When Oklahoma Legislation Stalls – Children Suffer (SB970)

This emotionally powerful image created by Dr. Steve Hudgins illustrates the trauma children experience when caught between warring parents during custody battles. Inspired by over two decades of advocacy and clinical work, the image supports the call for stronger laws against parental alienation in Oklahoma and beyond. Featuring the quote, "Let us stop using our children as court chess pieces. Let us stand for them.", this visual is a statement of protection, reform, and healing for modern families. Learn more at www.drsteveh.com. #pas #blendedfamilies #mosaicfamlies

 “I do not speak from theory—I speak from trenches.” – Dr. Steve Hudgins

Too many parents are still silenced, too many children weaponized, and too many courts remain passive bystanders to emotional abuse. 

Today, as a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor with 13 years of clinical experience, and the founder of Mosaic Family Systems Theory (MFST), I see the devastating fallout of custody interference and parental alienation in my practice every week. This is no longer just a family law issue—it is a public mental health crisis.

When legislation stalls, children suffer.

📊 According to estimates drawn from U.S. Census data and supported by research in The Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, more than 22 million parents in the United States report being alienated from their children due to interference by the other parent (Mahrer et al., 2018). This form of relational disruption has been linked to increased risk of academic struggles, identity confusion, anxiety, and long-term trauma (Harman et al., 2022).

That is why I have formally submitted the Oklahoma Custody Interference and Parental Alienation Reform Act to Senator Weaver, Representative West and Rep. Gabe Woolley. This proposed legislation expands on SB 970, demanding real accountability for both custodial and non-custodial parents who engage in interference, alienation, and psychological manipulation.

What This Reform Act Demands:

  • Criminal penalties for repeat offenders—not just civil contempt.

  • Recognition of parental alienation as relational abuse, backed by expert evidence.

  • Emergency authority for courts to protect children before permanent damage is done.

  • Judicial training, custody reassignment authority, and trauma-informed protections for children.

  • Multi-agency enforcement across DHS, AOC, DPS, and the Attorney General’s Office.

This is not about winning custody—this is about preserving the sanity, identity, and future of our children. It is about prioritizing their access to both parents, their right to be loved without manipulation, and their chance to grow up whole.

I have personally walked with families like Tim and Hope, who face obstructed visitation, false narratives from a co-parent, and children placed in emotional limbo. The stories are gut-wrenching. The trauma is measurable. And the silence is deafening.

📚 Peer-reviewed studies validate what we are seeing on the ground:

  • Alienated children experience depression, anxiety, academic decline, and relational instability well into adulthood.

  • The longer the court delays, the deeper the damage becomes.

We must stop allowing children from being alienated within the court system. Texas has introduced SB 2794. Oklahoma’s version died on May 29. Now is the time to resurrect the effort—louder, stronger, and united.

Your Call to Action:

  1. Contact Senator Weaver and Representative West and demand immediate support of the Oklahoma Custody Interference and Parental Alienation Reform Act.

  2. Share your story. I will personally forward lived experiences to legislators and committees.

  3. Join the movement. Email me directly or visit www.drsteveh.com to receive updates, legislative drafts, and support resources.

  4. If passed, this bill will:

    • Protect children from prolonged psychological harm

    • Establish legal accountability for both parents

    • Empower courts to intervene sooner

When we protect a child’s access to both parents, we protect their future. Children deserve SAFE equal access. Alienated children deserve a path to healing—not erasure. And Oklahoma needs a legal system that defends family wellness over family warfare, while ensuring safety through therapeutic support when addiction or abuse is involved. Let us stop using our children as court chess pieces. Let us stand for them, fight for them, and finally give them peace.

Download a copy of the NEW proposed bill edited by Dr. Steve Hudgins

Download a copy of the comparison of the old bill that died and edited by Dr. Hudgins

Download a copy of the email sent by Dr. Hudgins to West and Weaver

Final Words: A Line in the Sand

The courtroom should not be a battleground where childhood is collateral damage.
I have buried the silence. I have broken through the system. I have stood in the gap—first as a father, now as a clinician, and always as a voice for the voiceless.

This is more than policy. This is personal.

If we do not rise now, another child will fall.

All US States—draw the line. The time to protect our children is not tomorrow.

It is now.

—Dr. Steve Hudgins, LPC-S, NCCFounder, Mosaic Family | Presidential Council, NRB

Author, Piece by Piece: My Blended Experience of Mosaic Family (Releasing Fall 2025)