The 1986 federal Bradley Amendment mandates that a child-support debt cannot be retroactively reduced or forgiven even if the debtor is unemployed, hospitalized, in prison, sent to war, dead, proved to not be the father, never allowed to see his children, or loses his job or suffers a pay cut.

This problem description is excerpted from "Repeal the Bradley Amendment," originally published on the Eagle Forum on March 1, 2006. Used with permission.