{
  "urn": "urn:us-la:civcode:art:237",
  "article_number": "237",
  "heading": "Obligation of providing the basic necessities of life; ascendants and descendants; exceptions",
  "text": "Descendants are bound to provide the basic necessities of life to their ascendants who are in need, upon proof of inability to obtain these necessities by other means or from other sources, and ascendants are likewise bound to provide for their needy descendants, this obligation being reciprocal.\n\nThis obligation is strictly personal and is limited to the basic necessities of food, clothing, shelter, and health care.\n\nThis obligation is owed by descendants and ascendants in the order of their degree of relationship to the obligee and is joint and divisible among obligors. Nevertheless, if the obligee is married, the obligation of support owed by his descendants and ascendants is secondary to the obligation owed by his spouse.",
  "status": "active",
  "hierarchy_path": [
    {
      "level": "book",
      "number": "I",
      "name": "Of Persons"
    },
    {
      "level": "title",
      "number": "VII",
      "name": "Parent and Child"
    },
    {
      "level": "chapter",
      "number": "6",
      "name": "Obligations of Children and Parents and Other Ascendants"
    }
  ],
  "breadcrumb": "Book I › Title VII › Chapter 6",
  "acts_citations": [
    {
      "act_year": 2015,
      "act_number": 260,
      "section": 1,
      "effective_date": "2016-01-01",
      "effective_date_raw": "Jan. 1, 2016",
      "role": "enactment"
    }
  ],
  "acts_citations_raw": "Acts 2015, No. 260, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2016.",
  "source_url": "https://legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=109456",
  "website_law_id": 109456,
  "scrape_timestamp": "2026-05-20T14:03:26Z",
  "source_html_hash": "sha256:e4dff3d1bf20efeb2466f78dbc20da58fdf6e8c85d88a36a8b4c6feb194fc9b8",
  "schema_version": "1.0.0"
}