In 2022, my world forever changed when the police forcibly took my three little girls from our home. No crime had been committed, and there was no imminent danger. The police had no warrant. An unlicensed Child Protection "social worker" lied to them, and they failed to verify.

The child protection worker was impeached in several trials, and I was vindicated. Unfortunately, my family suffered immensely. The trials sent us into years of turmoil that cost tens of thousands of dollars and put one of my daughters in a psychiatric hospital for months. The government refused to allow me to see her. I cannot describe the torture we endured.

A custody battle precipitated these events. The family court suddenly became the arbiter of my children's "best interests". It took only hours for a family court judge to destroy my family.

My family is not alone. Thousands suffer a similar fate every year. Families have inherent protection from this type of intrusion within the U.S. Constitution, but states have successfully ignored those rights for years. We can and should save parents and children from further harm.

Did you know…

• CPS can open an investigation into your family through any anonymous “tip”?
• CPS can interrogate your child at their school without your permission?
• DHS, DCF, or The Department of Children, Youth, and Families can remove your children from your home at any time without a warrant?
• You could face and win trials in three different courts to prove your innocence and still not see your children?
• In numerous states, a family court official can remove your custody and parenting time without finding you at fault for any wrongdoing.

According to Human Rights Watch, ONE IN THREE children in the United States will endure a child protection investigation by the age of 18. Minnesota removes children at twice the national average for some populations, averaging nearly 17 removals per day. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, less than twenty percent of cases found maltreatment occurred, even with broad definitions of maltreatment and even broader discretion given to the courts.

A 2019 report by the American Psychological Association on child protection reveals that 70% of children and parents suffer negative psychological effects due to separation caused by state intervention—even in the absence of any real threat. Reacting to imagined dangers should never justify terrorizing families or uprooting children from the love and security of their homes.

WE NEED TO PROTECT CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. A State Amendment will codify what the U.S. Supreme Court has already upheld: parents have the right to the care, custody, and control of their children. Criminal laws already exist to protect children from actual harm. No government agency should have the power to traumatize children under the guise of "protection." 

We urge our state representatives to propose the following amendment to the state constitution:

"Whereas parents have a fundamental right to the custody and companionship of their minor children, in case of a dissolution or separation, each parent shall retain that right, unless proven through clear and convincing evidence it would risk egregious bodily harm to the child."

Please join the thousands of parents already calling for action! (You may disregard any financial request from change.org while signing.) SIGN NOW to stop the traumatic removals of children and end the terrorizing of families!