Four National Shared Parenting Organizations Join Forces On North Dakota's Shared Parenting For Kids Ballot Initiative

LOS ANGELES, July 31, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, four national shared parenting organizations—Leading Women for Shared Parenting, Divorce Corp, Stand Up for Gus and American Coalition for Fathers & Children—announced they will be working jointly to educate the public about the benefits of North Dakota's shared parenting initiative, which was recently certified by Secretary of State Alvin Jaeger as an addition to the ballot for the upcoming election on November 4, 2014.

"I am inspired by the organizations' efforts and dedication to support shared parenting, a critical issue that is becoming more and more apparent in this country," says actor, activist and founder of Stand Up for Gus, Jason Patric. "Sadly, there hasn't been one person I have met throughout this journey, that has not been affected by parental alienation and the certification of these signatures is a big step toward further legal change for shared parenting in this country. It is only the beginning."  Molly Olson, President of Leading Women for Shared Parenting added, "We're excited to be amongst the founders of a community of organizations where women and men work seamlessly to do what leading child development experts say is best for children – maximizing a child's access to both fit parents, to help nurture them for a lifetime." 

Each group shares the belief that North Dakota represents a unique opportunity in the push for shared parenting.  In addition, 110 prominent child development experts from multiple disciplines endorse shared parenting in a recent edition of the American Psychological Association's respected and peer reviewed journal; Psychology, Public Policy & The Law. A consolidation of polling conducted by Leading Women for Shared Parenting has shown shared parenting is continually popular, averaging 72 percent favorability with the public, with no difference in the opinion of men and women.

The public supports shared parenting as they understand it is a child welfare issue. Additionally, in the past year, a number of practicing family law attorneys and a highly prominent group of domestic violence practitioners added their voice to the advocacy for this issue. 

Implementing shared parenting in North Dakota will impact other states urging its adoption. The four groups will work seamlessly with North Dakota advocates in educating the public by bringing prominent national and international experts into the debate. We can do better for children than making them "visit" one of their parents and lose half their extended family.   

For more information on the North Dakota ballot initiative, please visit www.ndsp4k.com

About Leading Women for Shared Parenting

Leading Women for Shared Parenting (LW4SP) is a non-partisan, international child advocacy organization supporting the implementation of a presumption of shared parenting as a standard in child custody determinations. Founded in 2013, LW4SP is comprised of prominent female attorneys, elected officials, domestic violence practitioners, social scientists, authors, advocates and others who support shared parenting. LW4SP focuses its advocacy on educating politicians, judges, policy makers and the public about the value of shared parenting for children of divorce. More information on LW4SP, research, articles and public polling on shared parenting is available on our website: www.lw4sp.org.

About Divorce Corp

In the feature documentary Divorce Corp, MIT & Harvard alumni Director Dr. Joseph Sorge explores why Family Court Reform is essential to reversing the negative impact that the existing well intentioned but dysfunctional family laws have on the health and welfare of American society.  Via firsthand experience, and years of extensive research and interviews with the nation's top divorce lawyers, mediators, judges, politicians, litigants and journalists, the filmmakers expose the shocking story of how vast numbers of children do not know one of their parents due to a system that encourages disproportionate parenting time and incentivizes parents to fight over custody. Family law reform is essential for the health and welfare of Americans. A need for laws to adapt to modern American social trends and technological advancements is imperative in order to nurture the shift in modern family roles and structures. www.divorcecorp.com.

About Stand Up For Gus

Stand Up For Gus raises monetary support for alienated parents desperately trying to maintain a meaningful relationship with their children. Funds raised provide free legal representation to low-income families with limited resources who are struggling with costly custody battles. An advocate for shared parenting, Stand Up For Gus hopes to shed light on and reform our broken family court system. Visit the Stand Up For Gus website at www.standupforgus.com.

About American Coalition for Fathers & Children

The American Coalition for Fathers & Children (ACFC) was founded in 1996 and is commonly referred to as America's Shared Parenting Organization.  Over the past eighteen years, we have been working to assure children maintain full relationships with both of their parents in the event of divorce or in cases of unmarried parentage.

In conjunction with our network of affiliated organizations, we have launched numerous campaigns and efforts to improve the processes affecting the lives of parents and children, particularly those not living in intact environments. Visit our website at www.acfc.org.

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SOURCE LW4SP and ACFC