Father's Rights Attorney
- Rob Davis
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
You’ve undoubtedly heard the phrase men’s rights or father’s rights, but what actually is men’s rights? The Men’s Rights Movement (MRM), also called Men’s Rights Activism (MRA), is a movement supporting various causes benefiting men originated in the 1970s. Men’s Rights Activists focus on societal issues which disproportionately affect men, including homelessness, addiction, suicide and various types of perceived discrimination toward men. For our purposes, which is the rights of men when it comes to family law matters such as divorce and child custody, the movement is often referred to as the Father’s Rights Movement.
What father’s rights is not? The father rights movement is not anti-women, it is pro-equality when it comes to child custody. The movement’s mission is simply to advocate for custody that is equal between mother and father because that is what is in the best interests of the children. While some aspects of the men’s rights movement did originate in response to the rise of the feminist movement in the U.S., the father’s rights movement does not directly oppose feminism
Men's Rights History:
The first known association geared toward legislative advocacy for father’s rights began in California in the 19060’s and called themselves United States Divorce Reform (USDR). Regrettably, the movement was short-lived, but several of its affiliates, including Charlie Metz, focused on continuing the movement begun by the USDR. Mr. Metz won a landmark custody battle (unheard of in the 1970s), wrote a book titled Divorce and Custody for Men, and formed a movement of his own. Today, both in the U.S. and worldwide, there is no shortage of organizations championing men’s and father’s rights. Such group include, among many, the Father’s Rights Movement, Father’s for Equal Rights, Father’s Incorporated and Fatherhood.org.
Today, the Father’s Rights Movement consists of both men and women who are dedicated to ensuring dads are able to exercise their full rights and responsibilities as a legal parent. The movement simply believes a father’s bond is just as important to children as a mother’s bond is, and therefore both parents should be given equal parenting time and parental rights. In the 1970s and prior, fathers were seen as primarily financial contributors to their children, and therefore most judges granted sole legal and sole physical custody to mothers in virtually every case. Child custody battles were few and far between because father’s weren’t given a chance.
Missouri Senate Bill 35 (SB 35), the bill that eventually became the new law which mandates Missouri judges make a rebuttable presumption that joint 50/50 custody (equal or nearly equal) is in the best interests of children in divorces or child custody disputes, was signed by Governor Mike Parsons and became effective on August 28, 2023. While many, including father’s rights activists championed the law, others were concerned the law would offer less protection to children from abusive fathers.
Under the previous Missouri law, the legislature encouraged courts to decide custody cases based on the best interests of the child, including the notion that each parent should have significant but not necessarily equal parenting time. That law described “significant” to mean, frequent, continued and meaningful. The new law directs judges to begin each custody case with the rebuttable presumption that equal or approximately equal parenting time is in the child’s best interests. The parent desiring more than 50/50 parenting time must present evidence which rebuts, or shows why, 50/50 custody is not in the child’s best interests.
In the Missouri legislature, the new bill received unanimous bipartisan support, passing 114-9 in the state House of Representatives and 30-4 in the Missouri Senate. Prior to Missouri’s new law, Kentucky, Arkansas and West Virginia enacted similar 50/50 legislation over the past 5 years. In fact, Kentucky was the first state to establish a legal presumption of 50/50 shared parenting in divorce and child custody determinations. Unfortunately, not all states have adopted the 50/50 mindset. Mississippi, Alabama, New York, and Tennessee and considered some of the least friendly states for father’s rights.
Why do children need father’s in their lives?
According to the United States Census, one in four children, that’s over 18 million, live without any sort of father in their home. Fathers are pillars in the emotional development of children who depend on the male role model to make and enforce rules, and provide physical and emotional security. The date is unmistakable, children live happier and healthier lives when they have a father in their life growing up. Close relationships with a father during childhood correlates to less high-risk behaviors, higher paying jobs, healthier and more stable relationships, and higher IQ scores.
Not only do dads shape who children become on the inside, children look to their father as an example of how to have relationships with others. We’ve all heard of the phrase, “daddy issues.” Little girls, subconsciously, often seek relationships with males in adulthood that mimic the relationship she had in childhood with her father. Studies show that the psychological, emotional and behavioral patterns caused by an absent (physically or emotionally) or abusive father often result in unhealthy relationships with men in adulthood due to issues with trust, self-esteem and fear of abandonment. This phenomenon is not lost on young boys. Boys who grow up without a father figure fail to learn how to have healthy relationships with women in adulthood.
Organizations Endorsing Father’s Rights:
The Father’s Rights Movement: A group of men and women committed to ensuring men have equal access to parent their children. The organization strongly supports state custody laws which include the rebuttable presumption of 50/50 custody, like Missouri’s new law.
Fathers for Equal Rights: A legal referral network whose vision is a society that recognizes the right of every child to have a healthy relationship with both parents, regardless of the family structure.
The National Fatherhood Initiative: An organization providing father-inclusion programs, training, and resources creating lasting change through human service organizations nationwide.
All Pro Dad: A program began by former Indianapolis Colt’s and Tampa Bay Bucanner’s head coach Tony Dungy, the organization provides tools and resources for fathers to enable them to be more present in their children’s lives. All Pro Dad’s website boasts 100 podcasts to help men be better fathers.
Center for Family Policy and Practice: A not-for-profit organization whose mission is to encourage legislation to improve conditions for low-income families, particularly low-income fathers and minority fathers.
Child & Family Blog: Shares evidence-based material on the impact of family on social, emotional and child development. The organization’s content includes research based on the importance of fathers in the family dynamic and the cognoitive development of children.
Fathering Together: A community driven to help anyone who identifies as a father.
The Fatherhood Project: A project empowering fathers through programs such as Dad’s Matter, Dad’s in Recovery, Teen Dads, and Divorcing Dads.
Fathers Incorporated: An Atlanta-based lobbyist advocating for federal legislation that benefits responsible fatherhood and community changes that promote men’s active involvement in their children’s lives.
Fathers’ Uplift: A organization providing fathers with therapy, coaching and training to overcome trauma, addiction, racial barriers and emotional issues so they can fully engage with their children and families.
Attorney Robert Davis at the Men’s Center for Domestic Resolution represents men in Cass County and eastern Jackson County, including Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs, Independence and Raytown. We are Kansas City’s father’s rights law firm.
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