause of child support arrears, and claim that arrears make the father subject to arrest and imprisonment without due process.<ref name="Is there really a fatherhood crisis?">{{cite web
| last =Baskerville
| first =Stephen
| authorlink =
| title =Is There Really A Fatherhood Crisis?
| publisher =The Independent Institute
|date=Spring 2004
| url =http://www.independent.org/publications/tir/article.asp?issueID=13&articleID=35
|accessdate=2007-05-01 }}</ref>
Members of the fathers' rights movement state that the purpose of child support should be publicly determined, and enforcement programs must be designed to serve that purpose, observing the due process of law.<ref name="Taken Into Custody 298"/>
===Domestic violence and Child abuse===
{{main|Domestic violence|Emotional abuse|Child abuse}}
Members of the fathers' rights movement assert that some women make false claims of domestic violence or child abuse in order to gain an upper hand in divorce, custody disputes and/or prevent fathers from seeing their children, and they state that lawyers advise women to make such claims.<ref name="Fatherphobia"/> They contend that false claims of domestic violence and child abuse are encouraged by the inflammatory "win or lose" nature of child custody hearings, and that men are presumed to be guilty rather than innocent by police and by the courts.<ref name="Family Violence - Baskerville"/><ref name = "Controlling DV Against Men"/><ref name="Recommendations for Child Support Guideline Revisement"/> They protest the inclusion of vaguely-defined and difficult-to-refute definitions of violence based on fear, harassment and stalking, in child custody hearings.<ref name = "DV Laws">{{cite web
|title=An Epidemic of Civil Rights Abuses: Ranking of States’ Domestic Violence Laws
|publisher=Respecting accuracy in domestic abuse reporting
|date=September 2006
| url =http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/Ranking-of-States-DV-Laws.pdf
| accessdate =2007-05-05 }}</ref>
Members of the fathers' rights movement state that it is extremely rare for fathers to abuse their children.<ref name="Family Violence - Baskerville"/> They add that when child abuse occurs, the perpetrator is not likely to be the father, and that the child abuse most often occurs after the father has been separated from his children.<ref name="Divorce as revolution"/><ref name="Family Violence - Baskerville"/> They suggest that government policies are creating child abuse by separating children from their fathers.<ref name="Family Violence - Baskerville"/>
Members of the fathers’ rights movement point to domestic violence studies based on the [[Conflict Tactics Scale]] (CTS), which suggest that men and women act violently toward their partners in about equal percentages.<ref name = husbandbatt>{{cite web
| coauthors = Michael Flood
|title=Claims about Husband Battering
|publisher=American Coalition of Fathers and Children also Omaha World Herald, Daytona
| Beach News-Journal and the Louisville Courier-Journal
|date=Summer 1999
| url =http://www.xyonline.net/husbandbattering.shtml
| accessdate =2007-09-21 }}</ref><ref name = "Controlling DV Against Men">{{cite web
| title =Controlling Domestic Violence Against Men
| coauthors =Charles E. Corry, Ph.D., Martin S. Fiebert, Ph.D., and Erin Pizzey
| publisher =Equal Justice Foundation
|date=2002
| url =http://www.ejfi.org/DV/dv-9.htm
| accessdate =2007-10-04 }}</ref><ref name = "Men need help too">{{cite web
| coauthors = McCormick, Mike and Sacks, Glenn J
|title=October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month Ignores Many Victims
|publisher=American Coalition of Fathers and Children also Omaha World Herald, Daytona
| Beach News-Journal and the Louisville Courier-Journal
|date=October 2006
| url =http://www.acfc.org/site/PageServer?pagename=octobers_dv_awareness
| accessdate =2007-03-15 }}</ref> They claim that men comprise a "significant minority" of the victims of domestic violence,<ref name = "Equal Rights">{{cite web
| coauthors = McCormick, Mike and Sacks, Glenn J
|title=Equal Rights Amendment Yes, ‘Women’s Equality Amendment’ No
|publisher=GlennSacks.Com, also the Louisville Courier
|date=October 2006
| url =http://www.glennsacks.com/equal_rights_amendment.htm
| accessdate =2007-04-15 }}</ref> and they call for more services to be provided for male victims of domestic violence.<ref name = "Men need help too"/> Critics of the CTS dispute its reliability.<ref name=Taft_et_al> Taft, Angela, Kelsey Hegarty and Michael Flood, 'Are men and women equally violent to intimate partners?' in ''Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health'' Volume 25 Issue 6 Page 498-500, December 2001</ref><ref name=Flood06/><ref name=Archer> Archer, John, 'Assessment of the reliability of the Conflict Tactics Scale: A meta-analytic review', ''Journal of Interpersonal Violence'', 14(12), December 1999, pp. 1263-1289</ref> Michael Flood argues that the CTS definitions of domestic violence obscure "variations in the meaning, consequences, and context of violent behaviors in families and relationships."<ref name=Flood06>Flood, Michael, 'The Debate Over Men’s Versus Women’s Family Violence' in ''Australian Institute of Judicial Administration'', Family Violence Conference, Adelaide, February 23rd to 24th, 2006</ref>
