The legal rights of family members represents a revolution in family law as stepparents, foster parents, single parents, and surrogates, among others, challenge definitions of family and family rights. This uses question-and-answer format to explore the legal rights of various family members, examining the consequences of divorce and separation and considering how laws intervene to protect children and families. Essential to any understanding of family law applications. -- Midwest Book Review
Review
"At an earlier time in this country’s history, the courts and society in general had a clear, if narrow, conception of how a family was formed: men and women married and conceived children together. Divorce was relatively uncommon and required proof of marital misconduct. Children born out-of-wedlock had few if any rights. Women had little or no control over the bearing of children. Adoption was controlled by adoption agencies and was, in most families, a closely guarded secret. Gays and lesbians stayed in the closet. The right of children to be protected from physical abuse or neglect by their parents was barely articulated. In vitro fertilization, surrogate parenting, and other complex reproductive technologies were unheard of."—from the Introduction
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