TheRepublic.com - Family issues News

SD legislative panel begins domestic abuse study

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:32:09 -0400

PIERRE, South Dakota - A South Dakota legislative panel started a study Monday of the state's domestic abuse law, but didn't get around to discussing whether its protections should cover people in abusive same-sex relationships.

Gay marriage group hopes to change constitution

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:46:24 -0400

PHOENIX - Gay marriage proponents launched a campaign Monday to change the Arizona constitution's definition of marriage a mere five years after voters approved a state constitutional ban on same-sex marriages and as the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to weigh in this month on the national debate on marriage equality.

Ky judge to decide same-sex privilege issue

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:38:42 -0400

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky - A Kentucky judge is weighing whether a same-sex couple qualifies for the privilege of not testifying against a spouse in a slaying case in Louisville.

Equality Illinois gears up for 2014 election fight

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:32:05 -0400

CHICAGO - Advocacy group Equality Illinois says it's getting ready to launch a $500,000 effort to promote gay marriage ahead of the 2014 election.

Man abandoned in 1972 in Kansas seeks answers

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:28:44 -0400

KANSAS CITY, Kansas - Everyone calls him Bill Atkinson. Before that, he was Stephen Michael Doe. And before that, well, that's the mystery.

One-time teenage mom pays lessons forward

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:23:40 -0400

LOGANSPORT, Indiana - Low graduation rates and meager earnings plague the population of teen moms, a variety of research has found. But it's not just the young mothers whose lives are changed by pregnancy.

Media study: more pro views on same-sex marriage

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 00:44:06 -0400

NEW YORK - Around the time the U.S. Supreme Court was considering the same-sex marriage issue, news reports had more comments from supporters than opponents, a study released Monday concluded.

Gay couples wed in group ceremony in Maine

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 15:22:05 -0400

PORTLAND, Maine - Ten same-sex couples exchanged vows Saturday during a group wedding in Portland's largest park during an annual gay pride parade and festival.

Police cite AL daycare driver for overcrowded van

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 11:58:13 -0400

FAIRFIELD, Alabama - A driver for an Alabama daycare center was cited Friday for crowding too many children into a van and transporting some of them without seatbelts, police said.

St. Louis gunman was Somali immigrant

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:39:07 -0400

ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis businessman who killed three employees before turning the gun on himself was a Somali immigrant, described by friends as an intelligent man who was quick to reach out to other new-arriving Somalis, but who had lingering anger years after the divorce from his first wife.

Foes of gay marriage outspent 10 to 1 in Minn.

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 13:31:51 -0400

ST. PAUL, Minnesota - The group on the losing end of a gay marriage legalization debate in Minnesota has confirmed it was significantly outspent on legislative lobbying.

Pope wades diplomatically into gay marriage debate

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:35:16 -0400

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis waded diplomatically into the gay marriage debate Friday, telling the Archbishop of Canterbury he wants to work together to promote family values "based on marriage."

Christie vetoes quick wedding bill

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:23:41 -0400

TRENTON, New Jersey - Couples will have to wait before rushing down the aisle when it comes to getting married in New Jersey.

Calif. teacher blames job loss on abusive ex

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:28:19 -0400

SAN DIEGO - A San Diego-area teacher says she is losing her job for being the victim of domestic violence.

Judge urges consensus in Belcher custody fight

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:11:16 -0400

KANSAS CITY, Missouri - A Jackson County probate judge on Thursday urged both sides vying for custody of the daughter of a Kansas City Chiefs football player who fatally shot the girl's mother before killing himself to reach a consensus, or he'll be forced to issue his own ruling next week.

SD Supreme Court upholds law making bigamy a crime

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:08:14 -0400

PIERRE, South Dakota - The South Dakota Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a state law that makes bigamy a crime, a decision that will allow South Dakota prosecutors to pursue a charge against a North Dakota man.

Wis. Assembly passes domestic violence bills

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:47:45 -0400

MADISON, Wisconsin - The Wisconsin Assembly approved a trio of bills Thursday to strengthen the state's domestic violence laws after one abuse victim was shot last year by her estranged husband at a Brookfield spa.

Tough road to reunification for ex-meth-using mom

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 16:02:58 -0400

LAS VEGAS - With her right ankle cuffed to a hospital bed and a police officer seated nearby, Kellie Chapman welcomed her youngest child into the world July 9, 2009.

Rupert Murdoch files for divorce from Wendi Deng

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:14:54 -0400

LOS ANGELES - News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch has filed for divorce from Wendi Deng Murdoch, his wife since 1999, citing a breakdown in the relationship. The matter doesn't alter the succession plan for the media company, which the 82-year-old founder controls through a family trust.

Survey offers complex portrait of LGBT Americans

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:16:15 -0400

NEW YORK - Even as they acknowledge greater acceptance by society, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans are, on average, less happy than other U.S. adults, and many report instances of rejection and harassment, according to a sweeping new survey.

Grandparents lose appeal in bid to see kids

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 04:09:37 -0400

SAGINAW, Michigan - The Michigan appeals court has made a key ruling in a case involving the rights of grandparents to see grandchildren.

Timing of Prop. 8 ruling complicates Fresno rally

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 16:36:54 -0400

FRESNO, California - The uncertainty surrounding the timing of the U.S. Supreme Court's forthcoming decision in a legal challenge to California's same-sex marriage ban has caused problems for gay marriage supporters in Fresno who hope to hold a rally outside City Hall when the opinion is handed down.

Mom whose toddler was found wandering is released

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:38:05 -0400

PHOENIX - The 22-year-old Arizona mother of a 2-year-old girl found wandering around a neighborhood has been released from custody while she faces a child abuse charge.

Domestic violence group decries budget cuts in RI

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:27:56 -0400

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island - A group that fights domestic violence in Rhode Island says budget cuts to a program that helps victims navigate the court system will affect hundreds of victims each month.

Limits on Palestinians living with Israeli spouses

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 11:51:30 -0400

BARTAA, Israel - When Israeli Arabs search for a spouse, they don't just worry about looks, job prospects or future in-laws. They must think about whether their partner will be allowed to live with them.