This Is A Sponsored Message From AEN

Friend,

I’d like to share with you a deeply horrific experience that happened to Matthew Hernandez and his family. 

It’s a story of government abuse.

“I’ll never forgive this state,” said Matthew Hernandez. “It’s an empty house without our children.”

Matthew, his wife Wilairiat, and their two kids, Emma and Arya, had gone to the hospital at their pediatrician’s recommendation to get a closer look at Emma’s leg, which needed an X-ray to be properly diagnosed.

They never imagined what would happen next.

The hospital called the police and the Georgia Department of Children and Families (DFCS), alleging parental abuse.

Wilairiat alleges that the police officers who arrived interrogated her without reading her rights, then took her children. Those officers and a judge forbade Matthew and Wilairiat from seeing their children until the alleged child abuse could be confirmed or denied.

For over two years, Emma and Arya were not allowed to go home and were stuck in foster care.

Matthew says that state officials have lied, abused their power, made outlandish legal arguments, and acted against the best interest of these young children - and that the battle has cost his family over $100,000 and immeasurable emotional distress.

Though mandated reporting was created with the best of intentions, Department of Children and Families employees in states across the country have been found to have neglected, exploited, raped, lost, and trafficked the children they were charged with protecting, among many other abuses.

“We hope to raise awareness,” Matthew told us. 

That’s why I’m emailing you today. 

I am humbly asking for your immediate support today to help Respect America share stories of government coercion, theft, and violence, like the one the Hernandez family experienced. 

Can you generously donate $250, $100, $50, $35, or even $10 today to create a better and freer world for all of us? 
 

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Not all of the abuses Respect America highlights have happy endings.

But I’m thrilled to say this one does!

On May 23, 2025, a jury found Matthew and Wilairiat Hernandez not guilty of all charges. 

The high-profile nature of the case, which received national attention, is credited with helping pass Ridge’s Law, which will allow parents to seek independent medical evaluations in suspected child abuse cases.

This is why Respect America exists. 

We document, through video testimonies and written articles, these horrifying experiences of coercion, theft, and violence by the government. Our goal is to create a culture of respect and flourishing for a freer and happier America. 

Please donate any amount below to help us share more stories of people harmed by government coercion.
 

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Together, you and I can create a culture of Human Respect to build a flourishing and more harmonious America. 

Thank you,


Hannah Henriksen

P.S. Here’s a photo of Matthew Hernandez and his family. Your support today will help us amplify their story for others to hear. Please donate $10 or more today to help us create a flourishing America.
 

Respect America Foundation is a Section 501(c) (3) charitable organization. Our EIN is: 86-4617492. No goods or services were provided in exchange for your contribution.