Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt has introduced the Yaeli Martinez Child Protection Act of 2026, a bill that bars state child welfare agencies from removing children from parents who refuse to affirm a child’s gender identity.
Yaeli Martinez Child Protection Act Targets State Child Welfare Over Transgender Affirmation
The legislation declares that “raising a child according to his or her sex is not abuse” and states that removing fit parents harms children, creates trauma, damages family bonds, and endangers lives.
Under the bill, federal funding administered through the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act would be cut off for any state, tribe, or organization that takes children from parents who do not affirm a transgender identity.
The measure adds a federal provision guaranteeing parents the right to affirm a child’s sex, including the refusal of any sex‑rejecting medical intervention, and bans the use of pronouns or titles that do not correspond to the child’s sex.
It also creates a private right of action, allowing parents to sue in federal court any entity that attempts to socially transition a child or provide hormonal or surgical care without parental consent, including the use of mismatched pronouns.
Parental rights organization Our Duty says ending the “ideological weaponization of child protective services” is a top priority.
Senator Schmitt condemned what he calls “radical gender ideology,” arguing that blue‑state governments are using the welfare system to separate families and punish parents who disagree.
“This ideology is inflicting irreversible treatments and procedures on children, but parents in blue states who disagree are punished and even torn from their own kids they are trying to protect,” Schmitt said.
A Daily Signal video details the tragic story of Yaeli Martinez, a 19‑year‑old who died by suicide after her public school socially transitioned her and child protection caseworkers removed her from her family home.
Chris Bray, senior correspondent at The Federalist and former Army infantry sergeant, holds a history PhD from UCLA and writes for the outlet’s Substack, “Tell Me How This Ends.”
