Dr. Laura Joins Campaign Against Unrestricted Move-Aways

July 23, 2004

Nationally-syndicated radio talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger announced her support this week for a popular parents' campaign against a California bill that would permit children to be moved hundreds or thousands of miles away from their noncustodial parents after divorce. The Alliance for Children Concerned About Move-Aways  has organized opposition to the bill.

Schlessinger read a letter from a listener whose children were moved from Los Angeles to the Midwest despite the custody evaluator's judgment that he is a good parent and that the move would be detrimental to his children.

Schlessinger,  who has a weekly audience of 12 million and is heard on 300 stations, has been highly critical of the 1996 Burgess decision, which granted California custodial parents almost unlimited rights to move children. In deciding LaMusga earlier this year the California Supreme Court stressed that the best interests of children must be considered when weighing a move, and that children's relationship with their noncustodial parents is an important component of their best interests.

The new legislation put forth by Senate President Pro Tem John Burton (D-San Francisco) would amend California Family Code 7501 to "abrogate [LaMusga] in its entirety" and establish that "the custodial parent has a presumptive right to change the residence of the child and does not need a court order allowing him or her to do so."

Sacramento has been bombarded with protests since KMPC Los Angeles radio talk show host Glenn Sacks kicked off the campaign on his July 18 broadcast. He said:

"The radical feminists behind this anti-child bill try to portray those who value the bonds between children and their noncustodial parents as fringe elements with little support. But could their groups generate over 700 calls and letters? I doubt it. They're not the mainstream, we're the mainstream."

"The LaMusga decision is a very moderate decision, and ACCAMA is a very moderate organization. We acknowledge that there are certainly times when move-aways should be permitted, such as in cases of dire economic need or domestic violence, or when noncustodial parents show little interest in their children or do not avail themselves of their visitation time.

"What ACCAMA does oppose are frivolous, selfish, vindictive, or bad faith moves which tear children away from loving noncustodial parents. Move-aways are frequently used to drive noncustodial parents out of their children's lives."  

According to Garrett C. Dailey, who represented Gary LaMusga in the California Supreme Court, "children of divorced parents who have two primary parents in their lives do better in school, are better adjusted and happier than children raised by only one primary parent."

Many prominent mental health professionals have endorsed ACCAMA's campaign to preserve LaMusga, including: Carol Silbergeld, LCSW, BCD, Director of the Children of Divorce Project of the Los Angeles  Child Development Center, Dr. Linda Nielsen, Professor of Adolescent Psychology &  Women's Studies at Wake Forest University;  Sanford L. Braver, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University; and Jayne A. Major, Ph.D., Executive Director of Breakthrough Parenting Services in Los Angeles.

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