Child support is a court-ordered payment made by the non-custodial parent to help with the expenses of raising the child. It helps to assure that both parents retain responsibility for their children and that children do not suffer financially from the divorce of their parents. Laws regulating child support payments…
The statistics are alarming: in one year, close to 1.5 million high school students in this country suffer physical abuse at the hands of the person they are dating. (1) This issue is not unique to any specific social, economic or racial group and the most serious cases end up…
While the debate continues as to whether or not President Obama’s Health Care Reform Plan is beneficial for the country long term, several provisions of that plan took effect this week and are now enforceable by law. Two of these changes, effective September 23, pertain specifically to children. No longer…
On Saturday, September 25 New Jersey residents can safely dispose of their expired or unneeded medications through the federal Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) “Operation Take Back New Jersey.” (1) The program was introduced last year in an effort to provide New Jersey residents with a safe and legal way to…
This month, New Jersey’s Safe Haven Infant Protection Act celebrates its 10th anniversary. To date, statistics show that at least 47 babies, including one in Hunterdon County, have been surrendered safely under the provisions of this Act. (1) This law was enacted to help prevent instances like that which occurred…
When Terry Dusseault Sr. ran off with his 8-year-old son on August 25, police did not hesitate to issue an Amber Alert. The senior Dusseault was a registered sex offender and his brother was concerned about his mental condition when Dusseault Sr. took his son. The two were found unharmed…
After the recent dismissal of a case by the New Jersey Appellate Division, the question of whether or not hospitals have the right to overrule family wishes in Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) matters remains unclear. The case in question involved the family of Ruben Betancourt and Trinitas Regional Medical Center…
This fall the New Jersey Assembly is expected to vote on the Adoptee Birthrights Bill, satisfying an issue of adoption that the State has been struggling with for about 30 years. Under this Bill, adult adoptees or the parents of minor adoptees would be able to get copies of the…
Religion cannot be used as a defense for non-consensual sexual relations between a husband and wife, according to a recent ruling by the New Jersey Appellate Court. The Appellate Court recently overturned a decision by a Hudson County Superior Court judge whereby a woman had been refused a restraining order…
Two years after the murder of a New Jersey mother of two, state lawmakers are considering a bill that would increase protection for victims of domestic violence and the children of those families. In June 2008, Monica Paul was shot and killed, allegedly by her estranged boyfriend, in a north…