EQUAL PARENTING ACTIVISTS TO LAUNCH POLITICAL PARTY
A new national political party with their primary policy to change family law will launch itself by holding a press conference outside the Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts, Derby Square, Liverpool on Friday 31st March 2006 at 11:30 am.
The Equal Parenting Alliance wants to enshrine in legislation a parent’s right to a legal presumption to reasonable direct contact with their child in the event of a relationship break down.
Deputy Party Leader, Peter Molloy, 35, from Liverpool said “The Equal Parenting Alliance’s primary aim in changing family law will be to put the best interest of the child first. The best interest of the child principle is that in the event of their parents separating that the child maintains a relationship with both parents”.
For further information visit www.equalparentingalliance.com
STATEMENT
Since the introduction of the Children Act 1989 more and more children are becoming estranged not only from one of their parents, but also from half of their entire family, at the single stroke of a judge’s pen.
The new Children and Adoption Bill that is going through Parliament at the moment does not go far enough to protect a child’s basic human right of maintaining a relationship with both of its loving parents in the event of a relationship break down when there is no lawful reason that it should discontinue.
This building behind us, the Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts here in Liverpool, has been the focus of many fathers rights protests because of the family court’s failure to protect children from the selfish desires of resident parents who trample over the needs and wishes of their children by denying them contact with non-resident parents deemed fit by the courts to care for those children. This condemns many of these children to a life of distress, unhappiness, imbalance and social exclusion, which has been proven by many child psychologists.
For the purpose of legislating in contact matters, The Equal Parenting Alliance has defined what it means when discussing the ‘best interest of the child principle’, as: ‘the best interest of the child in the event of their parents separating is to maintain reasonable direct contact with both loving parents’. It is the Equal Parenting Alliance’s primary aim to put children first throughout its policies.
The Equal Parenting Alliance will also address concerns made by non-resident parents, who are in the vast majority fathers, that they face being treated like second class parents when it comes to their child’s education, health and child support, to name but a few issues. This is the time to tackle the many hurdles that the non-resident parent will face.
We want to remind the government, (which has as an unwritten policy ‘that there should be no legal presumption to contact)’, the Judiciary and potential single parents, that it takes two parents to produce a child and as a result, that child deserves to be brought up by both of those loving parents.
To that end we would like to say the following:
To potential single parents who wish to cause distress, confusion and long term harm to their children by denying them meaningful contact with their other parent, and their family, for the purpose of financial reward or revenge, that your actions are damaging and detrimental to your children and will no longer be tolerated. No amount of money can replace the physical presence, or love, of your child’s other parent. A child needs both of its parents.
To the judiciary: there have long been in existence sanctions which could truly have protected the right of the child to a family life, and to have reasonable and proper contact with both of its parents, but you have failed to enforce those sanctions, thereby turning your family courts into a travesty of justice where contempt flourishes and perjury, a non-issue within your hallowed family law system, is not only allowed but actively encouraged on a daily basis. You have helped to ensure that thousands of resident parents have, in their own best interests, denied their children the love and protection of their other parent and half of their family.
To every parent and potential parent: you now have a political party who are prepared to protect your child’s basic human right to reasonable, meaningful, direct contact with both of its parents. Your love for your child and your child’s love for you is too important to its health, happiness and future well-being for it to be denied.
Finally, to every child, we know how much you love both of your parents and how difficult it is for you when your parents end their relationship. You should not be in a position in which you feel uncomfortable about talking freely to either of your parents. All you want is to get the best out of a bad situation, for that to occur, and in order for you to develop into the happy and well-balanced adult you deserve to be, you need to maintain a normal relationship with both of your loving parents, and a family life which is your right, not your unfulfilled dream.
We in the Equal Parenting Alliance want to achieve this reality for you because it is in your best interests that we do so, and it is also important for you that you have a group of adults who do actually listen to you, and who understand your wishes and feelings.
