I, alongside many women and men I am close to, have faced the frustrating at best, terrifying at worst, reality of having the freedom to make decisions for our children’s well-being constructively revoked through the exploitation and abuse of joint decision-making authority by our abuser.

Our abusers use this authority as a tool of control and, distressingly, it is an exhausting and costly process to fight this authority in what should be a system designed to protect us.

Today, we urge for change.

We are calling upon Illinois lawmakers to introduce a bill that mandates family court judges to consider allegations of abuse and patterns of coercive control, and then to act swiftly and decisively.

In situations where it is apparent that the joint decision-making responsibilities are being abused to harass or control the other parent, the authority should be revoked immediately and without hesitation.

In 2020, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges conducted a study which found that 58% of respondents felt the court system did not adequately protect them from their abusers. We implore our lawmakers to reflect on this statistic and to recognize the urgent need for reform in legalese and judicial attitudes on this matter in our Family Courts (National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, 2020).

Together, we can put an end to this form of manipulation and begin to rebuild our lives in safety. Sign this petition if you believe in justice and the protection of victims from further abuse after stepping forward.

Together, we can assure that abusers are disempowered, and healthy parents can proceed unencumbered with making the best decisions for their children’s well-being and upbringing.