Court rules against grandparent visitation

Iowa’s state supreme court this week ruled against a state law that’s aimed at guaranteeing people rights to see their grandchildren. The high court said there are few rights that trump a parent’s right to control children. State Representative Dan Boddicker, who helped write the law, says he thinks there’s little left in Iowa law that gives grandparents any rights. Boddicker says when an adult child dies and the surviving spouse refuses to let their parents see the grandchildren any more, it’s a painful situation. But he sees the other side, too. Ultimately he says kids are their parents’ responsibility. This is the third time the supreme court has ruled against the grandparent-visitation law, and Tipton Republican Boddicker says now the question is whether lawmakers should rewrite the legislation to conform with court rulings. He may consider looking at repealing sections of the code, though he says there are strong feelings for and against it. If the law’s not changed to comply with what the court says is constitutional, Boddicker says some grandparents may continue to sue for visitation, hoping their case is just different enough to sway the court to rule in their favor.