Legal Issues in Parenting

Legal issues in parenting have become more diverse as the nature of parenthood has become more complex over time. Divorce rates remain a significant social problem. New issues such as the question of sex education in schools or the rights of a minor seeking an abortion have made the landscape of legal issues in parenting more difficult to navigate. As such, there is a greater need for counselors to educate themselves on the nature of that landscape so as to prepare for the dilemmas they will inevitably encounter in the field. This entry reviews how parenthood is generally conceptualized in the eyes of the law and the nature of parent as well as child rights.