to be fair, I don’t think the original text excluding grandparents was intentionally targeted at grandparents etc…they were just excluded as they were not deemed “immediate family”, which is the current (and historic) view under immigration law and family law. other countries/cultures have a much different view of grandparents, and grandparent rights to grandchildren. in some cases, some countries allow fundamental rights for grandparents to spend time w/ grandchildren even against the parents wishes (the way you couldn’t separate a parent’s right to the children unless a court determines them unfit etc). I think such thinking is pretty alien in the US (can you imagine the uproar if some court would allow a grandparent to undermine a parent’s rights to his/her child…)? I don’t think that would sit well, but again, it is a cultural/societal thing. I for one think it is a good thing to allow grandparents in, in this case…the ban makes no sense, and it is also good for those cultures that put added value of their grandparents, particularly as a part of a multi generational home (something we are likely moving towards in the future it seems based on demographics…where the burdens of child rearing are shared).
