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New California divorce law: Treat pets like people — not property to be divided up
A new law being unleashed in California on New Year's Day will give pets' rights some bite in court cases. The measure provides judges with the power to consider what's in the best interests of the animal in divorce cases, instead of treating them the way they've been treated by courts in the past — as physical property.
[...] The law "makes clear that courts must view pet ownership differently than the ownership of a car, for example. By providing clearer direction, courts will award custody on what is best for the animal," [state Assembly member Bill] Quirk said after the bill was signed.
[...] Legal experts said the law means judges can take into consideration factors like who walks, feeds and plays with the pet when deciding who the animal should live with.
"Before it was an issue of who owns the dog and how you distribute the property," Favre said. "But pets aren't quite the same thing as china and sofas. They're more like children, in that they're living beings who have their own preferences." And as with children, he said, divorce can be "a trauma for animals as well."
Fur baby.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 01 2019, @06:18PM (1 child)
Depends on how well AI and robotics come along to handle geriatric care...
(Score: 2) by fyngyrz on Tuesday January 01 2019, @06:57PM
No, it really doesn't.
First of all, there are plenty of enthusiastic breeders out there, generally speaking.
Secondly, even where the population is actually declining, older folks that need care (which again, isn't all of them by any means) can be handled on a many-oldies-to-one-caregiver basis, just as they are today.
Also, look at it the other way around: people who choose pets over children can conserve more resources than those who do, because children are comparatively expensive. So they're more likely to be able to care for themselves, longer.
Although it is very likely indeed that elder care will be significantly enhanced by AI and robotics. We're already seeing some of that: LMGTFY [lmgtfy.com]
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