Should child support obligations be based on the biological, legal and/or social relationship between and adult and child? An answer to this question largely depends on the situation and to whom this question is posed. There could be an array of answers that differ significantly from one person to the next, presenting various valid points. Because several of the answers hold opposing views, it is necessary for unbiased input from third parties, this is when the government gets involved. Shared DNA, while the most accurate way to identify a parent, is not the only mark of a parent as it pertains to emotional, social or financial support. A biological father assumes partial financial support of a child he created whether he wants the child …show more content…
or not. Is it fair? There's no one answer to this question, each condition requires its own detailed investigation, to determine legal child support obligations. Child support, is a sensitive and complex conversation, which requires a clear understanding of the existing relationship, in addition to prior financial commitment. The same goes for Same-Sex relationships, potential for financial obligation exists, regardless of whether there is a biological or legal connection. Clarification of parentage had to be formally addressed and amended to reflect invested time, effort and money of non-legal and/or biological parents. The ongoing fight for acceptance of same-sex relationships has placed an eye of scrutiny on the family unit as a whole, especially where children are involved. The responsibility of planned and unplanned children is that of the parent, biological and/or possibly non-biological, despite the survival or dissolution of the relationship. The seventeenth century Elizabethan Poor Laws began the conversation concerning an unenforceable moral commitment by fathers to provide for their families. (Oliphant & Ver Steegh, 2016) This effort provided the initial glance at a need to establish guidelines to provide assistance to people that had little to no means to support their families. Moral obligation suggests that the innate necessity fundamentally embedded in us, to assist family members when a need is displayed. Some failed to adopt the concept, making the decision not to provide support and the responsibility fell on others. Congress was forced to intervene in 1950 to establish the first Federal support enforcement legislation, which required State Welfare agencies to notify appropriate law enforcement officials when aid had to be rendered to dependent children who had been abandoned or deserted by a parent. (History of Child Support, 2014). In spite of enforcements measures, there continued to be struggles to recover child support. In 1984 child support enforcements were amended to allow states to seek involuntary recovery of funds through wage garnishment, tax interceptions, property liens and other methods. (History of Child Support, 2014). While the amended terms were definite improvements, it really just made those seeking to avoid responsibility, that much more determined to beat "the system". Should a man whose intentions were to yield nothing more than a meaningless sexual encounter, be obligated to provide for the unplanned offspring resulting from that encounter?
I say absolutely, both financially and emotionally, but financially responsible at minimum. It escapes my level of comprehension that someone wouldn't want to know a child that is, quite literally, a part of them! It is my sincerest opinion, if consenting adults have no knowledge about the potential risks involved in the act of sexual intercourse they shouldn't be engaging in the act. There is a growing population of men that believe that the choice to terminate a pregnancy shouldn't be left solely up to the mother. Based off this belief some believe that there should be an option for men to "financially abort" an unwanted child. (F.Colb, 2006). I believe there is already an option that would allow men to "financially abort" an unplanned/unwanted child and it's the option to refrain from sexual activity or have a vasectomy! Same-sex unions come with their own set of challenges, should the same ideations apply to those …show more content…
relationships/marriages? As same-sex relationships become more recognized and accepted, we have to adjust as a society, to incorporate the uniqueness of those relationships when they include children. Should former unmarried parties, in long-term same-sex relationships, be obligated to provide financial support without legal or biological ties to the child/children? Morally, some would say it's the right thing to do and I would have to agree. Once there's an emotional bond, to the extent that child recognizes that person as a true and lawful parent, that connection cannot be broken without inflicting emotional distress to the child/children. Voluntarily assuming the role of parent, despite the lack of shared DNA, positions one as a de facto parent. A de facto parent would've resided in the same home two or more years and have provided voluntary care for the child/children. (Oliphant & Ver Steegh, 2016). For all intensive purposes, they are parents and could potentially be ordered to provide financial support. Circumstances vary for every situation, and they can be even more complex when it comes to same-sex married couples that have children with the help of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). Sharing the same genetic make-up, does not a parent make!
