Family Court Crisis; Our Children at Risk
www.CenterForJudicialExcellence.org
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Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis/GH) Testifies About Personal Ordeal
By Michele Dargan | Monday, April 27, 2009, 10:46 PM
An interesting press release arrived today that I thought I’d share with you.
When I saw Nancy Lee Grahn’s name in the headline, it immediately got my attention.
And as I read on, it became even more interesting.
As a soap fan, I have - for years - enjoyed Nancy Lee Grahn’s portrayal of the strong, smart, ever-so-efficient attorney Alexis Davis.
But I had no idea that she was involved in a court battle regarding her child.
According to this release, Grahn is testifying Tuesday at the California Assembly Judiciary Committee Hearing on behalf of Bill AB 612. If passed, the bill would outlaw the use of Parental Alienation Syndrome to gain custody of children in divorce situations.
The syndrome describes behavior where one parent turns a child against the other by convincing the child the parent has treated him or her badly, even when they have not. Many call it “junk science” and are trying to get it banned from being used to gain custody in divorce cases.
Below is the press release which describes Grahn’s participation in these hearings and her support for this bill.
T.V. Star Nancy Lee Grahn to Join Dozens of Family Court Victims to Urge Passage of Assemblyman Jim Beall’s AB 612
What: Pre-Hearing Press Conference
Who: Daytime TV Celebrity Nancy Lee Grahn & dozens of family court victims & court reform advocates
When: 8:30AM on Tuesday, April 28 - Press Conference; 9:00AM Hearing in Room 4202
Where: State Capitol- Room 444
Acclaimed television star Nancy Lee Grahn will address reporters tomorrow about her personal family court ordeal before she testifies on behalf of AB 612 at the California Assembly Judiciary Committee Hearing. Grahn will join dozens of parents and children to speak about the ravages of Parental Alienation Syndrome, or PAS, on their lives, and the desperate need for family court reform.
Like thousands of parents in California’s family courts, Grahn was falsely accused of alienating her child against her father, yet she eventually prevailed in her protecting her child. AB 612 would outlaw the use of this unscientific theory that is typically responsible for placing more than 58,000 children per year in the U.S. into dangerous homes with parents the children have identified as their molesters and abusers (Leadership Council on Child Abuse & Interpersonal Violence). Beall’s bill is just one of a handful of measures addressing the need for family court reform in California this year.
PAS is a controversial, unscientific theory that does not meet legal evidentiary standards, yet it is commonly used in family courts everywhere. PAS and related alienation theories are not accepted or endorsed by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, American Psychological Association, American Prosecutors Research Institute, National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse, and nearly all credible researchers on the subject.
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