His Excellency, Governor Deval Patrick

Massachusetts State House
Office of the Governor
Room 280
Boston, MA 02133                                               October 8, 2013

Your Excellency,

The Fatherhood Coalition is withdrawing as a participant in the Governor’s Working Group on Child Centered Family Law.

We write to express our dissatisfaction with the Working Group.

The Fatherhood Coalition was invited to participate in and was a primary force behind the formation of this group.

However, we believe the Working Group has willfully failed to address the bias of the court system harming our children.

It has refused to consider implementing standards which would measure court bias by collecting data regarding child custody decisions and making this data available to the general public.

The Working Group formed by your office is notably top heavy with family lawyers who have apparently hampered attempts to create an equitable environment in the Family Courts. Noticeably absent from the Working Group membership are those most affected - ordinary mothers and fathers who have lost their children in divorce. Their voices are nowhere to be heard.

Instead, lawyer profits appear to be the number one concern of the Working Group acting in secret with no public input.

During your run for office you claimed to support equality when it came to parents' time with their children. During the six years you have consistently failed to deliver on that promise.

You have repeatedly nominated Judges to the Family Courts that oppose the mandate that the court act in the best interest of children.

The Fatherhood Coalition is deeply troubled by your apparent opposition to equality and basic fairness.

Repeated attempts by the Fatherhood Coalition to resolve these issues of discrimination have been met with rebuffs. The latest is the failure of the Working Group to address the fundamental  problems faced by families.

The Fatherhood Coalition is therefore withdrawing as an official member of the Working Group.

Respectfully,