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Dale's Blog

What are grandparents’ visitation rights?

Grandparents and other relatives can petition a court for an order granting visitation of a child. That said, getting the visitation order could become a long and expensive process. I wrote about it in this column for the Toledo Blade.

 In deciding the issue, a court must determine what s in the best interest of the child, while giving special weight to the wishes of the child s parent. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that parents have a fundamental right under the Constitution to make decisions concerning the care, custody, and control of their children. So, if the parent opposes visitation, that presents a high burden for grandparents or other relatives to overcome.

 But it's not an impossible burden. In Ohio, as long as a court gives special weight to a parent s wishes, it can grant visitation to a grandparent or other relative as long as visitation would be in the best interest of the child.