Ohio lawmakers push legislation for equal shared parenting

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A bipartisan effort is underway in the Ohio House to make sure moms and dads who split up can get equal time with their kids from the beginning.

Currently, the state forces family court judges to give sole or primary custody to one of the parents if they don't have an agreement already in place.​

"Imagine watching your kids grow up outside of your home," said Rep. Rodney Creech, R-West Alexandria.

Creech said he went through a custody battle for six years that cost him thousands of dollars, and more importantly, time with his children.

"To get my own children 50% of the time, which I was a good father, I was an elected official, local farmer, local business owner, and I always told people, if I can't get my children, who can?" Creech said.

What Creech went through is not only common but also unpopular according to the Ohio chapter of the National Parents Organization. NPO Ohio said 82% of Ohioans feel it is in the best interest of a child to have as much time as possible with two fit parents when they get divorced.

Otherwise, state co-chair Elizabeth McNeese said research shows the children suffer.

"They're more at risk for dropping out of school. They're more at risk for drugs, becoming teen parents. They're more likely to be incarcerated," said McNeese.

McNeese also dealt with her own custody situation. She said she decided from the beginning a 50/50 agreement with her ex-husband was best for her kids. 

"My kids are shining examples. My oldest is now a junior in college. My middle is a senior in high school and then my youngest is in middle school and they're all doing phenomenally well,” she said. “And if you would have told me that when we separated, I would have been, I wouldn't have believed it because it was a very high conflict.”