Battle Cry has long been exposing Satan’s attack on families. This time, Washington State is empowering courts to appoint emergency guardianships for children. These guardianships can legally override parents’ decisions—particularly around healthcare and “gender-affirming” services.

Senate bills already passed allowed minors and non-parent adults, including school nurses and counselors, to authorize healthcare decisions. Parents were to be informed, but parental consent was not required.

By 2023, minors were granted the right to bypass parents altogether for healthcare decisions. Now, a new bill, SB 5837, provides emergency guardians, mandatory court-appointed counsel, and Guardian ad Litem powers to enforce those rights, even against parental objection.

Julie Barrett of Conservative Ladies of America warns that these laws together create a system “where parental authority is conditional, discretionary, and extremely vulnerable to government intervention.”

Families who have experienced this firsthand know the consequences. Barrett noted her own story: “Our family lived through this in 2021 when a homeless youth shelter attempted to obtain guardianship of our then 14-year-old daughter. Fortunately, we were able to get her back and out of Washington. But since then, all of these new laws have been passed giving the state unprecedented power.”

State Bars Child from Church

Across the country in Maine, a mother and daughter found themselves at the center of a heated legal dispute that could reshape parental rights nationwide. Twelve years ago, Emily Bickford and Matthew Bradeen had a child together. They never wed. Emily, a devoted Christian mother, was given primary custody of her daughter, Ava. Bradeen was given visitation rights.

For three years, Ava attended Calvary Chapel in Portland with her mother. Then she decided she wanted to be baptized. After excitedly telling her father about her decision, he responded with outrage. Bradeen called in legal defense, including the ACLU, and took Ava’s mother to court.

The result was a December 2024 custody order restricting Bickford from taking her daughter to church or even reading the Bible to her. Liberty Counsel, the faith-based legal group representing Bickford, wraps up the ruling in one blunt sentence: “The Portland District Court found that Emily is a fit parent, except for the fact that she is a Christian.” The court order effectively bars Ava from attending any Christian events or even having Christian friends without the father’s approval.

Staver is clear about what this ruling could mean. “This order... sets a precedent affecting Christian families across the country…. Parents are being sidelined in decisions about their child’s spiritual and moral upbringing. This is a fundamental threat to religious freedom and family authority.”

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court recently heard new oral arguments in the case of Bickford v. Bradeen, and a ruling is expected in the coming weeks.

Throughout the Bible the family is portrayed as the centerpiece of society. Thus, it is not strange that Satan specifically targets Christian families. He knows that if he can disrupt a Christian family, he has struck an important blow against the culture. That is why it is vital that we diligently bring up each new generation.