Forty years of research show us that, when parents live
apart, it's best for children if the parents share the day-to-day
responsibilities of child rearing as equally as possible. This
sort of shared parenting is also better for mothers and fathers.
Because of shared parenting's benefits for children, it should
be the presumptive outcome when parents divorce or
separate. Polling shows that the overwhelming majority of
Americans agree with this. Nevertheless, progress toward
establishing presumptions in favor of equally shared parenting
has often been blocked by special interest groups and a
number other factors. In this webinar, we will examine the
barriers to the creation of legal presumptions of shared
parenting, rebut the objections that these special interest
groups have raised, and explore paths for overcoming these
barriers so that every American child can be assured that
parental separation doesn't result in parental deprivation.
Donald C. Hubin, Ph.D., is a Professor Emeritus of
Philosophy at The Ohio State University, former Chair of the
OSU Department of Philosophy, and Founding Director
Emeritus of the Ohio State University Center for Ethics and
Human Values. He received his B.A. with honors from the
University of California, Davis, and his M.A. and Ph.D.
degrees from the University of Arizona. He specializes in
ethics, social/political philosophy and philosophy of law. One
of Don’s main areas of current research is the nature, basis
and implications of parental rights. In this area, his major
articles are:
● “Parental Rights and Due Process,” The Journal of Law and Family Studies, 1:2(1999)123-150;
● “Daddy Dilemmas: Untangling the Puzzles of Paternity,” The
Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy, 13(2003) 29-80;
● “Fatherhood,” International Encyclopedia of Ethics, Wiley-Blackwell, (2013); and
● “Fractured Fatherhood,” Journal of Family Theory & Review, 6(2014)76-90.
● “Procreators' Duties: Sexual Asymmetries,” Oxford Handbook of
Reproductive Ethics, (2017) 301-324.
Don has been active in citizen action groups to promote shared parenting and has also served on several state commissions, including the Ohio
Child Support Reform Shareholders’ Group (2001-2003) and the Ohio Child Support Guideline Council (2003-2005). He currently serves as Chair of the National Board of National Parents Organization (NPO).