Divorced single parents in Germany have no legal right to child support after their child turns three if the parent is capable of working full time, Germany's supreme court ruled on Tuesday.

23togo · 2011-08-04T01:40:55+00:00

I have custody of my daughter for the last 7 years and tried to get some kind support from her biological mom. The District attorney sent me a letter stating that she has no income or assets. I could be in jail and still be forced to pay child support, yet a mother can be a housewife and get off scot free.

AnnArchist · 2011-08-03T18:00:26+00:00

fuck yes.

fondueguy · 2011-08-03T18:22:52+00:00

Germany's Federal Court of Justice has put more pressure on divorced single parents to work full time and place their children in daycare, ruling they have no right to child support after the child's third birthday.

That is fucking twist of things.

Child support comes from the PARENT!!! So this law is not expecting the parents to work more. Only that one parent isn't used as an atm making them work overtime and see the kid even less.

kloo2yoo · 2011-08-03T19:31:20+00:00

Somewhere in Germany, some divorced or divorcing father is having a birthday. Cheers to him, and I hope he receives this in good health.

I also hope every German father is celebrating this as a birthday gift, but also recognizing that it should have been their recognized right all along.

tomek77 · 2011-08-03T19:58:11+00:00

This ruling happened in Germany, so you have to place it in the context of the typical European welfare state: this woman has access to FREE health care, day care, schools and colleges, and also receives hefty subsidies and tax breaks for her child.

In that context, the ruling makes sense, but the flip-side is: insanely high taxes which effectively transfer the cost of single mothers onto the entire tax base..

In a way, Europe has a welfare system for single mothers supported by the entire population, while the US has a "single-payer welfare system" - aka "child support".

2011-08-03T18:10:57+00:00

Awesome, I hope this idea spreads.

megazen · 2011-08-03T21:53:52+00:00

Next thing they must do is ensure that in any marriage, the acquired wealth prior to marriage remains property of the original owner, and only acquired wealth during marriage together is divided in case of divorce.

Guy51234 · 2011-08-03T17:47:28+00:00

Germany has generous unemployment benefits though.

ZombieKitty · 2011-08-03T18:59:01+00:00

I wonder how good their daycare system is and if they have to pay much for it. I'm concerned about the backlash this cause, a man won't be able to see the kids b/c he didn't "pay" for their needs :| I've always been a fan of the other parent taking the child shopping for their needs instead of handing over an arbritrary amount every month.

Faryshta · 2011-08-03T17:49:13+00:00

then she must work as much as her ex-husband who does not take care of the child.

I hope this law only applies when one of the parents have the full custody.

Dragontre · 2011-08-03T23:06:16+00:00

Germany is doing it right.

omegaflux · 2011-08-03T19:29:14+00:00

Ingeborg Rakete-Dombek, chairwoman of the family law working group in the German Bar Association, said the decision means that parents who want more than three years of child support will have to prove their child has a psychological need for the parent to take care of him or her.

I foresee Germany will soon rank number one in the world for children diagnosed with psychiatric disorders.

Sohck · 2011-08-03T17:35:09+00:00

"But this will hurt the children..."

2011-08-03T18:12:44+00:00

Glorious. Welfare should be the state's responsibility.

Guy51234 · 2011-08-03T21:09:22+00:00

Free child care, good for them. Put the cost of single mothers on the entire tax base. Actually it transfers the cost of KIDS to the entire tax base, same as when property owners pay tax for public schooling in the US. That's just a healthy society that will have kids with better options in life.

People will still get divorced or have kids before marriage. That happens anyways even if people have no benefits. When you consider that a lot of these european countries have a declining birth rate, it becomes even less of a thing to complain about. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1991216,00.html

misnamed · 2011-08-03T18:29:24+00:00

Perhaps this is a bit too extreme? I think the other parent should pay for half the cost of day care at least. It doesn't seem fair that the primary caregiver should have to pay for 100% of the day care so they can work full time. That shit is expensive and most of the extra money that they earn from working full time would just go to that. Ultimately, this would hurt the kids because there would only be a tiny increase in income and they would see their parent much less. I'm all for mens rights but this is just ridding the father (or mother in some rare cases) of ANY responsibility.

Liverotto · 2011-08-03T20:38:18+00:00

To feminists this must sound like: "Germany invaded Poland, again".

This aggression to the Feminist State won't stand, there are more American troops on German soil than anywhere else in the world, sooner of later they will bring them Democracy, for the third time!

inthemud · 2011-08-03T19:03:28+00:00

I get it, MensRights, I'm one and am with you but I'm also the result of an upbringing that was helped along with child support. My mother had a job and worked her darndest but my father, who was not really around, needed to contribute to my upbringing. The mutual custody wasn't fought for but agreed upon. What I am saying is that there is a difference between milking the man for all he is worth and deciding that he needs to contribute to the upbringing of his offspring regardless of his physical proximity.

megazen · 2011-08-03T21:50:37+00:00

This is much better than leeching off the ex-spouse, or tax payers to finance the costs of raising other people's children.

powpowbang · 2011-08-04T01:49:27+00:00

Put this in /r/Politics, let's see the reception.

solinv · 2011-08-03T18:52:56+00:00

I think this is a little too extreme. It's a good idea but too broad. If one parent petitions for full custody and the other does not oppose, then it's perfectly reasonable. But what about when there is a long history of abuse and the court assigns full custody to one parent? Does the non-abusive parent not have a right to child support? S/he didn't intentionally deprive the other partner of his/her child, s/he was put into that situation as a consequence of bad circumstance.

I think this should only apply when one parent fights for >50% custody.

prismaticbeans · 2011-08-04T06:57:30+00:00

This is awful. Both parents should be contributing to the child's upbringing. Custody should be shared, and in cases where that is impossible, such as if one parent is abusive, neglectful, or no longer wants any part of raising the child, said parent should still be required to contribute financially.

Frankly, I don't much care which partner has the penis and which has the vagina, but this ruling is absolute bullshit. A general no to spousal support, with exceptions for cases such as one partner having made a costly sacrifice for the sake of the monetary or material gain of the other party, or predicated on the financial interdependence of the relationship and to the detriment of the individual. But any parent who initially became a parent willingly is obligated toward that child, and toward the relief of the co-parent. Why the fuck should one parent have to do all of the work, spend all of the money, and care for the child(ren) all of the time? How is that in any way just or fair?

TicTokCroc · 2011-08-04T03:52:47+00:00

Deadbeats Rejoice!

Eryemil · 2011-08-03T22:55:35+00:00

Good news for our breeder buddies in Germany.

Sarstan · 2011-08-04T00:32:22+00:00

While I disagree that a single parent should have to work full time, on the other hand I disagree that a separated parent should foot the bill.

Keep in mind, the only reason I disagree with a single parent working full time is because the child is left neglected. Placed in day care and often not developing a proper social bond with the parent. And of course, on the other hand, one working parent and one to stay home is ideal for relieving this situation altogether (and many other problems). That is out of the spectrum of this article, though.

Guy51234 · 2011-08-04T21:39:35+00:00

Nice the parasites have to work....and the femborg put all it's eggs in the government basket....how do you like your new masters ladies?

What, your new government husband will only let you stay home on your ass for 3 years....so sad....

Get a job.

barbadosslim · 2011-08-03T18:34:22+00:00

that's kind of fucked up

FreddyDeus · 2011-08-03T18:35:58+00:00

Great. So divorced women granted custody have even less reason to work, meaning the working father has to fund more child support.

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