Fla. Law Changes Terms to Make Divorce Less Toxic

Change removes contentious terms from books
By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 1, 2008 7:18 AM CDT
Fla. Law Changes Terms to Make Divorce Less Toxic
When people today talk about getting custody of children, they don't say they prefer custody, an expert noted. "They say they're fighting for custody."   (Index Stock)

Divorcing parents won't be making deals on "custody" and "visitation" in Florida in the future; a new law scrubs the terms from its legal code in a bid to reduce acrimony and give kids a better shot at continuing relationships with both parents. Starting next month, custody will be renamed “shared-parental responsibility,” and visitation becomes “time-sharing.”

The new law is aimed at combating the tendency to treat a child as "a piece of property,” says one divorce attorney. A family law attorney says the change is overdue: “Custody and visitation are destructive words and destructive concepts. Unless there's a reason for a restriction, it takes two to raise a child.” (More divorce stories.)

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