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Religion, Custody, And A Child's Identities, Shauna Van Praagh

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

Custody decisionmaking in which religion plays a role is significant from the perspective of parents, children, religious communities, and the liberal diverse state. Neither a family law analysis based on best interests, nor a constitutional law analysis based on parental rights, provides a wholly satisfactory response to the task of delineating custody and access when religion is at issue. Instead, a child's sense of identity, partly defined through membership in religious communities, must be considered; at the same time, the child's integrity must be protected. By balancing a child's interests of identity and integrity, courts respect religious freedoms and custodial …