03/12/2014 // West Palm Beach, Florida, US // JusticeNewsFlash // Justice News Flash // (press release)
New Jersey – A New Jersey judge has ruled that pregnant women can block their children’s fathers from entering the delivery room as they give birth. As reported by Reuters, the ruling makes New Jersey the first state to make such an allowance, with Passaic County Superior Court Judge Sohail Mohammed citing a patient’s right to privacy in his decision.
The judge is quoted as writing in his decision, “A father’s interest in the child pre-birth is not equal to the mother’s interest…The court further finds that it would be an undue burden on the mother to require her to notify the father when she is in labor or require his presence during labor. It would invade her sphere of privacy and provide unwarranted strain on the mother.”
The decision stems from a case involving the dispute between a couple who had separated during the woman, Rebecca DeLuccia’s, pregnancy. DeLuccia objected to the child’s father, Steven Plotnick’s, insistence that he be allowed to be present or notified while she was in labor.
The judge’s decision also determined that pregnant women were not obligated to inform fathers when they go into labor.
The ruling took effect on Monday. Some advocates for fathers’ rights have called the decision discriminatory.
This report is provided by Justice News Flash – New Jersey Legal News
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