“Preglimony” – A Fair Financial Arrangement or A Setback to Women’s Rights? — New Jersey Family Law Blog

Pregnant lady in beautiful pick flowing dress. People at Morro Bay, CA Fourth of July 2011 Celebration (Photo credit: mikebaird)

Everyone is familiar with alimony, “palimony” and child support, but is society ready for “preglimony?” That’s the debate taking place in legal circles today (1). If, after reading the following, you need the assistance of a Hunterdon County lawyer with support payments of any type, contact the family law attorneys at The Rotolo Law Firm in Lebanon, NJ.

Alimony, sometimes called spousal support, is the payment made by one spouse to another following a divorce to ensure each spouse fair economic treatment. (2) It dates back to a time when it was the norm for a woman to give up a job or career — and sometimes an education — in order to take care of her family and home, leaving her with few marketable skills for entering the workforce after divorce. Today, alimony can be awarded to either spouse, based on their ability to adequately support themselves.

Although “palimony” is not a legal term, it is used colloquially to describe support payments similar to alimony awarded by a court to one partner of an unmarried couple following their break-up. (3) “Palimony,” too, aims to make sure both parties receive fair financial treatment.

Child support ensures that a parent’s financial obligation to his or her child does not end with the relationship between the adults. Usually, support payments are made by the non-custodial parent to ensure that he or she shares in the expenses of raising the child.

The newest form of support being debated, “preglimony,” would cover the expenses of a woman’s pregnancy, from prenatal care to time missed from work due to the pregnancy. (1) In the traditional family sense, these expenses are covered out of family finances. “Preglimony” would deal more with children conceived out of wedlock.

Why now? Science has made strides in determining paternity and can now identify the father of an unborn child through a simple prenatal blood test. Supporters of “preglimony” say that fathers should be held financially responsible from the start. Opponents, however, believe this concept opens a lot of legal and ethical questions, including a woman’s right to manage her pregnancy as she sees fit. (1)

Whether the courts ever adopt the concept of “preglimony” is yet to be seen. They do, however, take other support obligations seriously. Penalties for failing to meet your support payments – particularly child support – can even lead to jail time.

If you or someone you know is having a problem with support payments, whether they are paying or receiving the support, particularly in Hunterdon County, the Rotolo family law attorneys can help. The Rotolo Law Firm is located in Lebanon, which is in close proximity to the towns of Clinton and Flemington.

(1) http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/preglimony_would_make_men_financially_responsible_for_pregnancies/
(2) http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/alimony\

(3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palimony