What happens when an ex-spouse has shared custody or regular visitation and chooses to ignore a child’s dietary restrictions? The parent may have decided that a diagnosis of celiac disease is a scam, or may feel that the other parent’s religious views are too restrictive in regard to diet. When a mom or dad needs a family law firm in Lebanon County, PA, they have some excellent options available.
Food Allergies
A doctor can step in and confirm that a child must never eat any food containing gluten. If it can be proven that the father or mother continues to do so, a judge may suspend shared custody or require supervision during visitation. The parent’s actions are directly harming the youngster, even if the parent doesn’t intend to. This is legally classified as medical neglect.
The problem can be even worse when the parent doesn’t believe the child is allergic to a food substance, even after a diagnosis by an allergist. The child may wheeze or feel sick after eating eggs, for example, yet the parent continues to serve eggs. This parent may have the misguided idea that the child just needs to outgrow the allergy with regular exposure to the food. An organization such as the Law Office of Melissa R. Montgomery is ready to provide legal counsel in these kinds of situations.
Religious Beliefs
Religious beliefs can be a bit dicier when divorced parents disagree, since there is no immediate risk of harm to the child. Consider a situation in which a divorced mother converts to Seventh Day Adventism and now plans to raise the child as a vegetarian. The father may completely disagree with this diet and continue serving meat to the youngster at his home.
Another example would be a Jewish couple that gets divorced and one parent becomes less strict about following the dietary laws. The other parent may feel distraught about the children eating pork and shellfish and feel betrayed by this decision. When it comes to picking a family law firm in Lebanon County, PA, parents dealing with these circumstances will want to choose the right one and consult with the attorney to learn what their rights are.
