| With the introduction of family unit that no longer | | | | artificial insemination; the partner had not adopted the |
| resembles that of the Cleavers, the question of | | | | child. On their separation, the court found that she had |
| "whose kids are these anyway" became a reality. | | | | no rights at all, not even to visit with the child. We have |
| There is the concept of blended families where the | | | | to wonder whether that abrupt loss in that child's life is |
| second wife and husband bring their children from their | | | | in the best interests of the child? |
| respective prior marriages together "The Brady | | | | Gay and lesbian adoptions are becoming more |
| Bunch." That bunch may be expanded to include | | | | common in some states. Generally, most states allow |
| stepchildren of either as part of the new family. It's not | | | | an unmarried person to adopt a child if that person can |
| just the younger side of this group that has changed; | | | | meet the jurisdictional and legal requirements for |
| mom and dad are now, on occasion, Dad and Pops or | | | | adoption. The next step is to find a jurisdiction that will |
| Mom and Mother. The traditional family may be some | | | | allow the second half of the homosexual couple to |
| not so traditional families including gay and lesbian | | | | adopt the child. In California this can be accomplished |
| parents. | | | | depending on a demonstration to the Court that such |
| By far the most prevalent new family structure is the | | | | an adoption world be in the child's best interest. |
| single parent family, most often a woman and her | | | | Generally, the courts will approve such a petition; after |
| children who are on their own after a divorce. Fathers | | | | all, two parents are better than one. The child is |
| also fit the description of single parents, and more | | | | protected in the event of the death of one parent, and |
| often families are headed by dad as the single parent. | | | | the sad case of the sudden disappearance of one |
| There is now the surrogate parent family where the | | | | parent from the child's life is avoided in the event of |
| child may be the biological child of only one or neither | | | | the breakup of the couple. |
| of the two parents. This status, made possible by the | | | | The relationship between a stepparent and the child in |
| wonders of genetic science, is mired in the | | | | divorce is becoming more and more of an issue. In |
| swamplands of the law where the requirements with | | | | many of our modern families, a stepparent has a |
| regard to a valid surrogacy contract are often | | | | closer relationship with the child than does the |
| ill-defined and difficult to enforce. | | | | non-custodial natural parent. |
| So long as these families remain intact, the lives of the | | | | When the custodial parent and the stepparent |
| children seem not to be impacted by the makeup of | | | | terminate their relationship, often those children will |
| their parents or the sexual orientation of the parent. As | | | | surfer greatly. It may be difficult, but if the emotional |
| with the children of the traditional couple, it is when the | | | | needs of those children include seeing the stepparent, |
| family separates that the children suffer. | | | | those visitations must be arranged. The custodial |
| The law is not helpful in these difficult situations. In a | | | | parent's anger at the stepparent or the stepparent's |
| recent case, half of a lesbian couple lost not just | | | | desire to punish the spouse by not seeing the children |
| custody but visitation of the child whom she had | | | | must be set aside to make way of the needs of the |
| helped to raise for the first eight years of the child's life. | | | | children. After all, this will be the second marital breakup |
| The mother of the child had been impregnated through | | | | for those children. |