Bi-Partisan Rally
in Support of Shared Parenting
(NY Bills A-330 and
S-291)
Mothers for Shared Parenting
will be holding a rally
November 05, 2005 from 10
AM to 4 PM in two locations:
outside of New York State
Democratic Party Offices,
located at 60 Madison Ave
(at 27th Street) and also
outside of New York Republican
County Committee, located
at 122 East 83rd Street
A Social Justice and Human
Rights Issue:
Under the present law "fit
parents" are commonly
denied their children.
Timed for Voter Awareness:
The rally is being held
on the weekend before the
New York State General Election,
which takes place on Tuesday,
November 08, 2005.
Legislative Result Sought:
The event is designed to
bring awareness about and
show support for the issue
of Shared Parenting and
specifically Assembly Bill
A-330, sponsored by Assemblyman
Harvey Weisenberg, D, Nassau
County, and its corresponding
Senate proposal, S-291,
sponsored by Senator Owen
Johnson, R, Suffolk County.
The Scope of the Problem:
There are currently 2.5
million families in New
York State who would be
affected by Assembly Bill
A-330 and Senate proposal
S-291, which would propose
that instead of one parent
being designated as "non-custodial"
and therefore a "visitor",
with very few rights and
no legal standing on behalf
of the child, there would
be shared parenting and
both parents would be presumed
fit and competent unless
there was evidence that
either was not.
VIPs and Lively Speakers:
Speakers slated to attend
at one or more locations
currently include Dr. Mark
Klein, a possible presidential
candidate in 2008, several
rights groups, several family
law attorneys, authors,
and family rights activists
will speak. Many men and
women who have had their
rights shockingly removed
without cause, including
some mothers and fathers
who have been sent to jail
for what seems like arbitrary
reasons will be available
for the press.
Call to Action:
It is imperative that the
legislature act on Assembly
Bill A-330 and Senate proposal
S-291and quickly as the
situation is only getting
worse. The courts hands
are basically tied and they,
too, are looking to the
legislature to remedy the
situation, as the system
as it now stands is not
only unfair, but damaging
to the children who are
entrusted to it. Children's
best interests are not being
represented. "Custodial"
parents are overburdened.
"Non-custodial"
parents have their hands
tied and, for example, cannot
legally request medical
records, cannot legally
represent their children
in school proceedings nor
can they sue on behalf of
their children.
Children and Both Parents
are ALL "At Risk":
Children are severely damaged
as shown by every possible
known statistic including:
suicide, drug abuse, alcohol
abuse, prescription abuse,
school drop-out statistics,
teenage pregnancy, runaway,
prostitution, incarceration,
gang membership, victimization
by sexual predators, and
as both victims and victimizers
related to violence and
other serious crimes, It
is "custodial"
parents (commonly mothers),
are also harmed by the current
system. After the breakup
of a relationship "custodial
parents" are given
full custody of the children
and a child support check
and are expected to make
it. They become solely responsible
for medical issues, school
issues and legal issues
regarding their children.
Mothers for Shared Parenting
is standing up for those
mothers and asking that
the legislature act and
allow fathers to share those
burdens. It is not fair
to assume that one parent
can provide for the comfort
and shelter of the children
and also be vigilant as
to their greater needs in
the wider society. "Non-custodial"
parents (fathers) should
be allowed access to those
same rights: medical records,
school records, courts and
the legal system on behalf
of their children and now.
Because child support alone
is insufficient to pay household
bills, mothers still must
work. Thus without the greater
involvement of fathers,
children are often left
to be latch-keyed. Even
in the best of circumstances,
the burdens of work on the
other make it so that children
are left with low-quality,
if not illegal (undocumented
alien) child care. Surely,
a father's participation
is preferable to a system
that otherwise does not
nourish and nurture children.