Members of the fathers' rights movement propose that both domestic violence and child abuse must be adjudicated as criminal assault, observing due process protections, and that government funding for programs addressing these issues must be made contingent on such protections.<ref name="Taken Into Custody 298"/>
===Parenting time interference and Parental alienation syndrome===
{{main|Parental alienation|Parental alienation syndrome}}
Members of the fathers' rights movement state that some mothers interfere with the father's parenting time and that such interference should be stopped.<ref name = "Parenting Time Interference a problem for dads">{{cite web
| coauthors = Thompson, Dianna and Sacks, Glenn
|title=Equal Parents Week Highlights Need for Family Court Reform
|publisher=GlennSacks.Com also Lansing State Journal 2002-09-26
| date =
| url =http://glennsacks.com/equal_parents_week_pf.htm
| accessdate =2007-03-15 }}</ref> They state that parenting time interference can result from the custodial parent's relocation beyond a practical distance from the noncustodial parent and they campaign for a rebuttable presumption prohibiting such relocations.<ref name="Move Away">{{cite web
| title =AB 400 Will Help Wisconsin's Children of Divorce
| coauthers =Jeffery Leving and Glenn Sacks
| publisher =Glenn Sacks
| date =2005-06-17
| url =http://www.glennsacks.com/ab_400_will.htm
|accessdate=2007-05-12 }}</ref>
They claim that parental alienation is a well-documented phenomena and that Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) is a valid syndrome<ref name = "Protect Children from Alienation">{{cite web
| coauthors =Jeffery M. Leving and Glenn Sacks
| authorlink =
|title=Protect Children from Alienation
|publisher=Ifeminists.Com
|date=2006-07-12
| url =http://www.ifeminists.net/introduction/editorials/2006/0712sacks.html
| accessdate =2007-10-13 }}</ref><ref name = "Validity Amid Controversy">{{cite web
|last=Bone
|first=J. Michael
| authorlink =
|title=Parental Alienation Syndrome: Examining the Validity Amid Controversy
|publisher=Parental-Alienation.Com - The Family Law Section, Vol. XX, No. 1, Fall/Winter 2003, p 24-27
|date=Fall/Winter 2003
| url =http://parental-alienation.com/articles/article0004.htm
| accessdate =2007-05-04 }}</ref> in which a child is alienated by a parent against the other parent for the purpose of gaining or retaining full custody of the children, and they offer advice to fathers about what to do if their access to their children is affected by parental alienation.<ref name = "Parental Alienation Syndrome">{{cite web
|last=Hayward
|first=Stan
| authorlink =
|title=A GUIDE TO THE PARENTAL ALIENATION SYNDROME
|publisher=UK Men and Father's Rights
| date =
| url =http://www.coeffic.demon.co.uk/pas.htm
| accessdate =2007-03-15 }}</ref>
Critics of the fathers' rights movement and of parental alienation syndrome note that it is not considered a syndrome by the American Psychological Association<ref name=angry/><ref name="Stmt on PAS">{{cite web
| title =Statement on Parental Alienation Syndrome
| publisher =American Psychological Association
| date =2005-10-28
| url =http://www.apa.org/releases/passyndrome.html
| accessdate =2007-03-11 }}</ref> and claim that it is nothing more than a legal strategy that has been rejected by some members of the legal community.<ref name="legal">{{cite press release
| title =Child Abuse Experts Applaud Legal Community for Rejecting Parental Alienation Syndrome
| publisher =The Leadership Council on Child Abuse and Interpersonal Violence
| date =2006-07-12
| url =http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/pas/PR_PAS.html
| accessdate =2007-03-12 }}</ref> This particular objection questions the validity of any diagnosis of this alleged sydrome within a child, but has no relevance to the discussion of parental alienation in the context of a parent's actions with respect to that child. Those who differentiate between PAS and parental alienation note that the term "child abuse", though unquestionably a legitimate description of negative parental behaviors, is also not recognized by the APA as a specific diagnosis of mental illness within a child. In this context, parental alienation can be considered to be a form of child abuse.
