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Republican lawmakers want to define mother, father, husband, wife

On Behalf of | Jan 26, 2017 | child custody | 0 comments

Two Tennessee Republican lawmakers believe that it’s important for the state to define what it means to be a husband, wife, mother and father.

With this in mind, they have filed a bill to help establish legal clarity in regards to biology, with the idea that this will save the state resources when the words used in court cases are legally ambiguous.

At this time, legislation that has been filed in both the Senate and House states that all four terms should be defined by their “natural and ordinary meaning.” Furthermore the legislation also notes that the terms should be based on “biological distinctions between women and men.”

This has come to light after a court case in the state in which gender roles became an issue when two same-sex parents were tangled up in an attempt to determine child custody.

While this sounds like a good idea to some, others, including civil rights groups, do not agree. Instead, they feel that it could have a negative impact on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. In short, these people believe that passing the bill could suppress the rights of same-sex couples in the state.

This is a situation that many states are dealing with, as a growing number of same-sex couples head to court for cases involving child custody and child support. It will be interesting to see where things end up with this bill.

If you find yourself in the middle of a same-sex child custody battle, it’s important to have a clear understanding of the law and how it’s interpreted at that time.

Source: The Tennessean, “Bill: Define mother, father, husband, wife by biology,” Jake Lowary and Stacey Barchenger, Jan. 17, 2017