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Expert testifies for statutory definition of 'parental alienation'; committee splits but votes to advance HB 1323
Summary
An executive-session presentation and questioning centered on House Bill 1323, which would place a statutory definition of parental alienation into New Hampshire law; proponents say it clarifies judicial decisionmaking, while critics warn the language is vague and risks weaponization. The committee voted to recommend the bill.
An executive session of the House Children and Family Law Committee on HB 1323 heard extended testimony from Deborah Childs, executive director of the nonprofit Time to Put Kids First, who urged legislators to adopt a statutory definition of "parental alienation" to help judges and families identify harmful patterns.
"This bill simply defines parental alienation," Childs said, adding that the nonprofit she co-founded has "served over 81,000 families since 2014." She described parental alienation as a pattern in which one parent "pits a child against another," including repeated disparaging remarks and coercive behaviors that she said correlate with harms such as depression and anxiety in children.
Childs, who said she is a former deputy chief of staff and holds a doctorate focused on "ambiguous grief," told the committee the proposal…
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