Critics and members of the fathers' rights movement agree about the danger that claims of parental alienation syndrome may be used by abusive fathers as a weapon against appropriately protective mothers in order to win custody.<ref name="legal"/><ref name = "Protect Children from Alienation"/>
===Unwarranted Termination of Parental Rights and Adoptions===
{{main|Parents' Rights Movement}}
Parents' rights advocates claim that many parents' parental rights are unnecessarily terminated, and that children are separated from fathers and mothers and adopted through the actions of family courts and government social service agencies seeking to meet their own targets, rather than looking at the merits of each case.<ref>{{cite web
| title =Unwarranted Adoptions
| publisher =BBC
| date =
| url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/3662494.stm
|accessdate=2007-06-05 }}</ref>
Members of the fathers' rights movement state that government employees harm children by disregarding the loving bonds they share with their fathers, when social workers typically place children in the foster care system without informing their fathers.<ref>{{cite web
| title =Choosing foster parents over fathers
| coauthors =Jeffery M. Leving and Glenn Sacks
| publisher =The San Diego Union Tribune
| date =2007-07-11
| url =http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070711/news_lz1e11leving.html
|accessdate=2007-10-05 }}</ref>
== Fathers' rights movement by country==
{{main|Fathers' rights movement by country|Parental responsibility (access and custody)}}
Issues related to the fathers' rights movement in specific countries are included in [[Fathers' rights movement by country]]. The countries included are Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, The United Kingdom (UK) and The United States of America (USA). Of the aforementioned countries, Australia, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Sweden and a minority of the states in the United States of America have enacted a rebuttable presumption for shared parenting as of January 1, 2007.
==Fathers' rights and issues with language==
Fathers' and parents' rights campaigners state that ''parenting time'' should be used to replace ''contact'', ''visitation'' and ''residence''. The term ''visitation'' is particularly objectionable to fathers' rights activists, who believe that this term reinforces the idea that only one parent ''raises the children.'' It is perceived that there is a stigma associated with treating one parent as ''resident'' and the other as ''non-resident''. The use of the terms ''absent parent'', ''putative father'', and ''non-custodial parent'' have also been challenged.
Members of the fathers' rights movement state that child support should be referred to as parental transfer payments.<ref>{{cite web
| title =Phyllis Schlafly's keynote address
| publisher =American Coalition of Fathers and Children
| date =September 2006
| url =http://www.acfc.org/media/video/2006nflrc/ka/ka-schlafly.wmv
|accessdate=2007-05-12 }}</ref>
==Notable supporters==
Public supporters of the fathers' rights movement and their issues, include divorced (and subsequently widowed) [[Live Aid]] founder, [[Bob Geldof]],<ref>{{cite news
| title =Bob Geldof
| publisher =Shared Parenting Information Group (SPIG) UK
| url =http://www.spig.clara.net/geldof.htm
| accessdate =2007-05-01 }}</ref> Irish writer and journalist [[John Waters (columnist)|John Waters]], ex-UK [[Home Secretary]] [[David Blunkett]] and [[Karen DeCrow]], former president of the National Organization for Women<ref>{{cite news
| last =
| title =Welcome to California Shared Parenting Alliance
|publisher=California Shared Parenting Alliance
| date =
| url =http://cspaonline.org/
| accessdate =2007-03-18 }}</ref><ref name ="Family law reform helps children">{{cite web
| last =
| first =
| authorlink =
| coauthors = Tim Fittro and Stephen Baskerville
| title =Family law reform helps children
| work =
| publisher =Sunday Gazette Mail (West Virginia)
| date =
| url =http://www.wvgazette.com/section//2007022517
| format =
| doi =
| accessdate =2007-03-18 }}</ref>
===Significant writers===
*[[Bettina Arndt]]
*[[Stephen Baskerville]]
*[[Warren Farrell]]
*[[Michael Flood]]
*[[Michael Green]]
*[[Wendy McElroy]]
*[[Glenn Sacks]]
*[[Phyllis Schlafly]]
*[[Christina Hoff Sommers]]
===Books===
*''Fathers Rights Survival Guide '' by [[Mike L. Weening]]
*''Fathers after Divorce'' by [[Michael Green]]
*''Shared Parenting'' [[Jill Burrett]] & [[Michael Green]]
*''Father and Child Reunion'' by Dr. [[Warren Farrell]]
*''Torn Apart: True Stories of Excluded Fathers'' (2005) by [[Tim Willis]] ISBN 1-904977-30-8
*''Guide To Fathers' Rights'' by Attorney Ronald Isaacs.
