State abortion laws define the methods and circumstances under which a pregnancy may be terminated. Click on a state on the map below or select from the list of states below for state-specific abortion laws, including the definitions of legal and ill...
State adoption laws define a number of issues related to adoption of children, including who may adopt, whether home residency is required before an adoption is finalized, and when (or if) the child's consent is necessary. Click on a state on the map...
Child abuse laws protect minors from physical abuse at the hands of family members and others, and require the reporting of suspected child abuse in certain situations. Choose a state from the map or the list below for state-specific child abuse laws...
Child custody laws apply to parents' rights to provide care for their child, and to make important decisions about the child's upbringing. These laws cover issues like custody arrangement options, grandparents' visitation rights, and the applicabilit...
The state abortion laws in this chart contain three main parts: the definition of an illegal abortion, the definition of a legal abortion, and a section dealing with consent and/or notice. There are also sections dealing with the penalties for violat...
There is great variety among states regarding adoption laws, perhaps due to the very personal nature of these laws. As state governments began to take responsibility for regulating family relationships, they tended to develop very unique and regional...
Annulment Annulment differs from divorce in that it addresses defects in a marital relationship occurring at the time of the formation of that relationship. Thus, if a marriage is illegally formed, when it is annulled the parties regain their legal r...
State laws surrounding child abuse contain an element not found in many other criminal statutes. Under the laws of many states, third parties with knowledge of child abuse -- and reasonable cause to believe that abuse has occurred -- are under a lega...
Because of the importance of the laws regarding child custody, all fifty states and the District of Columbia have adopted the Uniform Child Custody Act (UCCA). The UCCA attempts to minimize or eliminate child custody conflicts from state to state, by...
Almost everything acquired by a married couple during the course of a marriage (including debt) is called " marital property ," even though the term is only relevant when the couple gets divorced. Nearly all property obtained by either party after th...
