The Left is Attacking Parents’ Rights

Parental rights come from God, not the government

The rights of parents are under attack by the Biden administration.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona refused to say during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions that parents are the “primary stakeholders” in their child’s education.

Infringing on the rights of parents is a concerning and growing trend among Democrats.

For example, during a budget reconciliation markup meeting Rep. John Yarmuth said, “[W]e need to protect kids from their parents.” This was in response to Rep. Mary Miller’s proposal that schools must obtain a parent’s consent before vaccinating their child. Some Democrats vehemently opposed the amendment, going so far as to say that giving a parent the right to make medical decisions for their own children is “nonsensical.”

These remarks are completely beyond the pale. It’s clear that instead of supporting the rights of parents, Democrats are actively working to undermine them. The left’s growing embrace of a statist and paternalistic ideology is a major threat to the liberty and self-government Americans hold dear.

Just last week, Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe said, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” He defended his veto of a bill in 2016 that would have given parents the power to block sexually explicit books in schools. As his reason, he said he doesn’t believe parents have the right to “veto books.”

What are Democrats trying to hide from parents?

From sexually explicit material to neo-Marxist Critical Race Theory (CRT) curriculum, the answer can be quite disturbing. Reports of sexually explicit material being found in K-12 classrooms are growing. In August 2021 a seventh-grade teacher in Olathe, Kansas posted images of two books in her classroom library, including two young adult books with extremely explicit sexual content. Meanwhile, in Hudson, Ohio, Mayor Craig Shubert called for the resignation of every school board member after high school seniors were assigned explicit writing assignments where they were asked to pretend they were serial killers and describe their sexual experiences. In Falls Church, Virginia, a book with illustrations of sexual encounters involving children was recently found in school libraries.

Exposing our children to this garbage is the left’s definition of protecting our children. They are clearly unfit for the job.

On top of gender identity propaganda and sexually explicit material, the left has also attempted to push CRT curriculum on schools across the nation. The 1619 Project curriculum, which teaches that America was founded on racism instead of freedom and equality, is already being used in at least 4,500 schools. Parents across the nation have been waging a war against CRT at the local level. This isn’t just another fight over curriculum; this is a fight for the future of our children and the next generation.

Someone needs to tell the Biden administration that parents are not just surrogates for the state. Our children do not belong to the federal government; they belong to their parents. If there was ever a hill to die on, if there was ever a place to take a stand — this is it. Parents’ rights to raise their children as they see fit is a fundamental right that comes from God, not government.