Many people are familiar with the pejorative term "deadbeat dad," but what is it, exactly? The term has been replaced in some circles with the more gender neutral but less alliterative term "deadbeat parent," a term that implies a parent who is shirking his or her responsibilities to his or her children, usually in terms of child support payments. A deadbeat parent does not pay his or her former spouse the money required of them by the courts, effectively making them criminals. It's a huge problem facing the American public and, more importantly, American children.

Divorce is more common than ever before in American society, with some estimates claiming that nearly 50% of all new marriages will end in divorce. This in itself isn't necessarily a bad thing; after all, it means that couples are less likely to stay together despite being unhappy, women are less likely to put up with abuse from their husbands, and there are fewer marriages of convenience. On top of that, other factors affect the high American divorce rate, such as the fact that we marry on average younger than most of Western Europe.

The divorce rate is not the problem. Instead, it is divorced parents who ignore the needs and rights of their children who are the problem. These "deadbeat parents" are depriving the people who need them most of their futures. According to one estimate, there are as many as 6.2 million single mothers who are not receiving support from their former husbands. These single mothers have to take care of their children and work a job to provide for them with no help from the other parent.

Fortunately, the United States has laws against this kind of behavior. There are several laws on the books at both a federal and state level to discourage parents from failing to support their children, including the Bradley Amendment. The Bradley Amendment was proposed by Senator Bill Bradley and passed in 1986, and prohibits state courts from retroactively reducing child support obligations. It overrides a state's statute of limitations. Additionally, Congress enacted the Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act in 1992, which makes the deliberate failure to pay child support to a child in another state a federal offense. Failure to pay child support is a serious offense, and there are serious consequences to it.

If you'd like to learn more about child support payments and other aspects of family law, visit http://www.danieljensenfamilylaw.com