In an unprecedented decision, a New Jersey judge made a ruling on the telephone just as a woman was giving birth stating that she did not have to permit the biological father of the soon-to-be-born child in the delivery room.
Citing hospital patients rights to extreme privacy, Superior Court Judge Sohail Mohammed said women had the right to decide who is by their bedside during labor and delivery.
In this case, Rebecca DeLuccia had gotten pregnant by her boyfriend Steven Plotnick last year before the two engaged but later called off the wedding.
Of course, some fathers’ rights groups are going bananas over this ruling. Equally upset are perhaps advocates for unmarried women and men as the ruling does not apply for married couples.
In the United States currently, over 40% of births occur outside of marriage and a recent report noted how the millennial generation is more and more deciding that marriage is not for them so we could see more
This is the first of its kind but has widespread implications nationwide and could affect different groups.
You can find an in depth treatment and analysis of the ruling over at Nj.com HERE!
What do you think? Should moms-to-be get to lock out their child’s father if they are no longer together? Do dads have the right to witness their child come into the world?