WASHINGTON (BP) — A Republican-led bill looks to seize on the momentum for legislation designed to protect parents’ rights in the upbringing of their children.
The Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act (S.204) was filed Jan. 23 and is sponsored by Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C. Co-sponsors are Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., and John Barrasso, R-Wyo. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-Va., sponsored the corresponding bill H.R. 650 in the House.
The legislation seeks “to protect the right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children as a fundamental right.” Each bill has been referred to its respective judiciary committee.
“I will always fight to put parents back in the driver’s seat and ensure they remain the lead decision maker in their child’s life,” said Scott. “I’m proud to introduce the Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act to protect the role of parents at home and in the classroom.”
On Jan. 8, Ohio became the 23rd state to adopt a Parents Bill of Rights that, like others, generally aims to protect parents’ involvement in their children’s education. Some individual school districts have adopted similar stances in states that do not have such a statute.
Opponents have criticized the legislation calling them “Don’t Say Gay” bills. The Ohio law, for instance, allows parents to review “sexuality content” and opt their child out. The definition of such content includes “instruction of sexual concepts or gender ideology” and specifically prohibits such content for children in kindergarten through third grade. Parents are also to be notified of any request by their child to identify as a different gender.
House Republicans passed a Parents Bill of Rights in March 2023, but it failed in the Democrat-majority Senate.
“The relationship between parent and child, whether biological or legal, is a unique bond in society,” the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) said in a white paper on the topic. “There is a dual duty of children to obey parents — so long as parents do not command sin — and of parents to provide and care for their children both physically and spiritually.
“Parents are to be the primary teachers of ‘spiritual and moral values’ and, by their example and discipline, encourage their children to make choices based on biblical teaching.”
Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Matt Sharp commended the congressional legislation.
“Parents know and love their child best, and they have the right and duty to direct the upbringing and care of their children,” he said. “Yet parental rights have been eroded by government actions that view children as the property of the state and that exclude parents from critical educational and health care decisions. Federal courts are not as protective of families as they should be with some courts treating parental rights as a second-tier right.
“The Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act restrains federal government overreach by reaffirming the role of parents to guide the upbringing, education and health care of their children. It also requires federal courts to safeguard parental rights with the same level of protection afforded other fundamental rights, like free speech and religion.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE — Scott Barkley is chief national correspondent for Baptist Press.)
