The Fatherhood Coalition

For Immediate Release Fatherhood Coalition Applauds Reno/INS Action Spontaneous rally to celebrate reunification set for 3 p.m. today

BOSTON, April 22 – CPF/The Fatherhood Coalition, a statewide father rights organization, regrets the actions of the Miami relatives of Elian Gonzalez that led to the necessity of using force to reunite him with his father, but nonetheless applauds Attorney General Janet Reno for taking the necessary action.

Spontaneous rally today at Statehouse steps

The Coalition is calling for a spontaneous rally to celebrate the reunification of Elian with his father. We invite the public to come to the Statehouse steps at 3 p.m. today to join us in rejoicing at the imminent reunification.

Elian case speaks to fathers rights movement

The Elian Gonzalez case has hit a raw nerve with the millions of disenfranchised fathers in the US. Over the past few decades, the importance of the father-child relationship has been eroded, diminished, and even denigrated. As a result, a fathers rights movement has emerged, and has only recently begun to receive public acknowledgment and legitimacy.

In matters of custody disputes between fathers and mothers, the mother-child relationship clearly triumphs. Mothers are overwhelmingly awarded custody of children. The rubric used is "best interests of the child." This is something determined by a judge with the recommendations of "experts." We claim that this standard is too subjective and interpretative, and can and is used to justify atrocious custody determinations. Many of the fathers in the Coalition bemoan the horrendous court decisions that have stripped them of their parental rights and placed their children in harmful and sometimes deadly environments.

According to Coalition Spokesman Mark Charalambous,

"Fortunately, thanks to Janet Reno and the Justice Department, we now have a milestone. We now know that a father's right to the custody and care of his children trumps anti-Communist politics and the wishes of a deceased mother, expressed through her actions while alive. But how long will we have to wait until fathers achieve equal parenting rights with women?"

# # #