Many same-sex couples use ART for many reason, to start and grow families in place of traditional methods. Children recognize their parents early on in life and it's not always the ones that are biologically responsible for their creation. The parents children depend on are the ones that help with homework, rush to their side when they have a bad dream in addition to ensuring their every need is met. The equitable parent doctrine supports the acknowledgment of a non-biological parents as a natural parent, taking into consideration the parent/child relationship and the willingness to take on the financial as well as emotional responsibilities of parenthood. (Oliphant & Ver Steegh, 2016). Also, equitable estoppel provides for child support on either pseudo-contractual grounds or on the grounds of what is best for the child. Equitable estoppel is a potential solution for providing child support in the context of same-sex relationships. (Smolow,
2012). Parenthood is not a contract to be entered into lightly, there is an unimaginable amount of time, effort, patience and money in the raising of one child and even more for multiple children. No man should be allowed to be a serial "baby daddy" and contribute nothing to the wellbeing of that child and their future. Regardless of whether the pregnancy was unplanned or unwanted because there are so many methods available to prevent unwanted or unintended children. No one person should have to shoulder the sole responsibility of preventing a pregnancy! Child support is a court-ordered payment made by one parent to the other parent for the support of a common child. (Oliphant & Ver Steegh, 2016). Both parents income will essentially be used for the care of the child, the amount is determined by the courts and usually will remain in effect until the eighteenth birthday of the child. It is unforeseeable what the future will hold in terms of father's rights to opt-out financially from unwanted/unplanned children. It is advisable, to those would-be fathers, that they simply do not have any children before they are prepared to provide financial as well as emotional support.
Second parent adoption is an important tool utilized by same-sex couples in an effort to protect their parental rights in states where same sex marriage is not recognized. Although gay and lesbian paren...
In the United States today more than one-half of all marriages end in divorce. The purpose of this paper is to examine the reason why women have typically received custody of the children far more often than the fathers. In order to better understand child custody one must first examine how fathers have often times been left out of the picture, and conversely why mothers have had such hard times raising children on their own. This paper will first examine the perspective of a father who has lost custody of his children.
...e best interest of their children. It’s not the amount of child support that is being paid that is important while you are doing the best you can for your children and supporting them the best way you can. Enforcing child support and having greater punishments are not just to make the nonpaying parents lives more difficult but to ensure a better life for their children.
When it comes to abortion I believe that it should always be left up to the woman to make the decision on whether to keep her baby or not. Having a baby is no eas...
they go through with the pregnancy. Would it be fair to let the mother of two
There are variables that could affect her choice. She could be poor, the child could have a birth defect, and so on. Giving her a right to decide whether she should abort the baby, it’s entirely her choice. What if the mother was raped or she got pregnant from incest? Would you traumatise this mother with the child of the rapist for 9 months, and would you allow an inbred child that will most likely have a disability and be put through literal hell?
Women that push for an abortion do not always have a partner that agrees and supports their decision for terminating the pregnancy. If the father is willing to support and care for the fetus, it is wrong for a woman to go against his wishes and follow through with an abortion. For a father to want to be involved in the fetus’s life means he is willing to take on the responsibilities of having a child so he should have a say if his fetus should be terminated or not. The Becoming A Father/Refusing Fatherhood article states, “To be a father-as-progenitor a man simply has to provide the sperm that leads to conception, whereas to be a father-as-carer a man has to take on a variety of social roles. The roles associated with the father-as-carer included disciplinarian, breadwinner/provider, guardian, moral compass, sex role model, guide and friend” (Ives 78). To have a father-as-carer in an offspring’s life gives a woman no reason to get an abortion. The woman is consciously aware of the outcomes of intercourse when willingly performing in such an act. In the Rethinking Roe V. Wade article it states, “if a woman concedes to voluntary sexual intercourse, she has incurred a responsibility to care for the fetus, since she is responsible for its existence and subsequent dependence on her body for sustenance. Consequently, she has a moral obligation to sustain it until birth, an obligation that ought to be legally enforced by proscribing abortions” (Manninen 41). The female is aware of the consequences when engaging in sexual acts so it should be her responsibility to carry the fetus to term. The presence of a partner that is willing to stay by the women’s side and support her during the pregnancy does not give her a reason to obtain an abort...
