Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stonestreet. On September the 29th, Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri introduced the Yelley-Martinez Child Protection Act, which would, and I quote, prevent federal child welfare funds from being used to punish parents for raising children according to their sex or protecting them from irreversible medical harm. End quote. The bill is in reaction to a string of cases in recent years in which children have been removed from the homes of their parents or caregivers who refuse to go along.
Along with social transitioning or life-altering chemical and surgical procedures, Senator Schmidt explained his motivation for the bill. And I quote: "It's sickening that a state would impose ideological child welfare policies to tear apart a family. Parents know what's best for their own families, and we need to defend their rights to protect their children." End quote. The bill's name for Yaeli Martinez, a young woman in California who struggled with depression, without her mom's knowledge or consent, she was herded into LGBTQ. Support groups by school counselors, and eventually, she socially transitioned and adopted a boy name.
When her mother Abigail found out and refused to go along, the school psychologist pushed the Los Angeles Child Services to remove Yalie from her home. She was placed in a group home where she started at age 16 cross-sex hormones. Miss Martinez was told, and I quote, "She will have more chance to survive. She's not going to try to commit suicide." However, instead of finding the peace that her counselors promised, Yalie's mental struggles continued and increased. In 2019, at age 19, Yelie took her own life.
Massachusetts parents Joseph and Arlene Cuttsco learned that their daughter Sophie had transitioned without their knowledge after being exposed to gender ideology material at school. In 2024, Sophie began to stay after school for what her parents were told was math tutoring, but instead she was attending gender transition counseling sessions. It was not until government agents took Sophie from their home that the Cutscos learned about any of this. When the parents resisted, local officials accused Joseph of physical abuse.
Sophie's not been allowed to return home or see her parents for two years now. The Cutscos are fighting in court to keep the state from giving their daughter high doses of testosterone. In April, when Sophie turns 18, her parents will have even fewer resources to contest the state-sponsored brainwashing that she's been undergoing for years now. Miss Martinez, the Cutscos, and many other parents need more legal tools to fight back. Similarly, young people who have detransitioned need an easier path, more legal tools to hold doctors accountable for malpractice.
Parents have to be able to raise their children without fear that a school counselor or a medical professional can, backed by the legal power of the state, just take their kids away. And currently, only about half of the U.S. states have restrictions on youth access to so-called gender-affirming care. Even worse, at least 12 states have so-called shield laws that essentially work against the parents of minor children who want to transition. The Yaley Bill would further empower parents to push back against the dangerous mix of government overreach and ideological poison.
Think about it: if people heard that a religious group was going around so-called love bombing teens with praise, cutting them off from their friends and family, and pushing them to adopt weird beliefs about sexuality, well, they call the cops. They call the behavior grooming. They call the religious group a cult, and that's exactly what has happened in our schools. With the backing of the government, all of this has to stop. Opponents claim the YELI Act is about imposing religion on politics, but they're lying.
It's actually about protecting children from an unscientific and harmful belief system that's been imposed using the power of the state. Sponsors hope to push this legislation forward as early as by the end of the year. The more calls that members of Congress receive from constituents who support the bill, the sooner it can be moved forward to a vote, and the more likely it will be to pass.
So please contact the child. Parental rights campaign. That's the Child and Parental Rights Campaign. For more information, and also please call your representatives in the office of Speaker Mike Johnson. Tell them to protect our families by supporting the Yelley Martinez Child Protection Act.
For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street with Breakpoint. Today's Breakpoint was co-authored with Dr. Timothy Paget. If you're a fan of Breakpoint, leave us a review wherever you download podcasts. And for more resources or to share this commentary with others, go to Breakpoint.org.
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