Grandparent Visitation vs. Parental Rights
Nearly every state has a law allowing grandparents or even non-family members to petition the court for visitation with minor children. The majority of the states claim to allow such visitation in the best interests of the children. Many states believe these laws are constitutional because they allow for only minimal intrusion into the family unit. Other states allow for visitation to be awarded if it is in "the best interests" of the child.
The Unites States Supreme Court heard oral arguments on January 12, 2000, Troxel v. Granville, and will decide later in the year if third-party visitation, as well as the best interests standard, is constitutional.
Third-party visitation, or grandparent visitation, can affect any family. You do not have to be a single parent to be sued. Numerous intact families have been sued and have been forced to turn their children over to abusers and near-strangers for visitation.
Parents have been jailed for refusing to comply with the court-ordered visitation. One woman that is sitting in jail right now is Julie Mehring. Judges consistently reward visitation to grandparents without hearing all the evidence and without considering the potential emotional or physical harm that may come to our children through forced visits with abusers or strangers. Although judges are supposed to be looking out for the best interests of the children, it is obvious that in most cases they are more concerned with the best interests of the grandparent.
Not only have the courts refused to protect our children, they have made it illegal for us to do so as well.
Support groups in many states have joined together under the Coalition for the Restoration of Parental Rights (CRPR) to fight for the revision of third-party and grandparent visitation laws.
Check the laws in your state. Find out what your rights are as a parent. Write to your legislators and demand that grandparent visitation laws and third-party visitation laws be revised to protect and support the nuclear family.