The Family Law Reform Act 1969 is an

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

amending various aspects of

Family Law Family law (also called matrimonial law or the law of domestic relations) is an area of the law that deals with family matters and domestic relations. Overview Subjects that commonly fall under a nation's body of family law include: * Marriage, ...

English Law English law is the common law legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly criminal law and civil law, each branch having its own courts and procedures. Principal elements of English law Although the common law has, historically, be ...

. The Act is in four parts.

PART I – Reduction of Age of Majority and Related Provisions

Part I deals with the reduction of the

Age of Majority The age of majority is the threshold of legal adulthood as recognized or declared in law. It is the moment when minors cease to be considered such and assume legal control over their persons, actions, and decisions, thus terminating the contr ...

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...

from 21 to 18. Provides provision for the

Parliament of Northern Ireland The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended because of its inability to restore ord ...

to enact similar legislation

PART II – Property Rights of Illegitimate Children

Part II has mostly been repealed by subsequent legislation S19. Policies of assurance and property in industrial and provident societies, provides rights to

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

children under the

Married Women's Property Act 1882 The Married Women's Property Act 1882 (45 & 46 Vict. c.75) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that significantly altered English law regarding the property rights of married women, which besides other matters allowed married women ...

and the Married Women's Policies of Assurance (Scotland) Act 1880

PART III – Provisions for user of Blood Tests in Determining Paternity

PArt III provides the Courts with the power to compel the taking of blood tests to determine

paternity Paternity may refer to: *Father, the male parent of a (human) child *Paternity (law), fatherhood as a matter of law * ''Paternity'' (film), a 1981 comedy film starring Burt Reynolds * "Paternity" (''House''), a 2004 episode of the television seri ...

of a child.

PART IV – Miscellaneous and General

Part IV Allows for the rebuttal of legal presumptions of legitimacy or illegitimacy with evidence of probability that a person is legitimate or illegitimate

References

1969 in England United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1969 Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning England and Wales Law reform in the United Kingdom Majority (law) Children's rights legislation Juvenile law Youth rights in the United Kingdom {{UK legislation