Democrats are taking up the issue of shared parenting as Republicans are backing away from it

Republicans saw an opportunity with a very popular issue and ran with it. It wasn't just any problem, but one that affects more Americans than any law other than taxes and traffic: child custody. The national pendulum has swung more toward shared parenting, which uses equal physical custody and equal decision-making as a starting point. An independent poll by the National Parents Organization shows that 86% of Americans support this child custody arrangement.

In 2018, Kentucky became the first state to consider shared parenting in the child's best interest. The Bluegrass State's parenting law gained popularity even though no Democrat voted to sponsor it and two liberal lawmakers voted against it. That fall, the citizens of Kentucky voted for every single candidate who showed more support for the shared increase than his opponent.

Shared parenting is gaining momentum, with five other states passing similar laws primarily driven by Republicans (although Missouri's bill had a Democratic Senate sponsor, Karla May, and a Republican House sponsor, Jim Murphy). For example, all eleven sponsors of the 2022 parenting law in West Virginia were Republicans and 20 of the 22 votes were Democrats.

Suddenly, things change. In April, Oklahoma's shared parenting bill had 36 Senate sponsors, including all Democrats. However, the Republican House floor leader, Rep. Julie Daniels, refused to hear the bill, which then died. A few days ago, Louisiana passed the adoption of child support when all seven sponsors were Democrats. Not a single Republican sponsored the bill and the Republican governor, who is also a lawmaker, did not even sign it, allowing it to be suspended without his signature.

FATHERS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN GIRLS' MENTAL LIFE, BOYS' SCHOOL BEHAVIOR, RESEARCH FINDS.

First, what brought change to the Democrats? Perhaps it was the polls showing that the important Hispanic swing voting bloc provides the highest support of any race. Or perhaps the growing support among African-Americans, like Karla May of Missouri or the Central Kentucky NAACP, which recently sponsored a shared birthday event. Or maybe it's the overall equality aspect, which has been the focus of the Democrats.

A father holds a boy on his shoulders while the child raises an American flag. (Stock)

The inexplicable part is Republicans giving Democrats an opening. Shared parenting gives fathers fair treatment, which seems like a natural Republican issue. The GOP has also traditionally supported parental rights issues like school choice. Is it because many of the opponents are talking about parent advocacy groups and the GOP is giving in to a special interest group?

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Shared parenting is good for everyone, regardless of their group. Since its landmark law, Kentucky has seen divorce filings drop and domestic violence cases in family courts in particular drop. Its eleven exemptions from the shared parental presumption have helped reduce child maltreatment since the bill was passed.

So which way will the teams go? Charlie Kirk's last group of social media posts recommended that both groups participate in shared parenting. If voting and voting patterns continue to evolve toward shared parenting, parties will have no other choice.