Parents who have to pay child support are often asked to keep a life insurance policy in place. Some payors meet this requirement with resistance, since they are already paying mandatory child support, half of daycare, half of extracurricular activities, and half of out of pocket medical expenses. When the request comes to also carry a life insurance policy, it seems like there is an attempt to cripple the payor financially.
In most cases, however, the cost of the policy is not too expensive. You have to keep in mind that if something were to happen to you, without a life insurance policy in place, there would be no child support, no daycare, no medical, no extracurriculars, not to mention college education. It does seem like a lot of money and I think everyone understands that, but kids are expensive. You may believe that your ex is only interested in your money (and you may be right) but if you step back and think about what this is really for, it is important and for a legitimate purpose. There are ways to structure an agreement so that your ex-spouse is not the person in charge of the money in the event of your demise. Your child is obviously the beneficiary, but when you enter an agreement, vs. having the judge make a ruling, you will have more control as to how a life insurance policy would be handled in the event of your demise.