Dr. Phil went to Washington, D.C. to address members of the U.S. House of Representatives to make a case to overhaul the foster care system.

“Families in America are under attack. They’re under attack from drugs,” Dr. Phil told the Representatives. “If we are discussing a parent who is addicted to an opioid, we have to make a decision: do we take that child away and incarcerate that mother for using a drug illegally, or is there an alternative to try and rehabilitate that mother and keep this family unified.”

Dr. Phil went on to say that he adamantly believes that keeping a family unified should be the #1 objective in overhauling the system:

“To take a child away from that parent and place that child in foster care should be the last and bad alternative because it does nothing but put two people in the system with no path toward reunification,” Dr. Phil explained. “My goal is to keep them out of the system to begin with and if they’re in the system, to have a path to get them out of the system.”

To hear the full scope of his comments before the House of Representatives, check out the video at Dr. Phil’s website. At that site, there are also links to access if you wish to make your voice heard or if you wish to get involved in the effort.