A new bill in Congress would limit the power of states to remove children from parents who decline to affirm a gender transition. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., introduced the Yaeli Martinez Child Protection Act, which targets how child-welfare agencies handle disputes over gender identity.

The bill speaks to parental rights, the reach of government, and the future of the family. It has only been introduced, and the details so far come from Miller’s office.

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From Breitbart: 

Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) introduced a bill to stop states from removing children from fit parents over disputes about gender identity.

“Raising your son as a boy or your daughter as a girl is fundamental to parenthood, not child abuse,” Miller said in an announcement accompanying the bill.

The Yaeli Martinez Child Protection Act would bar federally funded state child-welfare agencies from taking children solely because their parents raise them according to their biological sex or oppose gender-transition procedures. It would also prohibit denying foster or adoptive placements solely because prospective parents would raise a child according to the child’s biological sex.

The bill is named for a California teenager. According to Miller’s office, Yaeli Martinez was separated from her mother during a dispute over her gender identity and spent years in the state’s child-welfare system. She died by suicide in 2019 at age 19. The reporting did not include comment from California officials or others involved in her case. Miller says the bill defends the constitutional rights of mothers and fathers and keeps taxpayer-funded systems from separating loving families.

The measure would reach several stages of the child-welfare process, including abuse allegations, custody decisions, and foster or adoptive placements. It would amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act and parts of the Social Security Act. It would protect parents who decline social, medical, or surgical transition steps for their children. Miller’s office also points to changes in the Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act meant to stop states from improperly claiming custody in these disputes. States would have to comply to keep federal funding, and families could sue over violations. The reporting did not say whether other lawmakers support the bill or include responses from critics or child-welfare agencies.

This bill matters to intercessors because it asks who has the final say over a child: parents or the state. The Bible places that responsibility on mothers and fathers, who are told to teach their children and raise them in the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Ephesians 6:4). When government treats loving parents as abusers for holding to God’s design of male and female, families, and the church that depends on them, are at risk. The story also carries real grief. A young woman lost her life, and her family lost her. Her story is a reminder that behind every policy fight are hurting young people who need truth, love, and the care of their families. We can pray with both conviction and compassion. Pray that Congress protects parental rights and the God-given authority of the family. Pray that Christian parents stay faithful and unafraid, and that Christian families would step forward to foster and adopt. Pray for children and teens who feel confused or alone, that they would find love, hope, and truth in Christ.

Let’s pray for Rep. Mary Miller and the members of Congress who will consider this bill, that they would act with wisdom and courage. Let’s pray for the family of Yaeli Martinez and for others who have lost loved ones to suicide. Let’s pray for parents facing pressure from schools, agencies, or courts, that God would give them strength and protect their homes. Let’s pray for children and teens, that they would be shielded from harm and surrounded by loving, truthful care.

How are you praying about this issue? Share your prayers and scriptures in the comments below.

(Excerpt from Breitbart. Photo Credit: Denise Husted/Pixabay)