The statistics of single
parent households are grim;
such households have a dramatic
increase in suicide, high-school
dropouts, drug addiction,
alcohol abuse and runaway
teens. Without both parents
watching over and out for
the children, these things
are a grim reality for many.
Drug pushers and sex deviants
often fill in for the missing
parent.
Non-custodial parents (usually
fathers) are in strongly
in favor of shared parenting
as well. The reason for
non-custodial parent support
is largely emotional ----
the non-custodial parent
usually wishes to be more
involved in the development
of their children.
Undeniably, "non-custodial"
parents are harmed by the
current situation: they
rarely have any recourse
once a decision is made
and usually that decision
leaves them very little
time with their children
and absolutely no right
to make any decisions for
them.
The law as it currently
stands is damaging to children,
fathers and mothers all,
as it usually denigrates
fathers to the position
of seeing their children
two weekends and two weekday
evenings for a few hours
a month. It puts undue burden
on mothers as they become
the sole person responsible
for the health and welfare
of their children, under
the law. Fathers are commonly
emotionally damaged by being
excluded from their children's
lives. The largest burden,
however, is born by the
children of this system;
they effectively are reduced
to have only one parent,
one fighter, one protector,
and one helper; that one
parent may be emotionally
strained and not able to
fully support and provide
for them. Taken away from
them may be a fit parent
who can and should
help raise the child.
An under-realized Social
Benefits and Deficit Reduction
Campaign Issue:
Social costs with shared
parenting will be greatly
reduced. Just as childcare
advocates assert that for
every dollar spent on childcare
funding produces seven dollars
in social cost saving for
government, what might free
and quality parenting do
for deficit reduction?
A Child Friendly and Accessible
Event:
The event at Democratic
headquarters (60 Madison
Avenue at 27th Street) is
located near a public park.
This is convenient for parents
that bring their children
with them to the event.
Both sites are wheelchair
accessible. Both event sites
are adjacent to nearby Lexington
Avenue Subway trains; participants
can purchase a subway day
pass for easy access to
both events.
Large Press Involvement:
Already over a dozen news
agencies are scheduled to
be in attendance.
About the Organizers:
Mothers for Shared Parenting
is a grass roots, self-funded
organization created in
2005 to address the needs
of mothers in the battle
for Shared Parenting Reform.
We sympathize and understand
the issues related to "non-custodial"
parents and the current
system. We also are striving
to bring to light an underrepresented
viewpoint as far as "custodial"
parents are concerned.
The key organizers are veterans
of other social issues lobbying.
For example, Ms. Ashley
Clark was the key organizer
for the National Nurse Out
(the event to promote pro-breastfeeding
nationwide) and protests
against anti-breastfeeding
comments of Barbara Walters,
commonly know for both her
journalism and her role
on ABC Television's "The
View." These events
were covered heavily in
the world media and the
Barbara Walters protest
alone can be found on Google
over 31,000 times.
Partial List of Supporters:
Numerous persons and organizations
have expressed their support
of the Shared Parenting
Bill or this event and some
may also be on the speaking
agenda.
Included in the confirmed
speakers and supporters
are:
Miriam Callaghan, Esq.,
Family and Constitutional
Law Attorney Ashley Clark,
Organizer, The National
Breastfeeding Rights Protests
Chris DiMaggio, Producer,
Families In Transition Television
Sal Frasca, Founder, National
Marriage
Centers David Friedman,
Founder, www.silentmajority.info
Elder Henix, Founder, Family
Law Reform Now
Dorothy Jiskra, Founder
of Jeremy's Heart Fund
Dr. Mark Klein, www.equalcustodyact.com
Dean Tong, Forensic Trial
Consultant
Dr. Stephen Walker, Trial
Consultant
The Coalition of Fathers
and Families New York, Inc.
National Coalition of Free
Men
New Jersey Council for Children's
Rights
Questions? Comments?
Questions or comments should
be directed to Ashley Clark,
anniej83@hotmail.com or
631.384.1222