*''Elusive Innocence: Survival Guide for the Falsely Accused'' by Dean Tong
*''Taken Into Custody - The War Against Fathers, Marriage, and the Family'' by Stephen Baskerville
*''Without Authority'' by Barry Worrall ISBN-13 978-1-900080-09-5/-08-8/-07-1
*''Custody Revolution: The Father Factor and the Motherhood Mystique'' by Richard A. Warshak
*''Divorced Dads: Shattering the Myths'' by Shanna Danae Derrick and Diane O'Connell ISBN 0-87477-862-X
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
<!--===========================({{NoMoreLinks}})===============================-->
<!--| DO NOT ADD MORE LINKS TO THIS ARTICLE. WIKIPEDIA IS NOT A COLLECTION OF |-->
<!--| LINKS. If you think that your link might be useful, do not add it here, |-->
<!--| but put it on this article's discussion page first or submit your link |-->
<!--| to the appropriate category at the Open Directory Project (www.dmoz.org)|-->
<!--| and link back to that category using the {{dmoz}} template. |-->
<!--| |-->
<!--| Links that have not been verified WILL BE DELETED. |-->
<!--| See [[Wikipedia:External links]] and [[Wikipedia:Spam]] for details |-->
<!--===========================({{NoMoreLinks}})===============================-->
*{{cite web|accessdate=
|url=http://www.ifeminists.net/introduction/editorials/2005/0126.html
|title=Removing Legal Incentives to Lie
|author=McElroy, Wendy|date=2005-01-26
|publisher=ifeminists.net}}
*{{cite web|accessdate=
|url=http://www.ifeminists.net/introduction/editorials/2002/0709a.html
|title=Have Anti-Father Family Court Policies Led to a Men's Marriage Strike?
|author=Sacks, Glenn Sacks and Dianna Thompson
|date=2002-07-09
|publisher=ifeminists.net}}
*{{cite web|accessdate=
|url=http://marriage.rutgers.edu/Publications/Pub%20Whitehead%20Testimony%20Apr%2004.htm
|title=Testimony of Barbara DaFoe Whitehead, Ph.D, Co-Director, National Marriage Project Rutgers University, before US Senate Subcommitee
|date=2004-04-28
|publisher=Rutgers University}} ''Warning this website uses code that may slow or crash older computers.''
==External Links Critical of the Fathers' Rights Movement==
*[http://www.xyonline.net/downloads/backlash.pdf Backlash: Angry Men's Movements], by Michael Flood
*[http://www.xyonline.net/Protectingperpetrators.shtml How the fathers’ rights movement undermines the protections available to victims of violence and protects the perpetrators of violence], by Michael Flood
*[http://www.thelizlibrary.org/~liz/liz/contents.html Liznotes: The Liz Library]
*[http://members.aol.com/asherah/toc.html Trish Wilson: The Women's Network]
*[http://www.stopfamilyviolence.org/ocean/host.php?page=0 Stop Family Violence]
*[http://mynation.net/voice//?module=articles&c=articles&b=7&a=54 An Open Letter To The Board Of The American Coalition Of Fathers And Children - Scroll Down]
*[http://www.thelizlibrary.org/bruch/ Parental Alienation Syndrome And Alienated Children: Getting It Wrong In Child Custody Cases], by Dr. Carol Bruch
*[http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/pas/1.html Abuse And Custody Disputes: Scientific And Legal Issues], by The Leadership Council
*[http://www.fenbi.it Federazione Nazionale per la Bigenitorialità], one of the major Italian movements for coparenting.
<!--===========================({{NoMoreLinks}})===============================-->
<!--| DO NOT ADD MORE LINKS TO THIS ARTICLE. WIKIPEDIA IS NOT A COLLECTION OF |-->
<!--| LINKS. If you think that your link might be useful, do not add it here, |-->
<!--| but put it on this article's discussion page first or submit your link |-->
<!--| to the appropriate category at the Open Directory Project (www.dmoz.org)|-->
<!--| and link back to that category using the {{dmoz}} template. |-->
<!--| |-->
<!--| Links that have not been verified WILL BE DELETED. |-->
<!--| See [[Wikipedia:External links]] and [[Wikipedia:Spam]] for details |-->
<!--===========================({{NoMoreLinks}})===============================-->
{{Family rights}}
[[Category:Family]]
[[Category:Fathers' rights| ]]
[[Category:Divorce]]
[[Category:Marriage]]
[[Category:Family law]]
[[Category:Men's rights]]
[[Category:Human rights]]
[[Category:Children's rights]]
[[Category:Vote Bank]]
[[Category:Gender Discrimination in Democracy]]
[[nl:vaderbeweging]]