I’m writing in support of HB1481. This grandparent's visitation law has been the bane of a close friend's existence since the death of her husband. This law has been used as a weapon against her. In the midst of reeling from the sudden death of her young husband, she has been subjected to her in-laws threatening and then following through legally to have unsupervised visits and vacations with her children. Her autonomy and parental rights have been not only threatened, but she has been dragged to court by her former in-laws in what is in effect an attempt to seize her children at will. This law is an especially heinous thing to subject widows and widowers to. These parents, who are in a daily struggle trying to put their shattered lives back together, have the added stress of being threatened and bullied with legal action by grandparents trying to wrench their kids away. I urge you to support HB1481 and keep parental rights where they belong, in the hands of the parents.

Hello, Delegate I'm writing in support of a HB1481, which would address problems with a grandparents' visitation law in Virginia. As it stands, the law is a threat to the rights of widowed parents to parent their kids as they see fit. As a widow, this law could affect me personally and has affected friends of mine in the widow community. I'm lucky to have a good relationship with all the grandparents in our family circle, but it pains me that current law can cause expensive legal trouble for other widows and widowers who are just trying to parent their kids through a tragedy. This is stress they do not need, and I know from experience that newly single moms who are parenting through loss simply cannot sustain more pressure. They need support, not to be in court defending their basic parenting decisions. Thank you for listening and please consider supporting HB1481.

Comments Document

Hello, Delegates, thank you for the chance to address you about the important issue before you in HB1481. I support this bill on behalf of myself and so many others in the widowed community, as it seeks to fix unintended consequences of a 2021 grandparents' visitation law that is now hurting my family and threatening many others. Attached is my testimony on this issue. Thank you for your time. --Mary Katharine Ham

I am asking that the bill be supported by the subcommittee and Courts of Justice committee. This should have never been a law in the first place. This bill sets right the fact that fit parents in Virginia have the right to decide who is best for their child's life. The Washington Circuit court ruled in September that the current law is unconstitutional. Please support the rights of Virginia parents by supporting this bill.

Good morning, My name is Lauren Stewart and I am a Fairfax county resident writing to urge support and passage of Delegate Freitas's HB 1481- Grandparent, for visitation. This bill is up in the Civil Sub-committee today. As a close friend of an incredible parent whose family is unjustly suffering under the very provision that this common sense bill removes, I urge you and all members of the committee to move it forward. I've seen first-hand the damage and turmoil this provision of the previous well intended, but harmful legislation has caused for my friend's family. After she tragically lost her husband in 2015 she rose to any and every challenge with impressive grace and fortitude while raising two beautiful, very happy girls. Now 8 year later, due to this provision (that this Freitas bill removes) she and her family face another challenge that drains time, money and other resources from their incredibly full life, now with 4 children & two working parents. The fact that the parents of her deceased husband are able to bring a costly legal case against two extremely fit-parents, threatening their rights as parents and their personal decisions on what is best for their children is unfathomable. It is even more dangerous for families and mothers who do not have the means, know-how or where-with all to advocate for themselves. I urge this sub-committee to move HB-1481 forward to correct this harmful provision on behalf of widow-ed mothers and all families in Virginia. Thank you very much for your consideration.

This bill goes against the laws set forth by the Supreme Court Of Virginia. Grandparents do not have rights to custody or visitation unless actual harm from not having contact with said grandparent can be proved. Furthermore, it has been repeatedly ruled that unless both parents have been deemed unfit or have been found guilty of abuse/neglect grandparents do not supercede the rights of a parent. These are the only factors that should be considered when looking at the right of a parent to choose who is or is not allowed in their children's rights, and parents have a longstanding protected civil liberty to make decisions in childrearing without the fear of government interference. Passing this bill will greatly harm the rights of parents all across the commonwealth and undermine their decision-making on the upbringing of their children. Please see Williams v. Williams, 501 SE 2d 417 - Va: Supreme Court 1998 Bottoms v. Bottoms, 444 SE 2d 276 - Va: Court of Appeals 1994 Malpass v. Morgan, 213 Va. 393 - Va: Supreme Court 1972 for some references as to how the Supreme Court views these rights to parents. Please Oppose the passing of this bill as it goes against laws already set in place.