Quote:
Originally Posted by troutman
Parents do not have "rights". The rights of the child are paramount, and everything has to be viewed through that lens. Parents have obligations.
When we talk about custody and access, "rights" are viewed from the context of what is best for the child. It is the right of the child to have a relationship with each parent consistent with their best interests.
Edit: I did not make clear I'm only talking about born children (MikeF's comment about a father waiting to have rights after birth)
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That's simply inaccurate. Financial support and visitation are rights of the child, but most of what has typically fallen under the ambit of guardianship terms are about parents' rights - the right to make decisions about a child's health care decisions, religious upbringing, residency, travel, who they associate with, rights to access information, etc, etc, etc.
The interests of the child are paramount, but they're not the only parties with rights.