Every grandparent should have a fair chance to see the next generation in their family while there is still time. As Amy McDonald of the Salt Lake Tribune in Salt Lake City, UT reports, a new bill may provide grandparents more rights in cases involving adoption:
“Current law gives adoptive parents the final say in how involved grandparents can be. But sponsoring Rep. LaVar Christensen, R-Draper, says that diminishes a grandparent’s right “to be a positive influence in their grandchild’s life.”
“If the law can say that you’ve lost your standing, you are no longer a grandparent and that entire family line was just terminated. It would be unjust and unnecessary to say that a grandparent no longer has standing to petition for visitation rights simply because parental rights were terminated,” he said.
Liz Knight, director of Utah Office of Guardian Ad Litem, said the current law allows parents and grandparents to reach clear expectations in an agreement before the adoption. This bill, she said, changes that.”
Some elderly folk in Gallatin, TN may be aware of what is happening out west. Tennessee is known for its dedication to protecting individual/parental rights. As such, grandparents who wish to maintain an active presence in the lives of their grandchildren can turn to a reputable lawyer in Gallatin, TN such as Kenneth J. Phillips, Attorney-at-Law to help secure their rights.
Tennessee Code Title 36 has numerous provisions on visitation rights for grandparents, particularly when the biological/adopting parents have resorted to forced removal of the child from the grandparents’ home after living there for at least a year. Such provisions also come into play when either parent is deceased or has been missing for at least six months, and if the child was found to have been harmed.
The Utah bill shares certain similarities with current Tennessee family law in that existing Utah and Tennessee laws allow parents to set grandparents’ visitation rights. A court can also rule if denying grandparents visitation rights will not be in the child’s best interest. Meanwhile, a knowledgeable Gallatin family attorney will continue to fight for grandparents’ visitation rights and help make it possible for adopted grandchildren to continue to benefit from the positive influence of their biological grandparents.
(Source: Bill: Grandparents retain rights after parental termination, Salt Lake Tribune, 5 Mar 2014)
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