New Jersey court settles historic case of baby mama drama

If you've got baby mama drama (or baby papa drama), the New Jersey court system is more than happy to handle it for you.

That's the most important conclusion from a case in which a New Jersey Superior Court judge ruled that women giving childbirth can bar their child's biological father from being present in the delivery room.

Reuters says that the court's decision cited a patient's right to privacy, as well as a pregnant woman's sovereignty over her own body.

But the ruling only seems to be a big deal in a narrow scope. Because the case stemmed from a dispute between an engaged couple who were separated before the woman went into labor, the ruling doesn't address the rights of married couples in similar situations.

Nevertheless, the court seems proud of its ability to provide some clarity on the issue. Judge Sohail Mohammed, who presided over the case, wrote in his decision that something of this nature had never been litigated before. From Reuters:

"According to the court's research, the issues of whether a putative father has a right to be notified when a woman enters labor, and whether a father has a right to be present at the child's birth over the mother's objection, have never been litigated in New Jersey or the United States," the judge wrote.

So not only did a real life New Jersey court take a case based on a lovers' quarrel, but they also went out of their way to see if anyone else had done it before. That's amazing.

Normally, it's not a good idea to publicly air the dirty laundry from your relationship. But in New Jersey, the land where anything is possible, the courts will gladly take your case.

(H/T Metro)

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