Victory in Arizona!
Governor Hobbs has signed SB 1372
There was some suspense since most of the opposition was coming from her own party, but Arizona Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs signed SB 1372 into law earlier this week.
Arizona joins a growing list of states including California and Colorado to ban the brutal practice of reunification therapy.
Om’s Law in Utah would significantly limit it as well.
Reunification therapy is a brutal practice where children are taken by force transported by strangers, often across state lines, housed in a hotel with strangers. Then, they are forced to endure days of psychobabble from quacks who try and convince them that their abusive parent loves them, and their loving parent is putting thought so abuse in their heads.
Check out my interview with Tori Nielsen, as she described her experience with the reunification camp, Family Bridges.
Besides passing the law, the Arizona legislature held two hearings where parents and the kids forced into the camps testified about the brutality of the experience.
Besides Tori, both David Segui and Shebli Geegieh testified in these hearings. I have previously done stories on their experiences.
David’s son, Shai, has also filed his intention to sue those involved in forcing him into reunification therapy.
The son of former Major League Baseball player David Segui is taking steps for possible legal action against the state of Arizona - for forcing him into counseling with his mother that he accused of abuse.Â
Shai Segui, 18, submitted a notice of claim - a move which precedes a lawsuit - and alleged that he suffered $30 million in damages after the Maricopa County Superior Court ordered him and his brother to attend a family reunification camp in California.
In 2020, after a lengthy custody battle between their parents, Shai, who was a minor at the time, and his younger brother, Brock, were placed by the Arizona court in their mother's care until further notice.
Shai and Brock lived with their mother, Donna Moniz - who allegedly had the boys 'co-sleep naked with her until the age of 10' - and she enrolled them in Family Bridges, a controversial family reunification program that addresses 'parental alienation,' an unsubstantiated psychological theory.
Before the judge issued his ruling, David Segui, with whom the children enjoyed a good relationship, had full custody. The court order forbid Segui from contacting his boys for no less than 90 days. The order was ultimately in place for a year and half, according to court documents.
Worried that he would never see his children again, Segui fought back, and in May 2022, he filed to remove Family Bridges and to reestablish his parenting time. In February, Segui's efforts bore fruit, and he and Moniz were awarded joint legal custody. The children are reportedly happy since being reunited with their father and have only seen their mother twice since last summer.Â
I predict that within five years every state will ban this brutal so-called therapy.
