1. Stepfamily Issues and Rights Mary Kay Altenburg Kelsey Hodge Laura Shane Cori Mansfield
2. Stepfamily Relationships Historical Development Pathways to Stepfamily Life Media Coverage Implications for Families Federal and State Responses Recommendations for Change Introduction
4. Death (not divorce) was the original path to stepfamily formation Imbedded inheritance issue Legal adoption by a stepparent In modern times, divorce is the most common path to stepfamily formation Historical Perspective
8. Paths by which individuals find themselves in stepfamilies have important implications for stepfamily dynamics Social Political Legal Economic Ethical Implications for Families
9. Federal and State Responses No federal policies regarding stepparent or stepchild visitation rights Each state determines own policies In most states, stepparents have few legal rights Stepchildren are not recognized as dependents
11. CURRENT STATE POLICIES Only 11 of the Fifty states have specific Stepparent visitation language
12. State Policy Restrictions Of the eleven states, only four do not have restrictions: Arkansas, Delaware, Kansas, Tennessee California & Illinois: unconstitutional Wisconsin: only for surviving spouse Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania: “in loco parentis” (American Bar Assn., 2009)
13. The “Gray Area” In loco parentis language States without Stepparent rights offer another option Policy is written for “interested party” visitation rights Half the states in the U.S. invoke the Interested Party policy (American Bar Assn., 2009)
