Michigan Does Not Need Kayden’s Law
So, if you had not heard about baby girl Kayden, I hope that you read the blog I posted about her. I have a shirt and everything for bringing “Kayden’s Law” to Michigan. Now, don’t get me wrong anytime a child gets hurt, it breaks my heart. We all want our babies safe. But as a mother who has had to attend court and fight for my child and our rights, I’ve been doing my homework. And the truth is, Michigan already has the tools to protect our kids. We’ve had them since 1970.
It’s called the Child Custody Act of 1970, and is a law that judges are given the option to break or honor. See, In Michigan, judges don’t just flip a coin. They have to look at 12 specific factors to decide what is best for a child. This is the “Best Interest of the Child” test. If a parent is dangerous, if there is “Category 1” abuse, or if a child is scared, that fits right into these factors.
Factor (f) is about the “moral fitness” of the parents, and Factor (g) is about “mental and physical health.” If a parent is an abuser, they already fail the test under the law we have right now. We don’t need a new law to tell a judge that abuse is bad; we need the judges to actually listen to the evidence we bring to the table.
Most of us regular moms in Detroit or anywhere else in Michigan can’t afford $5,000 for a special expert just to prove what we already know is happening. The 1970 Act is straightforward and in layman’s terms. It lets the judge look at the whole picture without making us jump through a hundred new hoops that only rich people can afford.
I have not been able to get any help regarding the misconduct and criminal activities because there is no oversight for the people failing in high positions of power. The judges and other public employees are not following the rules that we already have in place.
When a Foster Care center tells a fit biological mom to stop giving her child hope that they are coming home, or when they ignore a history of substantiated abuse, they are already violating the core purpose of the Child Custody Act of 1970.
In Michigan, we don’t need a new law like :Kayden’s Laws” we need the people in charge, the powers that be, to be held accountable to the law that’s been on the a law for over 50 years.
Michigan’s Child Custody Act was written to put the child first. It grants judges the power to protect our children from domestic violence and abuse immediately. The only flaw is that judges are given the discretion to either honor this Act or ignore the best interests of the children who come before their custody courtroom.
Michiganders and allies, Moms Unmuted needs help getting the Child Custody Act of 1970 enforced. We need your support to make those in positions of power to look at the facts, listen to the protective parents, and keep our children safe based on the laws we already have.
Reign needs you to care. His mother, me, who is mourning a living child every day and every night, needs you to care. Help me get him from the home he was literally stolen from.