IAPC News

Certiorari: Denied
Can DCFS ever be held accountable? Click here to read opinions and briefs in this landmark case involving more than 100,000 Illinois parents wrongly accused of child abuse brought by parental rights attorney Diane Redleaf and the Family Defense Center.

 

IAPC Research on Parental Rights in Illinois
IAPC, in cooperation with local universities, is conducing an important study on the emotional, psychological and financial issues for parents and children involved in Juvenile and Domestic Relations cases in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana. If you are a parent who has been significantly marginalized from your child or children without a fitness or termination of parental rights hearing, please write to us at: info@illinoisparentsandchildren.org, Attn: Tammy Maxwell, Research Coordinator.

 

 

Opinion: Family Law Reform in Illinois Starts by Telling the Truth about Misguided Trial Lawyers and the Domestic Violence Industry

(CHICAGO) -- U.S. Department of Justice statistics show domestic violence in married, intact couples at 2%. So why do the public and state legislators believe that intimate partner violence is out of control?


Each year, the federal government bankrolls the domestic violence industry to the tune of $1 billion. That money is authorized under the Violence Against Woman Act (VAWA), and other laws, brought to you by lawyer-friendly policymakers such as Senator Joseph Biden (D-Delaware).


As some are aware, much of that money is awarded to state domestic violence coalitions. In at least three cases--New Hampshire, Maine, and West Virginia--these coalitions have denied membership to organizations that proposed to provide domestic violence services to male victims of domestic violence--in spite of Section 40002(b)(8) of VAWA which states, "Nothing in this title shall be construed to prohibit male victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking from receiving benefits and services under this title".

Under the flag of "domestic violence," misguided trial lawyers and feminist coalitions have promulgated biased training programs to legislators, judges, and the public, falsely claiming that domestic violence is "overwhelmingly" perpetrated by men. (For examples, see RADAR’s Special Report, "Education for Injustice")


In addition, these groups have essentially become lobbying organizations, masquerading under a popular front to "stop domestic violence." Year after year, their mantra continues non-stop, to the point where we are now overloaded with their false propaganda.

 

"It has become clear that the harmful incentives for divorce and child custody litigation in Illinois will not be dealt with until the half-truths and lies being disseminated by misguided feminists and trial lawyers are addressed once and for all." --Michael Burns, President, Illinois Alliance for Parents and Children 

 

Unfortunately for many in Springfield, misleading half-truths have clouded meaningful debate and the true reality of the issues, and have shown us a better picture of the larger intent of some organizations to marginalize the standing of fit parents for sordid political motivations, regardless of their status as law-abiding citizens who care for and nurture their children.

The reality of this issue is a continued trend toward an authoritarian social welfare state--complete with deep psychological wounds brought to innocent parents and children, declining birth rates, and an ongoing marriage strike by concerned citizens who fear they have too much to lose in tying the knot and raising families under such a monolithic environment.

 

In many states, misguided feminists and trial lawyers have successfully pressured legislators to weaken protective order standards and enact all-encompassing definitions of Domestic Violence. They have also pushed state legislatures to adopt mandatory arrest polices, no-drop prosecution policies, and primary aggressor laws.

The operative phrase suggested by feminist advocates and trial lawyers? "Just tell them you're afraid of him," and the state becomes almost irreversibly intertwined in the family--marginalizing children from fit, loving parents in the name of protecting their "best interests."


Federally-subsidized state Domestic Violence advocates have used the "abuse excuse" to defeat family law reforms as well:

 

  • Shared parenting initiative - (Illinois) - 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

  • Mutual consent divorce initiative - (New Hampshire) - 2008 

  • Shared parenting initiative - (North Dakota) - 2006

  • Shared parenting initiative - (West Virginia) - 2008



In Illinois, substantive proposals on these and other related issues were stopped dead in their tracks once trial lawyers became informed. For two years in a row, they have successfully blocked these proposals from even obtaining bill numbers, due to their power and influence. Even a bill designed to punish those who bring knowingly false allegations of abuse against fit, law-abiding parents was denied the opportunity to receive meaningful public dialog.

2008 did see one successful attempt to restore fairness and balance to family law. A West Virginia bill was proposed to impose criminal penalties for false accusations of domestic violence and child abuse. The West Virginia bill was recently signed into law, albeit somewhat watered-down from the original version.

IAPC is a participating member of RADAR, and the VAWA Reform Coalition, two groups in Washington, DC that have developed a flyer and several meaningful reports that address these issues. For more information, be sure to visit their Web site and download their current flyer, "It’s Time to Tell the Truth about Domestic Violence."

We encourage concerned community groups and lawmakers to share this information with their peers so that we can do more to minimize family conflict, and enhance the public dialog concerning family law reform--and make protracted divorce a thing of the past.

If you have questions or would like to learn more about initiatives that we are spearheading on the local, state, and federal level, please reply to us at info(at)illinoisparentsandchildren(dot)org.