Criminalize Parental Alienation to Safeguard Children's Rights

Break the Silence: Criminalize Parental Alienation in Tennessee
I am a mother who hasn't seen her children in nearly three years. Their absence is not because of abuse,
neglect, or failure to parent-but because of the silent epidemic of parental alienation. My ex-husband and his new wife have systematically severed my bond with my children. And I am not alone. Thousands of families
across Tennessee and the U.S. are suffering from the same heartbreak.


My Story:
In 2021, my world was turned upside down. During my divorce, my children were taken from my front yard by my own mother and handed over to my ex-husband-without my consent and without legal grounds. That was just the beginning of a series of injustices that torn my children and me apart!

Since then, my ex has moved them out of state, ignored court orders, and blocked every attempt at contact. Despite passing drug tests, maintaining a stable home, and doing everything the courts asked of me, I've been
erased from my children's lives. I live every day with that pain-and I know I'm not the only one.

What Is Parental Alienation?
Parental alienation is a form of psychological manipulation where one parent turns a child against the other. It is emotional abuse. It is trauma. And it is currently not a crime.

Why Tennessee Families Are Vulnerable:
- Parental alienation is not classified as child abuse under Tennessee law.
- The Tennessee Court of Appeals does recognize alienation as a factor in custody cases-but this only applies in limited court rulings and lacks enforcement.
- Tennessee abolished the civil tort of parental alienation in 2009, leaving no path for parents to seek
damages.
- There are no criminal consequences for those who deliberately interfere with parent-child relationships.

This legal gap has devastating consequences: Children grow up without one of their parents.

Targeted parents lose years of memories and the chance to raise their children. Emotional damage deepens, and there is no accountability.

The National Scope:

Break the Silence: Criminalize Parental Alienation in Tennessee

According to The New York Times, 1 million families in the U.S. are affected by parental alienation each year.

The American Journal of Family Therapy warns that children who experience this kind of manipulation often suffer from depression, anxiety, and long-term psychological harm.

Yet there is no federal or state law defining it as a punishable offense.

Our Children Deserve Better:

Our children deserve to grow up in a healthy environment-free from coercion, guilt, and manipulation. They deserve to love and be loved by both fit, loving parents. It's time for Tennessee law to reflect that truth.

We Are Demanding Change:

1. Recognize parental alienation as a form of emotional child abuse.

2. Establish criminal penalties for those who engage in sustained alienation.

3. Restore the right to civil recourse for affected parents and children.

4. Enforce court-ordered custody and visitation rights with real consequences.

This is more than a petition. It is a movement. A movement to protect the emotional health of our children. A movement to bring accountability to those who weaponize the legal system. A movement to bring my children home! A movement to bring healing to families like mine.

Please, stand with me. Let our voices be heard. Let's break the silence.

Sign this petition. Share it. And help us make history in Tennessee, in the USA, and worldwide!

Thank you!