Did you know that in the state of Indiana, if a grandparent has an adult child who gets angry with their parents for any reason, no matter how trivial, the adult child can deny that grandparent the ability to have ANY contact with their grandchildren, and in most cases, there is NOTHING the grandparent can do?? In Indiana, only in very limited circumstances does a grandparent have the legal grounds to even petition a court for restoration of those visitation rights so that they can have a fair hearing before a judge, no matter how much time, effort, and finances the grandparent has invested in the relationship with their grandchildren. Indiana actually lags behind several other US states in the legal protections it provides for grandparent/grandchild relationships. THIS SHOULD NOT BE! When a grandchild is ripped from contact with their caring, loving grandparents, the result is traumatic and detrimental to the emotional well-being and social development of the child, and emotionally traumatic for the grandparents as well. Unfortunately, this scenario is becoming increasingly common as more and more grandparents are finding themselves abruptly shut out of their grandchildren’s lives.

Grandparents who do not meet Indiana’s 3 very limiting criteria that afford them legal standing to petition the court should not be excluded from presenting their case before a judge. Currently, according to Indiana State Code 31-17-5-1, grandparents may only seek visitation rights if:

1.     the child’s parent is deceased;

2.     the marriage of the child’s parents has been dissolved in Indiana; or

3.     the child was born out of wedlock (paternity must be established in order for paternal grandparents to seek visitation).

To rectify this situation, Indiana state senators and representatives need to pass a bill that expands access for grandparents to petition a court regarding visitation rights with no other gatekeeping requirement than if such visitation rights would be in the best interest of the grandchild. This would allow for a fair hearing before a judge regarding such situations. Please make your voice heard by signing this petition, which will be presented before Indiana lawmakers. Please also contact your Indiana state representatives and state senators to make known your thoughts on the importance of this issue. Thank you for your support!