Children need both parents

adversarial legal process for family disputes concerning children and

the way the media portray, prolong, and perpetuate this dastardly crime

against helpless children and exploited women, thus accelerating the

degeneration of our society (June 25).

First, we will comment on Bruce McKain's last paragraph. We will

assume that Emma is not lying or that her state-financed lawyer has not

briefed her to win support from ''sheriffs'', ''Judges'', and the public

by stating that ''Michael loves his daughter. I will never stop him from

seeing his daughter because she has a right to see him.''

What about her new partner? Will he co-operate and make the necessary

self-sacrifices for a child who is not his offspring, to ensure that

two-year-old Killianne will have a lifelong bond with her real father?

Or will he use the power of the ''custody'' award to the mother to drive

away the father and thus save him a lot of trouble and inconvenience?

Making arrangements for weekly changes of residence for Killianne, and

many other onerous duties, are essential to ensure that his stepchild

has the advantages and fundamental needs of the love and devotion from

the two families to which Killianne now belongs as a result of the

breakdown of her parents' marriage. Generally it is only natural parents

who are motivated to make these kind of long-term sacrifices.

It is an unfortunate fact of life that many step-parents dominate the

new family, with devastating consequences for the bewildered,

traumatised child.

The colour picture of a loving mother and child will touch the hearts

of all those who misguidedly believe that women are the sole child

rearers. There is much more to parenting than cuddling babies, changing

nappies, feeding and clothing children, domestic chores, and earning

money for the family! What will happen to Killianne when she is in her

teens if her real father is divorced from his child, like millions of

others in our country, by an utterly evil process administered by cruel

and callous people?

Why did you not also include a similar sized photograph of Killianne

with her father, who also loves his child. Do you not believe that

fathers love their children and that children need their fathers?

Instead of being thrown into an arena to fight for possession of their

child, and encouraged to accuse each other of dreadful behaviour, these

two parents should have been counselled by specially selected and

trained people who can help them to put the child's interests first by

co-operating to rear their child who now has two separate families. This

will double the cost to rear the child and necessitate huge additional

sacrifices by both parents. But is this not the least the parents can do

for their child who loves and needs them both?

Why doesn't The Herald use the power of the media to compel Ministers

in the Scottish Office to listen to the Lord Chancellor of the UK --

Lord Mackay of Clashfern -- respond to the findings of the Scottish Law

Commission and abide by the laws debated and unanimously ratified by

Scottish Members of Parliament and given Royal Assent by our Queen? Why

allow callous lawyers to dominate our society?

The horrible, evil, and anti-child terms ''custody'' and ''access''

should never be used for the relationship between children and parents.

Ian Watson,

Family Charter

Campaign Committee,

4 Kirkland Avenue,

Blanefield.