Child Rights Act Petition

The Issue

2025 Update: Religious Freedom Still Shields Child Abuse — It’s Time for Federal Action
In June 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court’s Mahmoud v. Taylor ruling set a dangerous precedent, expanding “parental rights” while  ignoring possible future implications it could have on child safety and abuse prevention. This ruling opens up a floodgate of future legal shields that could  protect abusers under the cover of religious freedom and parental authority. Child abuse is being erased from public and political debate, with lawmakers and the Court either ignoring or minimizing the crisis.

State and federal policies are beginning to funnel taxpayer dollars into unregulated private, religious, and homeschooling institutions that reject critical child protection laws like Erin’s Law, which mandates abuse prevention education and reporting. These loopholes enable ongoing child abuse, neglect, and exploitation, hidden behind claims of religious liberty and parental rights.

As a survivor of this deeply broken system, I know firsthand the devastating impact of religious exemption laws that allow isolation, abuse, and silence under the cover of faith. Since launching this petition in 2022, the crisis has escalated into a national emergency. Without immediate legislative reform, millions of vulnerable children will remain/become trapped—invisible victims of abuse shielded by legal loopholes and political inaction.

We urgently need a Federal Child Rights Act with zero exceptions and no loopholes—one that prioritizes child protection over religious exemptions or parental rights claims. Join this fight by joining the conversation or sharing your story with #ChildSafetyVsParentalRights and demand that the United States finally uphold the rights and safety of its most vulnerable citizens.

My Story & Why This Matters
I grew up in isolation on a remote mountain ranch. My stepfather forced our family to live and dress like the Amish. My mother told our few neighbors we were being homeschooled, but in truth, we were left to teach ourselves—ending up with only a second- or third-grade education. We were physically and sexually abused and treated like slaves.

At 18, I tried to escape. I was taken to a real Amish community, and three and a half years later, after a brutal assault by an Amish bishop, I stumbled into a rural police station, desperate to protect his children and report what had happened. I was told, “We have to respect his religious rights.”

My story is not unique. Right now, across the U.S., children are being abused under the banner of “religious freedom” and “parental rights.” Victims are silenced, threatened, and hidden to avoid accountability.

What We Must Do — Now
Protecting children is a legal and moral obligation that must apply to every child—regardless of where or how they’re educated.
Religious freedom matters, but it cannot be weaponized to protect abusers.

To close these loopholes, I’m proposing the following federal reforms:

✅ Expand Erin’s Law nationwide to include all schools—public, private, religious, and homeschool.
✅ Require abuse prevention and mandated reporter training for all educators, religious leaders, and homeschooling parents.
✅ Enforce compliance through real consequences:

Loss of tax-exempt status for institutions that fail to protect children

Ineligibility for public vouchers or education grants

Non-recognition of diplomas or education credentials from noncompliant schools or homeschools

Civil and criminal liability for individuals. mandated reporters, and institutions that fail to report abuse

These are not radical demands. They are the bare minimum for any nation that claims to value justice and child welfare.

Abuse thrives in silence and secrecy. Legal exemptions allow predators to operate unchecked. We must remove those blindfolds and protect all children—no matter where they live or what religion they’re raised in.

Join the Fight
I started this petition because I know what it means to fall through the cracks—and to be told, “We can’t interfere. It’s a religious matter.” That excuse must end. It’s time for this country to choose children over loopholes.

We need a Federal Child Rights Act—now.

Sign. Share. Speak out. Use #USAChildRightsAct to tell your story and help make the invisible visible.

Sincerely,
Misty Griffin