The Backlash! - February 1995

Organization News - Wisconsin Fathers for Equal Justice P.O. Box 1742 Madison, WI 53701-1742

For these purposes, it is in the best interest of a child:

• 1. to have his or her view as to custody arrangements taken into consideration, subject to the age and maturity of the child; and

• 2. to have both parents' views as to custody arrangement taken into consideration, subject to the capacity of each parent to provide and maintain a physical and emotional environment conducive to the child's beneficial development (the parents should be willing and able, individually, to care for the child); and

• 3. to have freedom to develop separate and analogous relationships with his or her parents when the parents don't live together ("analogous" takes into account time, money and other factors that limit or facilitate relationships; provides that the child is entitled to develop an analogous relationship with each parent when the parents live apart, regardless of whatever relationship, if any, existed before the parental separation); and

• 4. to have stability in the relationships the child develops with each of his or her parents after the parents decide not to live together (provides for the development of post-marriage relationships while discouraging long-distance changes); and

• 5. to have maximal access to both his or her parents, subject to arrangements that are reasonable for the circumstances ("maximal" is equal under the presumption); and

• 6. to have continued access to both his or her parents free from unreasonable interference by the other parent (discourages access interference); and

• 7. to have reasonable access to the friends, associates and relatives of both parents (discourages interference with additional beneficial relationships); and

• 8. for the child's parents to live within reasonable commuting distance of each other, preferably in the same school district (provides practical basis for shared parenting); and

• 9. to know the identity of his or her father and to have the same opportunities to form a relationship with the father in a paternity case as would be available to a child born of a marriage; and

• 10 for the court to consider any other factor regarding the child, provided that such factor does not discriminate between the parents on the basis of sex.

WFEJ encourages all who have a specific interest in this topic, or who have information or comments to share with Him, to get in touch with him promptly. The Dane County team will be assembling soon to prepare for the April conference.

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