UK Family Law under attack

April 3, 2004 5:00 AM

Legal system is failing fathers, says judge One of the country's [UK] most senior family judges launched a blistering attack on the legal system yesterday for failing divorced and separated fathers. Mr Justice Munby's comments come at a time of growing protests against the decisions of the family courts in favour of the mother. Last year David Chick, 37, spent six days dressed as Spider-Man on a 100ft crane near Tower Bridge in London to protest over access rights to his daughter. He was a runner-up in a Channel 4 viewers' poll for the most significant political figure of the year.
posted by SpaceCadet (5 comments total)

it's not just the uk. someone i work with is having terrible problems here in chile getting access to his child. on the word of his ex-wife alone he's now considered a child abuser and must always have a third party present when with his son.

i used to think most people complaining about this were a bunch of anti-feminist loonys, but when you see it happening for real you realise what a one-sided (and horrendously sexist) system it is.
posted by andrew cooke at 6:53 AM on April 3, 2004

A horrible situation, The judge was extremely critical, for him to actually say that the system is failing is, well, unprecedented and an acknowledgement that maintaining the status quo regarding the rights of a father is just not an option.
posted by johnnyboy at 7:25 AM on April 3, 2004

Can you please, PLEASE post something that isn't related to "women suck" and/or "fathers have it so bad"? This isn't the place for your propaganda campaign.

Certainly, if a once-a-week "I hate my ex-wife and I'm not the only one!" post is the only thing preventing you from killing coeds, nurses or prostitutes, I'll suffer in silence. But you have to let me know that this is the case.
posted by Mayor Curley at 7:51 AM on April 3, 2004

I feel terrible for the men who want access and can't get it. I think they should have the access they desire.

Maybe they should go out and beat up the men who want nothing to do with the child (and associated expenses) for making then look bad.
posted by oflinkey at 7:59 AM on April 3, 2004

Chill, Mr. Mayor. Most folks around here have some sort of ax to grind. With ~17,500 ax-bearing folks able to post there should be adequate diversity of POVs for anybody, no matter how monomaniacal any single user may become.
posted by jfuller at 8:08 AM on April 3, 2004