When Laws Lie to Us: How State Bills use Kayden’s Law and Piqui’s Law Hide Real Abuse
“This law does not protect children. It protects the alienator. It criminalizes protective parents.”
— Loretta Maase, Family Therapist and Founder, Turning Points for Families
What if someone told you that protecting your relationship with a parent could be illegal? Sounds like something out of a dystopian teen novel, right? But that’s the reality behind some new laws being pushed in states like Texas and California — laws that look like they’re helping kids but are actually protecting abusers who use psychological manipulation to turn children against a loving parent.
This isn’t a conspiracy theory or a reaction from parents going through a bad divorce. It’s a real form of child abuse called Parental Alienation, and it’s being swept under the rug by policies like Texas H.B. 3783, Kayden’s Law, and Piqui’s Law. Written to seemingly protect kids in sexual or physical abuse situations, they appeal to legislators and parents as, on the surface, they seem helpful; less evident, is the consequence of their being passed, and the underlying reason why abusive parents are seeking to have them passed — they gaslight the public and court systems into ignoring emotional abuse that leaves kids mentally scarred.
And worse, in undermining the idea of alienation and dismissing pleas to improve these bills, supporters are even asserting that the very programs that help children recover from this abuse should be banned, labeling them as “dangerous.”
What Is Parental Alienation, Really?
Imagine you’re a kid, and every time you come back from visiting your mom, your dad tells you she doesn’t love you. That she’s dangerous. That she chose to leave you. Over time, you stop wanting to see her. You say you hate her — even though she’s done nothing wrong. That’s parental alienation.
Wait, no, in fact, that’s not even encompassing of alienation because what happens in circumstances where the abusive parent isn’t doing that, is that they’ll assert to neighbors, family, and friends, that they’re not doing that, that they aren’t saying anything. Which is why what they could also be doing is questioning if the kids felt safe at the other parent’s home, sending food during the other parent’s custody, because “he doesn’t know what you like,” or subtle changes at home such as putting security cameras and locks in place, to protect the kids, just in case. Alienators file with the police that wellness checks are needed, and talk with others, forcing CPS reports on the other parent. You get the idea…
It’s not just manipulation; it’s a form of psychological abuse, one that rewires a child’s perception of reality — much like cult brainwashing. It creates anxiety, depression, self-blame, and identity confusion. You reject the parent you once loved, not because they hurt you, but because someone told you to.
Studies prove this is different from physical abuse. Dr. Jennifer Harman and Dr. Amy Baker found that even physically abused kids still try to bond with their abuser. But alienated kids? They cut off the good parent completely. That’s not normal — it’s a red flag.
So much so a red flag, that what protect parents are starting to seek is that evidence of alienation is proven simply enough if/when (determined both parents are safe), the abusive parent won’t speak publicly (in writing, video, or meetings with professionals - with the kids present) that they want the children with the alienated parent.
How These Bills Lie to Legislators (and Why That’s a Problem)
Now here’s where it gets shady. Instead of addressing this abuse, bills such as Texas’ H.B. 3783 and its siblings go after the solutions — like reunification programs and temporary no-contact orders. Why? Because the bill authors and supportive parents twist the narrative. They say things like:
“Reunification therapy is like forcing kids to live with abusers.”
“These programs isolate children and traumatize them.”
“Such therapy transports and kidnaps my children from my home.”
None of that is based in fact. In fact, the Turning Points for Families program, audited by Harman et al. (2021), had an 82% success rate with severely alienated kids — and no evidence of harm. That’s real, peer-reviewed science. But the public (and legislators) rarely hears about that because alienated parents (abused parents) aren’t as active in the system; they just want the abuse to end and time with their children so they can all heal. What people tend to hear most comes from those who want to discredit the science, isolate their children, and mask friends and family (even their own kids) from the fact that they are abusive.
These laws rely on straw man arguments; they create fake, exaggerated versions of what programs do, just to attack them. It’s like saying anti-bullying programs are bad because “they force kids to be friends.” It’s dishonest and it derails progress.
Masked Behind “Safe Haven” Talk
Legislation being proposed sounds caring - protecting kids from so-claimed “harmful” programs. But it bans important tools: like changing parenting schedules or temporarily separating a child from the manipulative parent to stop the abuse. That would be like treating a burn victim by keeping them near the fire.
Often behind these laws, we find well-meaning but misinformed advocates who either don’t have a background in mental health or actively deny that parental alienation is real. When a parent or legislator with no clinical training, no peer-reviewed research, and who isn’t even working within psychological or emotional abuse, pushes for rules that ban alienation experts and programs, we should be seeking the input of those very experts.
