04/23/2026
Science, Stories, and a Movement: The First New York Shared Parenting Conference Marks a Turning Point for Family Law Reform
Eight Speakers from Across the Country Converge with Andre Rainey and the National Parents Organization to Deliver a Research-Driven Call for Change
By Joani Kloth-Zanard, MFT | Executive Director, PAS Intervention
April 19, 2026 — New York
Yesterday marked a watershed moment in the fight for family law reform when the First New York Shared Parenting Conference brought together eight speakers from across the country under the banner of the National Parents Organization (NPO) and co-hosted by Andre Rainey. What unfolded over the course of the day was nothing short of a master class in evidence-based advocacy—a powerful convergence of decades of research, heartbreaking personal testimony, and a shared determination to dismantle the adversarial family court model that continues to devastate parents and children alike.
The conference’s message was unmistakable: the science is settled, the stories are undeniable, and the time for legislative action is now.
The conference opened with Andre Rainey, former Mayor of Peekskill, New York, and now serving as the New York State Chair of the National Parents Organization. Rainey spoke about what inspired him to take on this role, citing NPO’s unwavering commitment to shared parenting and their reliance on data-based facts to advocate for better outcomes for children. His opening remarks set the tone for the day—grounding the conference in both principled leadership and evidence-driven reform.
The Foundation: Don Hubin and 30 Years of Research
The day opened with Don Hubin of the National Parents Organization, whose three decades of scholarship and advocacy in shared parenting have made him one of the foremost voices in the field. Hubin framed the entire conference with a central thesis: shared parenting is not merely a policy preference—it is the essential stepping stone to meaningful reform for all families. He called on family courts to recognize and adopt a rebuttable presumption in favor of shared parenting, emphasizing that while the educational groundwork has been laid through research and scholarship, the critical next step is getting legislators, judges, and court administrators on board.
Hubin described the NPO as a child-focused, research-based nonprofit, and he leaned heavily into the data. After 40 years of accumulated research, the evidence is overwhelming: intact families and shared parenting arrangements produce the healthiest outcomes for children. Conversely, the absence of shared parenting creates what researchers call parental deprivation—a condition with measurable psychological and developmental consequences.
Dismantling the “Bogeymen”: Four Myths Exposed by Data
Perhaps the most compelling segment of Hubin’s presentation was his systematic dismantling of what he called the “bogeymen” claims—the four recurring objections opponents use to block shared parenting legislation. He noted that a great deal of misinformation has generated specters and scare tactics that are simply not supported by science. Hubin then walked the audience through each claim and the research that refutes it.
The claim that shared parenting increases litigation was debunked by research showing that shared parenting actually reduces conflict and legal disputes. After Kentucky enacted its shared parenting law, combative issues surrounding divorce and separation dropped dramatically. The adversarial nature of winner-take-all custody battles fuels litigation; equal parenting diffuses it.
The claim that shared parenting causes financial ruin was contradicted by findings that parents who share custody spend more on their children when the children are with them than non-custodial parents paying child support alone without meaningful time. Hubin also cited the work of researcher Emma Johnson, whose studies found that single mothers fared no worse financially than parents in 50/50 custody arrangements—demolishing the narrative that shared parenting economically harms mothers.
The claim that shared parenting increases domestic violence was met with some of the conference’s most striking data. In Kentucky, cases where couples going through the family courts were also involved in domestic violence cases dropped by 70% after the shared parenting law was enacted. Even more powerfully, Hubin presented findings from a natural experiment in Spain, where five regions that moved to joint custody reform saw what researchers described as “a large and significant decrease” in intimate partner violence—by nearly 50%. Spain also recorded a significant decline in homicides related to domestic situations in those same areas with joint custody.
The claim that shared parenting endangers children was perhaps the most dramatically refuted. In Kentucky, child maltreatment dropped by 30% after shared parenting was enacted, compared to neighboring Ohio, which had no shared parenting laws. Kentucky also saw child victims decline by 33%. In Ohio counties that independently adopted shared parenting practices, there was a 54% drop in child maltreatment. The data was unequivocal: children are safer when both parents are equally involved.
