Get Your Facts Straight, ABA! - Why This Campaign?

On June 2, 2008, RADAR released two special reports, Myths of ABA Commission on Domestic Violence,^1,2 that analyzed the 19 statements made in the flyer put out by the American Bar Association (ABA) Commission on Domestic Violence, "10 Myths about Custody and Domestic Violence and How to Counter Them."

Among the flyer's 19 claims, 11 were found to be false, three misleading, and three unsupported by existing research. Only two claims were found to be correct. And some errors are egregious.

For example, the flyer states that "False allegations are no more common in divorce or custody disputes than at any time." But this claim, which flies in the face of common sense, is debunked by research showing that false allegations increase four-fold during custody and access disputes.

The flyer represents a crass attempt by the ABA Commission on Domestic Violence to further bias the administration of family law, to falsely stereotype fathers as abusers, and to force more children into single-parent households.

The flyer contains a standard disclaimer:

"The views expressed herein have not been approved by the House of Delegates of the ABA Board of Governors of the American Bar Association except where otherwise indicated, and accordingly, should not be construed as representing the policy of the American Bar Association."

Nevertheless, the ABA logo appears at the top of the flyer and the ABA posts and sells the flyer on its website.

Just prior to their public release, RADAR sent the reports to the president of the ABA, William H. Neukom, Esq., with a letter asking that the ABA suspend distribution of the flyer until the errors and misrepresentations are corrected. We requested a response by July 15, 2008. To date, there has been no response.

With our letter to Mr. Neukom, the ABA was put on notice of the misinformation contained in the flyer. The ABA's decision to do nothing means it stands behind the misrepresentations, falsehoods, and lies.

So beginning July 21, 2008, RADAR is launching an all-out campaign called, "Get Your Facts Straight, ABA!" This project is part of RADAR's larger "Fix VAWA Now!" campaign.

So RADAR invites everyone who wants to save families and protect children to tell the American Bar Association, "Get Your Facts Straight, ABA!"