Working through some of these bills in the United States, it’s alarming, feeling like we have lawmakers passing legislation that bans Advil, because a parent gave their kid too much Ibuprofen and the child had to have their stomach pumped. We don’t trust the parent on their experience alone, and even when we might, we turn to the pharmaceutical industry, doctors, and research, to make a properly informed decision about a law that seems good but would in fact cause harm.
Loretta Maase, adds: “This law does not protect children. It protects the alienator.”
Why Everyone Should Care?
Because this isn’t just about “divorce drama.” It isn’t a Parents’ rights issue. This is about protecting children from abuse, and in doing so, ensuring that children have the professionals and experts involved who work to do that, and who can help restore a family and alienated parent/child relationship because of abuse.
This is a matter of mental health. It about justice. And about what kind of society we want to build. Do we trust science, psychology, and kids’ actual experiences? Or do we let fear and misinformation write the rules? Children thrive when with both parents, when not be manipulated, and when the truth leads in family, warts and all.
Okay, so HOW do I know such a bill is being considered??
🧠 Key Phrases in Bill Language to Watch For
Restricts reunification programs or limits therapeutic options for custody disputes.
🔺 Example: “A court may not order a child to participate in any reunification treatment or therapy if family violence has been alleged.”
Bans temporary no-contact orders between the child and the parent accused of abuse or alienation.
🔺 Example: “Courts may not remove a child from a parent without substantiated findings of physical abuse.”
Prohibits out-of-state or intensive programs that require a parent-child separation.
🔺 Example: “A child may not be ordered to participate in therapy requiring travel or change in physical custody.”
🔺 Example: “A child shall not be ordered into counseling intended to restore a relationship with a parent without consent of both parents.”
Uses vague or undefined terms like “coercive therapy,” “forced reunification,” or “traumatic interventions.”
These terms are usually used to attack reunification efforts, not to protect children.
References only physical or sexual abuse as grounds for custody limits, while ignoring emotional abuse or alienation.
🔺 Example: “Court may restrict contact only when physical or sexual abuse is present.”
Refers to Kayden’s Law, Safe Haven Act, or Piqui’s Law (which, disturbingly, prohibits California family court judges from helping kids through reunification camps) or uses similar justifications.
These are templates being replicated state by state to eliminate alienation-based interventions.
Criminalizes certain therapeutic or custody decisions, such as changing parenting schedules as part of reunification.
🔺 Example: “It shall be unlawful for any party to modify visitation based solely on recommendations from a reunification program.”
Includes training requirements for judges or evaluators that frame parental alienation as “discredited” or “junk science.”
This restricts court professionals from considering PA at all.
Requires that the professionals involved have physical and sexual abuse training, disregarding psychological or emotional abuse.
Overshadowing consideration of psychological or emotional abuse when sexual or physical abuse is claimed or even dismissed.
Excluding professionals who are only trained in emotional or psychological abuse - the people most likely to best identify if that’s occurring.
⚠️ Bonus Red Flag: Watch the Advocacy Groups
If a bill is supported by groups that:
Deny the validity of parental alienation,
Dismiss all reunification programs as abusive,
Focus exclusively on domestic violence or “protective parents,”
…there’s a good chance it’s pushing a one-sided agenda that erases emotional abuse and Parental Alienation.
Pro Tip: Search for the word "alienation" in the bill. If it appears only to discredit it (e.g., “so-called parental alienation”), that’s a red flag.
What You Can Do
Question the narrative when laws sound too simple or too emotional.
Learn the science. Start with Harman et al. (2022), Baker (2007), or Clawar & Rivlin (2013).
Support reform, not fear-based bans. Real solutions like TPFF and Family Bridges work—when courts allow them.
Talk about it. Share this. Post about it. Use your voice where the silence is hurting kids.
Want to help more kids stay connected to the people who love them? Ask your reps why they’re banning reunification programs but not stopping emotional abuse.
Because child abuse isn’t always visible. But it’s always real. And we owe kids the truth.
To identify if a bill targeting reunification therapy or parental alienation interventions is being considered in your state, you'll need to watch for certain keywords, red flags in bill language, and patterns in advocacy rhetoric.
🔍 How to Spot a Problematic Bill in Your State
✅ Where to Look
Check your state legislature’s website (search “[Your State] bill tracker”).
Use keywords like custody, reunification, family therapy, parental alienation, protective parent, domestic violence, child safety.
Search national sites like Legiscan, TrackBill, BillTrack50, or OpenStates.org.