If I Ran for President: How We End CPS Overreach and Restore Parental Rights

By Antonio Merrick

If I ran for President, my campaign wouldn’t be about empty promises, political theater, or the same tired talking points. It would be about fixing a system that is destroying American families—a system that has too much power, too little accountability, and absolutely no regard for the rights of parents and children.

Child Protective Services (CPS) has become a government-sanctioned machine that rips children away from their families, not based on hard evidence of abuse or neglect but on flimsy accusations, biased caseworkers, and vague suspicions. The current legal standard they use, “preponderance of the evidence,” means a judge only has to be 51% sure that something might be wrong before ordering a child removed from their home.

That’s it. There is no hard proof or thorough investigation—just a hunch that tips the scale. A parent can lose their child, sometimes permanently, based on a standard lower than required to win a civil lawsuit. This is not just an injustice; it is a constitutional crisis.

Parents are presumed guilty until proven innocent. By the time they prove their innocence, the damage is done. Their children have been placed in foster care, traumatized by the separation, and in some cases, lost to a system that profits from their removal. Every child taken means more funding for CPS, more money for state agencies, and more power for bureaucrats who are unaccountable to the families they destroy.

I have seen this system up close. I have fought against it. And I know what must be done to fix it.

If I ran for President, my first act would be introducing the Family Integrity & Parental Rights Act, a sweeping reform bill designed to end CPS overreach and put parents back in charge of their families.

Under my administration, no child would be removed from their home unless the government can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that actual harm is taking place. The same standard that applies in criminal trials would apply to family courts because losing a child is just as devastating as losing one’s freedom. No more parents waking up to a knock on the door, only to have CPS tell them they have mere minutes to hand over their child with no solid evidence of wrongdoing.

Every parent facing CPS allegations would have the right to legal representation, just like anyone accused of a crime. Too many parents lose their children simply because they can’t afford an attorney, while CPS walks into court with government-funded lawyers ready to steamroll them. That stops under my administration.

The government will no longer be able to profit from separating families. Federal funding that rewards CPS for increasing foster placements will be eliminated. That money will be redirected toward programs that help families—providing resources for struggling parents, mental health services for those in need, and support for single parents doing their best to raise their children under difficult circumstances.

Filing false CPS reports will carry criminal consequences. Right now, people can file anonymous, false claims against parents with no fear of accountability. That would change if I run for President. If someone knowingly makes a false report, they will face felony charges. CPS caseworkers who remove children without just cause, manipulate evidence, or lie under oath will be prosecuted, just like any other individual who engages in fraud and kidnapping.

These reforms aren’t just policies. They are a fundamental defense of parental rights. That’s why I would push for a constitutional amendment that permanently recognizes parental rights as fundamental, protected rights under the U.S. Constitution. No government agency, no state law, and no biased judge should ever have the power to override a parent’s authority without due process and hard evidence.

This is not just a political issue—it is a moral one. It is about stopping a system that disproportionately targets veterans, single parents, disabled parents, and minorities. It is about protecting families from government tyranny. It also ensures that future generations grow up knowing that their parents—not the state—have the ultimate authority over their upbringing.

For every politician who claims to support family values, I ask: Where do you stand?

For every civil rights advocate who talks about justice, I ask: Why aren’t you fighting for the families destroyed by CPS corruption?

For every Republican and Democrat who has sat by while this system ruins lives, I ask: Why have you allowed this to happen under your watch?

I’m not here to make excuses. I’m here to fix what’s broken. This isn’t a left or right issue—it’s a battle for the future of American families. If I ran for President, I wouldn’t just talk about protecting parents—I would fight like hell to do it.

And I would win.