Law & Legal
Legally Speaking: Substance abuse and Pregnancy
How has the legal system dealt with the problem of women's substance abuse during pregnancy? There is no state which criminalizes drug use during pregnancy.
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Custody and Access Issues for Same Sex Couples
When married heterosexuals who have children divorce, the parents are automatically presumed to be the legal parents of their children and absent a termination due to unfitness, they retain their rights upon divorce.
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Hospital Rules and the Rights of Gay and Lesbian Parents
Before April 15, 2010 ' gay and lesbian couples were given no legal rights in a hospital setting.
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Making a Will
A will is a powerful final testament tool which provides instruction regarding a person's last wishes, including how they want their estate divided and distributed.
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Safe Haven Laws
Many states have enacted what have commonly become known as Safe Haven statutes or Baby Moses legislation. Safe Haven laws have been touted as a positive solution through which a desperate parent can abandon an infant without fear of prosecution.
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Reading List for Separating And Divorcing Parents
There is a voluminous amount of 'popular' literature about issues involving separating and divorcing parents throughout the United States, with much advice. Some examples are included below.
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Websites and Newspaper Articles Regarding Stepfamilies
There is a voluminous amount of 'popular' literature about issues involving stepfamilies on the internet, and in newspapers throughout the United States, with much advice.
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The Role of Nonresident Fathers After Separation or Divorce
According to some of the literature, approximately eighty percent of children reside with their mothers after divorce, and the majority of fathers have little or no contact with the children.
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State Laws Regarding Stepparent Rights and Obligations
A stepparent has been defined as a person married to the legal parent of a child. There are stepparents who legally adopt their stepchildren, and they are treated as biological parents under the law.
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The Contractual Concerns of Surrogacy
Each state has its own laws governing marriage and children, including laws that address surrogacy in very fine detail.
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Susan Pollet, Esq
Susan L. Pollet has been an attorney for over 30 years. She has worked in private practice, in-house for a corporation, concentrating primarily on labor and employment issues, and she has been the Executive Director of the Pace Law School’s Women’s Justice Center.
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Parenting Plans: Children of Separated Parents
Custody and access arrangements following separation and divorce have been the subject of much child development and divorce research. Beneficial parenting plan options now consider children’s developmental and psychological needs and provide alternatives for parents.
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European Legal Approach to Parental Work Family Conflict
Commentators have stated that France and Sweden, for example, provide a more generous maternity and parental leave than what is available here in the United States.
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Impact Of A Single Parent Household On The Family
What do we know about single parents? Due to an increase in the numbers of children born outside of marriage and the rise in divorce rates, there has been a three-fold increase in the proportion of children growing up in single-parent families since 1960.
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IVF: Who Gets the Pre-Embryos After Divorce?
With advancements in reproductive technology, infertile couples are increasingly turning to artificially assisted conception procedures. When successful, these procedures can make dreams come true for the couples, but thorny legal issues arise if the couples divorce.
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Gay Male and Lesbian Parents: Adoption and Divorce
Gay male and lesbian couples typically raise children in three contexts. The first is where one of the partners is already the biological parent of a child.
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Pregnancy, Maternity Leave and the Work Family Conflict
The two main federal statutes covering a pregnancy at work are the Family and Medical Leave Act ('FMLA') and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
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