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When Michigan parents choose to divorce child support and custody arrangements concerning minor children tend to become paramount. These deliberations can be challenging, as parents determine how they will deal with decision making regarding the children’s upbringing and who will pay for what.
These issues may create explosive tension when the child becomes ill, or one parent chooses to make a significant medical care decision without the other’s consent. In these cases, parents who cannot agree may have to revisit their initial child custody arrangements in order to determine what can be modified to ensure that both parents’ rights are protected.
According to statistics, fathers account for less than 18 percent of single-parent households. That means most of the time dads are still relegated to the non-custodial role in divorce. But that does not mean that a father’s rights should be ignored. Recently, one out-of-state father acted on his frustrations after his wife, during the course of their divorce, decided to place a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order on their son’s medical records. This decision was apparently made without consulting the father at all.
This New York man fought the decision and claims he was met with fierce opposition when he directed that the DNR order be rescinded. He was an involved, active parent in the child’s life and he was angry that such an important decision about his child had been made without his knowledge or consent. Instead of letting the decision stand, the father continued to investigate the laws of his state to determine his rights. And armed with that information he has continued to press to exercise those rights
In cases such as this one, both parents have rights under the laws of their state to make decisions regarding the care of the child. Because each state is different, Michigan parents who are divorcing may benefit from taking a careful look at what the law says about their rights, especially if child custody is joint and one parent is considered the primary custodial parent.
Source: The Huffington Post, “Divorced Dads’ Rights: Father Fights For Say In Son’s DNR Order, Access to Medical Records (VIDEO),” Nov. 6, 2012
