How Bad Does The Parenting Have To Get...

I've really been struggling with this issue lately. As a mother myself, I had never really thought much about a father's rights during a custody battle. That is until a friend of mine sought custody of his baby boy.

Why does the baby automatically stay with the mother after the intial split? Having custody or even seeing his child was not an option for my friend when he and his wife initially split. He was denied information about the baby's health because the mother told hospitals and doctors that she had sole custody, even though the mother and father had not yet gone to court to debate the issue. Doctors, hospital administration, and the baby's childcare centre took the mother's word, without even investigating it. Was that because there is no way to look that information up? I honestly don't know, but it still doesn't seem right.

In the end after a long custody battle, with evidence such as the baby overdosing on the mother's bi-polar medication several times, daycare officials testifying about the mother's lack of parenting skills, and hospital officials testifying on the behalf of the father, coming to light, my friend ended up still seeing his child less than half the days of the month. With all the dead beat dads out there why are the fathers that are desperate to be a constant part of their children's lives treated so unfairly?