TX Equal Parenting HB3379 will Help Millions of Kids Harmed in Custody Battles

Call Chairman Harold Dutton and ask him to set a timely hearing for the Texas Equal Parenting Bill. Millions of kids and dozens of Texas Representative coauthors deserve for this bill to get a fair vote instead of being killed in committee.

Texas House Bill HB 3379 and SB1702 (Equal Parenting/Equal Responsibility) will lower court conflict and help fit, willing, and able parents more easily get equal time with their kids without having to spend thousands of dollars in bitter court fights. However, The BIGGEST thing Equal Parenting bills will do is Help Millions of Kids who are Hurting. There is no denying that one of the greatest issues we face as society is a nation without fathers, which Hurts Kids. The Stats and Facts of the negative effects of unequal parenting and fatherlessness is shocking and heart wrenching and we MUST help our kids NOW!

Kids Need Both and Mother and a Father in their lives EQUALLY. The Facts show that Kids and Hurting and Dying due to Unequal Parenting and Fatherlessness

• 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (US Dept. Of Health/Census) – 5 times the average.
• 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes – 32 times the average.
• 85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes – 20 times the average.  (Center for Disease Control)
• 80% of rapists with anger problems come from fatherless homes –14 times the average.  (Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26)
• 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes – 9 times the average.  (National Principals Association Report)

-          Father Factor in Drug and Alcohol Abuse – Researchers at Columbia University found that children living in two-parent household with a poor relationship with their father are 68% more likely to smoke, drink, or use drugs compared to all teens in two-parent households.

-          70% of youths in state-operated institutions come from fatherless homes – 9 times the average.  (U.S. Dept. of Justice, Sept. 1988)

-          85% of all youths in prison come from fatherless homes – 20 times the average.  (Fulton Co. Georgia, Texas Dept. of Correction)

-          Father Factor in Incarceration – Even after controlling for income, youths in father-absent households still had significantly higher odds of incarceration than those in mother-father families. Youths who never had a father in the household experienced the highest odds. A 2002 Department of Justice survey of 7,000 inmates revealed that 39% of jail inmates lived in mother-only households.

-          Father Factor in Crime – A study of 109 juvenile offenders indicated that family structure significantly predicts delinquency. Adolescents, particularly boys, in single-parent families were at higher risk of status, property and person delinquencies. Moreover, students attending schools with a high proportion of children of single parents are also at risk. A study of 13,986 women in prison showed that more than half grew up without their father. Forty-two percent grew up in a single-mother household and sixteen percent lived with neither parent

-          Father Factor in Child Abuse – Compared to living with both parents, living in a single-parent home doubles the risk that a child will suffer physical, emotional, or educational neglect. The overall rate of child abuse and neglect in single-parent households is 27.3 children per 1,000, whereas the rate of overall maltreatment in two-parent households is 15.5 per 1,000.

-          Daughters of single parents without a Father involved are 53% more likely to marry as teenagers, 711% more likely to have children as teenagers, 164% more likely to have a pre-marital birth and 92% more likely to get divorced themselves.

Unequal Parenting has DEVASTATED & HARMED Children – We must pass Texas HB 3379 & SB1702

The majority of teen crime, teen drug use, teen pregnancy, teen suicide, Teen School Dropouts, and even nearly all school shooters had unequal parenting homes. This Crisis is harming children and society. Texas family law doesn’t have an equal starting point. The current family law of unequal standard possession order incentivizes parents to fight in court over more time and use kids as pawns. Kids get hurt when parents fight instead of equally parenting. The family court starting point should be equal parenting when both parents are fit because this is best for the children. Kids have a right to equal access to both fit parents.

Sixty peer-reviewed studies prove that it's best for kids when they spend equal time with both parents. The science and medical professionals and university studies all agree kids need equal parenting. Furthermore, not only do we know that equal parenting helps children, we unfortunately also know that unequal parenting harms children and society GREATLY.

Kids Need Both a Mom and a Dad Equally, and the facts show that Kids and Society are hurting and suffering without equal parenting and due to Fatherlessness.

The Texas Equal Parenting Bill HB 3379 and SB 1702 will make the new standard possession order starting point be equal possession and access in custody cases where a Judge has determined both parents are joint managing conservators. When both parents are fit, the children should have a right to see them both equally as a starting point, and then a Judge still has the discretion to go down from there with just cause. Kids win! Less Court Conflict!

The unequal parenting system is hurting society and hurting children and it incentivizes fighting and bickering in court to get more time. This New Equal Parenting Law will make Equal Possession and Access the NEW Standard Starting Point in child custody cases when both parents are fit. This means a Kid starts of at getting to see BOTH good parents equally as the starting point without having to fight for it. This will cut out lots of fighting in court and cut down on harm to children.

Under HB 3379 and SB 1702, a Judge will still have discretion to go down from equal parenting based on written findings of issues that, for instance, if evidence shows it would harm the child’s health and mental wellbeing, or if the parents live 1000 miles away, etc. So Equal Parenting Laws do not take away from a Judge’s ability to still make decisions in child custody cases based on evidence of issues that would support not having exactly equal parenting.

All these studies, facts, and more info about the benefits of Equal Parenting and the harm of unequal parenting, can be found at www.EqualJusticeTaskForce.com