The Rights of Families

In this new ACLU handbook, the authors use a simple question-and-answer format to clearly and concisely explain the legal rights of members of today's rapidly changing families.

Family law over the last quarter of a century has undergone a revolution. Stepparents, adoptive parents, foster parents, single parents, grandparents, and gay parents have come forward to challenge the traditional definition of a family based on blood ties alone. Once taboo, divorce has shed its social stigma, leading to new laws regarding the division of property and alimony among divorced people. And increased national attention has been focused on abuse and neglect of children in their homes.

This book is designed to help readers understand where the law now stands.

Part 1 looks at the human and financial consequences of a married couple's divorce or the separation of unmarried partners, describing the law in such areas as child custody, visitation, child support, property division, and alimony. Part 2 looks at the law that applies when the state intervenes either temporarily or permanently to protect children from harm by their parents. Part 3 looks at how families are formed, especially families that differ from the traditional nuclear family: adoptive, gay and lesbian, and single-parent families as well as families headed by a grandparent.

Few areas of law have changed more rapidly than family law. This is the best guide available for up-to-date information and advice.