The income that people pay for child support has many factors. Depending on what state you may reside in plays a major role in how much the parent may end up paying. Looking at things on a broad spectrum anything is valid when it comes down to determining the amount that a child will receive from the noncustodial parent. According to LawInfo there are three models that states choose to follow in order to calculate the income of each person's child support case; Flat Percentage, Income Shares, and Melson Formula. The similarity between these three models is how much the parents receive economically and the child’s necessities. With these three models plugged into the child support system we will get a better understanding of how the parents and children benefit from each model. Once the economic issues are settled among the parents there may not be a stable environment just yet until custody rights are given and agreed on. The following models will give a brie...
In recent years, same-sex relationships have become more encompassing in US society. State legislation is changing such as accepting gay marriages, enforcing anti-discrimination laws, and legal gay adoptions; the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community is becoming public. Gay-headed families, like heterosexuals, are diverse and varying in different forms. Whether a created family is from previous heterosexual relationships, artificial insemination, or adoption, it deserves the same legal rights heterosexual families enjoy. Full adoption rights needs to be legalized in all states to provide a stable family life for children because sexual orientation does not determine parenting skills, children placed with homosexual parents have better well-being than those in foster care, and there are thousands of children waiting for good homes.
I think [17e] that the lady should have the baby and then put it up for adoption, but then there are also a lot of other people that think that the child will suffer psychologically, because in a lot of cases the child will never get to meet their biological parents. Even if the baby doesn't meet their parents they will not suffer as badly as it would if it were brutal. slaughtered in the womb, this brings up a biological issue: abortion is killing a human life.... ... middle of paper ... ...
I would argue that giving birth isn 't always the most responsible option. If a woman knows that she won 't be able to effectively take care of the child I’d say it’s more responsible of her to have an abortion and prevent them both from having a future full of hardships. People also say that if a woman had practiced safe sex and used contraception than she could have avoided it all together. According to Newsweek, a report released by the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that, “fewer than half of high schools and only a fifth of middle schools teach lessons on all 16 of the nationally recommended topics for sexual health education.” They also found that, “schools were least likely to teach kids how to obtain or use condoms.” This shows that not everyone is informed on how to obtain or correctly use contraceptives, so avoiding a pregnancy might not always be an
Homosexuality is becoming more and more accepted and integrated into today’s society, however, when it comes to homosexuals establishing families, a problem is posed. In most states, homosexuals can adopt children like any other married or single adult. There are many arguments to this controversial topic; some people believe that it should be legal nationally, while others would prefer that is was banned everywhere, or at least in their individual states. There are logical reasons to allow gays to adopt children, but for some, these reasons are not enough. The main issue really is, what is in the best interest of the child? This type of problem isn’t really one with causes, effects, and solutions, but one with pros and cons. Like any other adoption situation, a parent prove themselves to be responsible and capable enough to raise a child on their own, or with a spouse.
Same-sex couples can become parents through means of former relationships, co-parenting, surrogacy, adoption, and donor insemination, although major legal discrimination continues to challenge this process for families. The difficulty faced by many of these couples to have children oftentimes results in even more nurturing environments. This variance in route to parenthood can make same-sex couples that are having children more motivated to be doing so. “Planned families reflect the desire of sexual minorities to have children outside of heteronormative circumstances” (Moore 2013:495). Non-heterosexual parents on average have stronger relationships with their children th...
Marriage naturally creates families; it provides the conditions for a healthy environment that is beneficial to the upbringing of children. Opponents of same-sex marriage often ground their arguments on parental and religious concerns. Many argue that sa...
Should raising a child be the responsibility of both parents? Some people think the responsibility lies on both parents since it took two participants to bring the child into the world. Others don’t think both parents are needed in raising a child or that they should be held responsible and be made to contribute if they don’t want to, therefore shouldn’t be an issue. After researching both sides of the issue, I strongly believe that it is the responsibility of both parents to raise the child they brought into this world together. I say this with the understanding that the child has not been given up for adoption, but remains with one or both of the biological parents.