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Turner Bill Strikes Child Custody Debate

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Army Times reports that there's a bill in congress that would protect deployed service members from losing custody of children. HR 4469, sponsored by Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, would prohibit courts from using deployment or the possibility of deployment against a service member. So Texas family law attorneys soon may not be able to argue that deployment isn't in the best interest of the child. However, the lone star state is ahead of the game and already has certain laws in place that protect military parents when it comes to child custody, according to the California Alliance For Families and Children.

HR 4469, also known as the Turner Bill, has the support of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), which is the nation's largest organization for for combat veterans. Representatives of the organization Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America say that they're also wholeheartedly endorsing the bill. In a statement, Justin Brown of VFW said that service members should not be viewed in a negative light when it comes to courts determining the custody of a child.

"Clearly, deployments cause great hardships on families and service members. However, in most instances, the decision to deploy is not the service members. It is our government's. We should not allow our government to then punish service members in judicial custody disputes," Mr. Brown said.

However, the American Bar Association opposes this piece of legislation. The head of ABA's committee on military family law, Patritia Apy, says that a bill like this could bring more child custody lawsuits to federal courts. Currently, child custody suits are handled at the state level. Perhaps, the laws on child custody should just be left to the states.

Related Resources:

  • Five Tips on Child Custody and Visitation (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life blog)
  • Law on Divorce and Child Custody - Texas (FindLaw)
  • Texas Family Law Attorneys Directory (FindLaw)

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