National Study grades States on Shared Parenting

The National Parents Organization releases its 2014 Shared Parenting Report Card, an inaugural report issuing state-by-state grades in the nation’s first comprehensive review of child custody statutes as they relate to shared parenting in instances of divorce and separation. In the inaugural Shared Parenting Report Card, South Carolina received a D. National Parents Organization’s local affiliate, National Parents Organization of South Carolina, has been involved in efforts to reform child custody laws, and as state leaders look to the next legislative session, the organization hopes the report becomes an important part of the conversation. “Despite what you might believe, shared parenting is not the norm in instances of divorce and separation. In fact, family courts award sole custody, usually to the mother, in over 80% of child custody cases,” said Ned Holstein, M.D., M.S., Founder and Chair of National Parents Organization. “Our report highlights that many states are not only discouraging shared parenting, but they are also depriving children of what they benefit from most, ample time with both of their parents, while also enabling a system that fosters parental inequality.” The National Parents Organization 2014 Shared Parenting Report Card assigns each state a grade, A through F, to indicate the best and worst states for shared parenting, a flexible arrangement in which children enjoy the benefit of having both parents fully engaged in their lives after separation or divorce. National Parents Organization, a charitable and educational 501c3 organization, seeks better lives for children through family law reform that establishes equal rights and responsibilities for fathers and mothers after divorce or separation. The organization is focused on promoting shared parenting and preserving a child’s strong bond with both parents, which is critically important to their emotional, mental, and physical health. Visit the National Parents Organization website at www.nationalparentsorganization.org.