Did you know that if unmarried parents split up, the mother is automatically given full custody and rights This occurs even when you have an involved father. What often happens is the mother is given permission to use the child as a weapon against the other parent. This law is giving the mother too much control. She can keep the child from the father and subject him to emotional torture. She can expect the father to have supervised visits with herself and then subject him to verbal torture. The county social services even tell the mother she has all the rights and tell the father that he is at her mercy until you get a lawyer & go to court. It does not matter if you supported that child and the mother since the child\'s birth. It does not matter if the father or paternal grandparents have been the ones primarily taking care of the child most of th child\'s life. The child can be taken out of your life in an instant and you are left feeling helpless. Sure you can go spend thousands of dollars to hire a lawyer to go to court and get the father & grandparents some rights. Then maybe 6-12 months down the road, you can see the child more. In the meantime, you are suffering in the grief of losing contact with that precious child. This child could even be with a mother you do not feel can care for the child without help. The tragedy is that the child is the one being deprived of more loving family to be involved in their life. The helpless child is the one that is suffering the most--being put in the middle of a custody battle. I would like to see the law changed to giving both parents joint custody at the time of the child\'s birth, if both are going to be involved. Then a child can get to know both parents and have a meaningful relationship with both of them. I think this would get rid of some of the manipulation that some mothers use against the other parent. This petition will be forwarded to legislative officials to get this law changed. If you agree with this opinion, please sign this petition. If you have had similar experiences, I would like to here from you.