Destruction of the family unit
Posted by SimonRW on Sunday, 25 February 2007 01:14:55
I am all out for the focus on absent fathers. Fathers ought to take responsibility, i.e. those that don't. But statements in this regard ignore those fathers that are conscientious and want to have contact and input in their children's lives.
As it stands, at the moment, those fathers are penalised. They are denied contact through the vindictive stance of their ex-wife or partner or through the application of family law via the local courts. The women that follow the attitude that their former partner ought not have anything to do with the children of the partner are supported by judicial decisions, in the main.
This is tantamount to sexual discrimination against men through this flawed system and this discrimination is ignored and laughed at.
If a woman had the same problem they would be viewed in a better light and gain a positive ruling.
The first step to resolving this issue is a change in the law relating to contact. As I understand it, if a party is awarded a contact order and the other party breaks it the only penalty for breaking that order is prison. In my experience judges won't order a contact order against the mother because if they break the contact order the mother will have to go to prison and that would not be in the children's best interest. The legislation with regard to contact orders needs to be changed so that there is a penalty available that includes community service along side prison.
At the end of the day fathers aren't the only ones at fault, mothers are also and until this equality of responsibility is addressed the undoing of the family unit, something you say you are against, will never come to pass because of the sexual discrimination against men which is currently inherent in the beliefs and the application of family law.
I'd like to think you are against any form of discrimination, but if this key point is not addressed then the principals of the Tory party become prejudicial just as it is now and people like me, have to live in today's society with forced estrangement from our children.
This kind of surreptitious discrimination has to stop now if any steps towards family values is to be obtained.
With your view on family life will you equalize the situation when you get into power?
family values