Hubin concluded this segment by noting that we now live in an “evidentially rich environment.” The speculation that once dominated both sides of the debate has given way to robust, replicable findings. Shared parenting, he declared, is not merely compatible with child safety—it is protective across every dimension the opposition claims it threatens.
Four Decades of Evidence: The Proven Benefits
Drawing on 40 years of accumulated research, Hubin outlined the proven benefits of shared parenting arrangements. Children in shared custody show lower levels of depression, anxiety, and behavioral problems. They achieve higher academically and demonstrate improved social adjustment. The data shows reductions in both intimate partner violence and child maltreatment. Children maintain or develop secure attachments and stronger relationships with both parents. And the benefits extend to parents themselves: increased child support compliance, reduced parental conflict, and the ability for both parents to pursue careers while sharing the responsibility of raising their children. Hubin emphasized that these benefits extend to both genders, producing healthier parents, fewer suicides, and better outcomes for the entire family unit.
Voices from the Front Lines: Seven Stories of Loss, Resilience, and Reform
While Hubin’s presentation laid the scientific foundation, the additional speakers at the conference brought the human dimension into sharp and often devastating focus. Each had been forged in the fires of a broken system, and each had transformed their pain into purpose.
Jason Houck spoke passionately about his fight to reform family laws to ensure that fathers have a rightful and protected place in their children’s lives. His advocacy centers on the fundamental premise that a child’s relationship with both parents is not a privilege to be granted by a court, but a right to be preserved.
Summer Johnson shared the wrenching story of her stepson, who was forced to lie to a judge—a sobering reminder that the current system can coerce the very children it purports to protect. Johnson is now fighting to ensure that children’s genuine needs come first, with both parents meaningfully involved in their upbringing.
Anthony Gay drew on deeply personal experiences to explore how the family court system systematically harms parents—and fathers in particular. His message was clear: if we want to restore stability to families, the system itself must change.
Mark Ludwig presented an extensive legislative road map built from years of work on Capitol Hill in DC advancing shared parenting legislation. His behind-the-scenes perspective illuminated the political mechanics of how reform moves—and stalls—at the federal level.
Stephen Boyd delivered one of the most harrowing testimonies of the day, recounting how the system failed his two-year-old child. When police refused to enforce court ordered parenting time, the child remained with the mother—who subsequently killed the child. Boyd’s story was a stark and tragic indictment of a system that treats custody orders as suggestions rather than safeguards.
Robert Garza brought an expansive, nationwide perspective to the conference. His extensive work creating and promoting new legislation around the country has successfully led to the enactment of “Time Taken, Time Back” and “Three Strikes” laws in several states, along with other critical legislative victories. Garza’s track record demonstrates that reform is not only possible—it is happening.
Representative Jamie Flick closed the speaker lineup with what may have been the most inspiring story of the day. When Pennsylvania legislators refused to listen to his pleas for family court reform, Flick took matters into his own hands. He ran for state representative, defeated the very legislator who had refused to help, and won the seat. His journey from frustrated parent to elected lawmaker is a testament to what happens when advocacy meets action.
A Movement Defined by Evidence, Driven by Experience
The First New York Shared Parenting Conference was more than a gathering of advocates—it was the crystallization of a movement that has been building for decades. What Andre Rainey and the National Parents Organization assembled yesterday was a rare convergence: rigorous science presented alongside raw human experience, academic research validated by real-world legislative victories, and deeply personal tragedy channeled into institutional change.
The takeaway from the conference was as straightforward as it was urgent. The research spanning four decades leaves no reasonable doubt that shared parenting improves child well-being, reduces violence, decreases litigation, and benefits both mothers and fathers. The opposition’s arguments have been tested against the data and found wanting. Every claim that shared parenting would cause harm has been met with evidence showing that it is, in fact, protective.
But data alone does not move legislatures. It is the combination of our stories, our advocacy, and the science that will ultimately fix the broken system parents are forced to navigate when fighting for the fundamental right to be a parent to their own children. Yesterday in New York, that combination was on full display—and the result was a conference that may well be remembered as the moment the shared parenting movement found its definitive voice.
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PAS Intervention (PASI) | www.pasi.org
National Parents Organization | www.sharedparenting.org
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