Utah Parental Rights

Divorce is often an emotionally exhausting experience, especially when there are children involved. The child is equally cherished by both parents and both have certain rights and responsibilities towards the well being of their children. Each state has different laws about parental rights and Utah parental rights are in favor of what is typically best for the child.

Traditionally, in divorce cases involving child custody, mothers were clearly in the favorable position where the children were concerned. But now Utah parental rights acknowledge the significance of a father’s involvement in the healthy development of a child. Fathers can also receive sole custody as mothers can and mothers can also be made to child support just as fathers do. The person who has custody of the child has all the rights and responsibilities of raising the child, making decisions and providing daily care for the child.

Parenting is a serious responsibility and no one can argue that one parent has more rights than the other. Utah parental rights are decided by courts that are fully cognizant of this fact. It is the child’s right to have both parents involved in their lives and to get the support of the two people they love most. Ensure that the divorce happens between the spouses only, and not with the children. This is possibly the most difficult thing to do in a divorce. Even the most amicable of divorces find ex spouses struggling with doing what is best for the child and exercising their parental rights judiciously, always keeping the child’s best interests at heart.

Utah Family Law

In the state, whenever a divorce, adoption or even spousal abuse takes place, the Utah family law is the part of the legal system that is going to intervene. It deals with anything that has to do with the family. Marriage, siblings, adoption, legitimacy, paternity or maternity, and pretty much anything that involves a family matter is run through the Utah family law.

The first area where the family laws intervene is in the beginnings of a partnership between two individuals, usually a marriage. Then it is also involved in issues that evolve during the marriage. This involves spousal abuse, legitimacy of children, infidelity or child abuse. Family law is also involved in the termination of the marriage, i.e. divorce.

Divorce causes a lot of mental and financial hardships on everyone involved. After separation or divorce, it is practically impossible for either of the spouses to maintain the previous lifestyle. Utah family law allows for either party to apply for alimony, but unlike in child support, there is no formula for calculation of alimony in Utah. The law restricts alimony to be only as long as the length of the marriage, unless otherwise agreed.

The custody of a child is decided after looking into various factors. In Utah family law, the significant factors appear to be who has been historically involved in providing primary child care, who takes care of daily tasks like meals, baths, transportation, doctor appointments and who is likely to provide the other parent with good access to the child.