Virginia Shared Parenting and Children's Rights

We, the Parents and Children of the Commonwealth of Virginia, do vehemently object to your practices that are destroying our lives. For over thirty years, you have been separating children from fit parents. You have created a society in which the role of parents has been deemed unnecessary and insignificant.

In most contested custody cases, children are only allowed to see one of their parents every other weekend. If a parent were to voluntarily abandon his child like this he would be guilty of neglect. What you are doing is worse. Your policies amount to state-sponsored child abuse and kidnapping.

Many states and foreign countries have overturned best interests of the child laws because their ambiguity facilitates the unjustified violation of parents and children's civil rights. Despite that fact that virtually every social pathology of our time from violent crime to substance abuse to truancy correlates more strongly to fatherless homes than to any other cause, courts of the Commonwealth continue to disproportionately tear fathers away from their families.

Opponentsusually feminists or lawyersfalsely claim that the demand for shared custody is fueled by a desire to pay less child support, but anyone who has ever cared for a child knows that the cost far exceeds most child support orders. The food, clothing, medical care, school, day care, babysitting expenses and other costs of parenting are far more than any savings in child support. No sane person would ever want custody of a child just to get a support check. This is why most parents who receive support complain that its not enough. This is also part of the reason why some parents who receive support abandon their children.

We know the truth, that youthe Commonwealth of Virginiareceive federal Title IV-D funding based on how much Child Support you collect. You are knowingly profiting from the destruction of our families. Even if not intentional, your inaction and silence to this issue amounts to acceptance.

Governor Tim Kaine claims that there is a presumption that shared custody is preferred. Much like the presumption that innocent people do not get convicted of crimes, the truth is far different.

We, the parents and children of the Commonwealth of Virginia, do respectfully request that you end these destructive policies. We request that you pass and enforce Shared Parenting laws and that judges on all levels be better educated in what is truly in the best interest of the child.