Here's an interesting story out of Louisiana. This is a legal brief from the case of two parents, identified only as DRS (the father) and LEK (the mother) in regards to the religious upbringing of their three-year-old daughter. Although they have joint custody, the child lives with the mother, and the father is granted visitation. Recently, DRS filed an appeal after a trial court determined that the mother, LEK, had "the sole authority to decide the religious preference of the child."



The circuit court has reversed this, saying, "Though the custodial or domiciliary parent may raise the child in a legitimate religion of his/her own choosing, that parent may not force that religion or religious affiliation upon the noncustodial parent or preclude the noncustodial parent from pursuing his/her own religious affiliation and sharing same with the child provided doing so does not negatively affect the best interests of the child."



Cases like this may set a worthy precedent, particularly for cases of Pagan parents involved in custody battles (I should point out that LEK and DRS do not appear to be Pagan, but that's not really relevant). I frequently hear tales of parents who have separated, who are told by their former spouse that they don't want their child "exposed to that Wiccan stuff." The case of LEK and DRS establishes that a court does not have the authority to determine the religious practices of a non-custodial parent. This puts Pagans involved in custody disputes into a whole new arena -- one in which their religious beliefs and practices become a non-issue.



Not sure what rights you have when it comes to your kids? You may want to read up on Your Legal Rights as a Pagan Parent



Follow Pagan/Wiccan on Twitter or Join Me On Facebook.

Non-Custodial Parent Can't Be Denied Religious Rights originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 09:13:15.

Permalink | Comment | Email this