In 2012 the UK government promised to take a second look at Shared Parenting legislation that would guarantee both parents a relationship with their child or children post separation. Amazingly although the government consultation process came out in favour of including such a proposal in the Children & Families Act 2014 there was a great deal of political opposition. This included the Chair of the Justice Select Committee, Sir Alan Beith MP, who even went onto BBC radio's Woman Hour to reassure mothers that their position would not change. Although his committee was supposed to be objective in reality it only heard evidence against Shared Parenting, for example, perpetuating the myth in the UK that legislation in Australia had failed. (Please see the article below by the Australian lawyer Duncan Ranton, 'Shared parenting boosts children's rights').

 

Also in the House of Lords opposition to Shared Parenting legislation found a leader in Dame Butler-Sloss, the former President of the Family Division, who represented a coalition of charities that were also keen to see the proposal fail. Later Dame Butler-Sloss gave an interview (see below) to the charity Families Need Fathers FNF in which she justified her views with reference to the discredited theory of Maternal Deprivation.

 

"Very many thanks for sending me a copy of your interesting and informative guide on 'even Toddlers Need Fathers'. I much appreciate your drawing my attention to it"

Professor Sir Michael Rutter, 13 March 2002

 

"It was thoughtful of you to enclose a copy of your book 'even Toddlers Need Fathers' and Her Majesty has noted your concerns"
Buckingham Palace, 26 July 2006​

 

A "history of responsible campaigning and writing on issues relating to family relationships"

Lord Justice Thorpe, Vice President of the UK Family Division, 30 July 2004

 

"I am very grateful to all those, like yourself who have written and particularly where you have been able to demonstrate your own thinking from the experiences you have had. Congratulations on your battle"
The former Home Secretary, and dad, David Blunkett, 22 March 2005​