Do you believe in public shaming of parents who don’t pay child support?
No, for at least four major reasons (in no particular order):
- Public shaming of a parent who chooses not to pay? That might cause child support to be paid, if the willfully non-paying parent prefers putting an end to the notoriety over paying the child support ordered. But how many parents who willfully don’t pay child support would be upset over public shaming, if they won’t pay out of a moral obligation to pay, why would they care about public shaming?
- Knowing who doesn’t pay child support does not empower me to change the situation. So how many of us in the general public would notice? Or care? I wouldn’t, frankly. So public shaming would not appear to me to be likely to bring about positive change.
- Public shaming of a parent who cannot pay? What’s there to shame? A parent who honestly can’t pay can’t honestly be blamed for not paying. And publicly shaming a parent who honestly can’t pay only causes harm.
- Public shaming would just drive people who don’t or can’t pay child support underground. Shamed parents would quit or lose their jobs, then move away. Children would suffer more, not less.
A risks to rewards analysis of public shaming reveals public shaming to be a bad idea.
Utah Family Law, LC | divorceutah.com | 801-466-9277