Senators to Introduce Legislation Protecting Parental and Families’ Rights

Senators Tim Scott and James Lankford are set to bring forward legislation in the U.S. Senate to protect the rights of parents and families.

The soon-to-be-introduced 11-page “Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act” (the Act) says that Congress affirms that “the nature of the parent-child relationship endows parents with the primary responsibilities and obligation to care for their child.”

“From these responsibilities and obligations comes the pre-political, natural right of parents to care for their children,” the legislation states.

The Act notes that some Federal courts have failed to uphold the right of parents to direct the upbringing, education and health care of their children.

“The liberty of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and health care of their children is a fundamental right,” the Act states. Therefore, the Act declares,

Government shall not substantially burden the fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and health care of their children without demonstrating that the infringement is required by a compelling government interest of the highest order as applied to the parent and the child and is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.

The legislation is scheduled to be introduced early in the near year on January 10, 2024, with the support of numerous conservatives and pro-family organizations.

In the past several years, we have witnessed an all-out assault on parental and families’ rights by various local, state and national government entities.

Numerous school districts have injected inappropriate and sexually explicit material into schoolchildren’s curriculum and libraries. California passed a bill that allows courts to take away parents’ rights if their child comes to the state for transgender medical interventions. Biological men have been allowed to compete against and beat (metaphorically and physically) girls and women in female athletics. And the U.S. Department of Justice requested the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) scrutinize parents who spoke out at school board meetings against radical ideologies like transgenderism and critical race theory (CRT).

The “Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act” aims to address these grave problems within our country by ensuring that the federal government respects and restores parental rights.

Sens. Scott and Lankford should be commended for their valiant pro-family efforts.

To help parents navigate their child’s public school, Focus on the Family has created a free resource, Back to School for Parents: A busy parent’s guide to what’s happening in your children’s classrooms and practical steps you can take to protect them.

The resource can help you stay informed with happenings in your child’s school. It also makes suggestions on how to respectfully advocate on behalf of your child and gives guidance on how to discuss difficult topics with them.

You can download a free copy of this resource by clicking here.

Related articles and resources:

Back to School for Parents: A busy parent’s guide to what’s happening in your children’s classrooms and practical steps you can take to protect them.

House of Representatives Passes Parents Bill of Rights

Congressmen Introduce ‘Parents Bill of Rights’

Focus on the Family Resources: Homeschooling

Discovering the Best Ways to Educate Your Child

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