U.S. Senate Photographic Studio-Renee Bouchard / Wikimedia Commons (Left), US House of Representatives / Wikimedia Commons (Right)
CV NEWS FEED // Republican lawmakers this week introduced a bill protecting the rights of parents against governmental infringement.
The Daily Signal reports that The Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act asserts that parents have the fundamental right to direct their children’s health care, education, and upbringing.
The bill asserts that the federal government must not burden that right without first passing a strict legal scrutiny test, which is the highest level of review a court can use to decide whether a government action is constitutional. The Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act was first introduced to the 118th Congress in 2024.
Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) introduced the bill in the Senate, and Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) introduced it in the the House of Representatives.
“Parents have a fundamental right to control the upbringing of their child, whether it’s in the classroom or at home,” Scott told the Signal. “Yet, far too often, parents are being pushed out of their child’s lives, and kids are paying the price. 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.”
Foxx added, “Parents deserve to raise their children without the looming threat of government infringement. The Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act will shield parental rights while instituting a necessary, fundamental check against the government whenever it decides to enforce policies that fail to extend due deference to parental decision-making.”
The Daily Signal states that approximately 20 states have passed similar legislation. However, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) Senior Counsel Matt Sharp told the outlet that the bill is essential in guaranteeing parental rights.
Sharp wrote in a statement that the bill “requires federal courts to safeguard parental rights with the same level of protection afforded other fundamental rights, like free speech and religion.”
He continued, “ADF applauds Sens. Scott and Lankford and Rep. Foxx for stepping into the gap to protect the parent-child relationship that forms the bedrock of our society. The government should never intrude on parenting choices just because it disagrees with the parents’ viewpoints. Now and always, it’s parents who know their children best, not the government.”
The news comes in the wake of a growing movement for parental rights that ignited amid a series of controversial restrictions implemented in response to COVID-19. As CatholicVote previously reported, then-Attorney General Merrick Garland faced tough questions on the restrictions when he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2023.
