OPINION:
The parent-child dynamic is one of the most sacrosanct relationships in human existence, yet it’s now one of the most targeted, vulnerable and susceptible associations.
For decades, conservatives have expressed fears that organizations such as Planned Parenthood, progressive activists and even some public school districts have worked to actively erode trust between parents and their kids.
Much of the consternation has surrounded condoms and other contraceptives being made available without parental consent. But amid absolute moral pandemonium, many parents find themselves in a Wild West more fiendish than they could have ever imagined.
Sadly, too many dismissed the warnings and downplayed the attrition of parental rights, likely having no idea that we would eventually have politicians and activists openly claiming that parents have no right to know what’s happening with their own minor children.
Make no mistake: There are many important issues in our nation today. However, one of the biggest litmus tests in this election cycle — one of the most essential rights — is parents’ freedom to raise their children without the government imposing its ever-debased tenets on the family.
California has again plunged itself into the ethical abyss, becoming the first state in the nation to empower school districts to lie to parents, withhold essential information and further inflict damage on the family structure.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1955 into law this month. The statute bans school districts from having policies that require parents to be notified about their own child’s gender identity or sexual orientation without permission from the child.
And in the spirit of “1984,” the language around the law has been beyond gasp-inspiring, with the politicians responsible heralding it as “lifesaving legislation” and claiming it will help transgender children who live in “unwelcoming households.”
The implication, of course, is that schools and educators know better than parents and that children should somehow be trusted to make life-altering decisions on their own.
Even as the law seeks to drive a wedge between parents and their children, Mr. Newsom’s team is selling a bizarre story devoid of facts — one in which the law will somehow protect and uphold the parent-child relationship even as bureaucrats blatantly take a jackhammer to it.
Brandon Richards, the governor’s spokesperson, said AB 1955 “helps keep children safe while protecting the critical role of parents.” And he wasn’t done there, offering yet another head-turning proclamation.
“It protects the child-parent relationship by preventing politicians and school staff from inappropriately intervening in family matters and attempting to control if, when and how families have deeply personal conversations,” Mr. Richards said.
This is the most overt example of doublespeak I’ve seen in some time, as the bill intentionally interferes with the family by obliterating trust, elevating juvenile inclinations and rendering the government a communications broker.
Under the guise of making schools a “respite,” the legislation tells children they can lie to their parents — and that the government will help facilitate their mistruths.
Beyond that, the ridiculous reality that California requires school districts to be dishonest with parents contradicts other policies currently in place.
My children attend school in New York, and when my daughter recently called me from the school nurse’s office to complain about an upset stomach, the nurse said I needed to drive to the school to give her an over-the-counter medication for relief.
When I asked why she couldn’t simply give my daughter the medicine, she informed me I would need to fill out a form giving permission for her to administer such drugs. California school districts have this same policy. For example, La Canada Unified School District in Los Angeles County details a strict medication policy on its website.
“No pupil shall be given medication, prescription or over-the-counter, during school hours except upon written request from the parent or guardian of the pupil and a licensed physician who has the responsibility for the medical management of the pupil,” a document reads.
Furthermore, a child under the age of 18 in California is forbidden from being tattooed regardless of whether parents consent.
So help me understand. When it comes to Pepto Bismol or Tylenol, parents retain “medical management” of their children, but if a student wants to begin socially transitioning – set on a path to forever change his or her body and being — somehow that pupil is free to deceitfully do so without their parents’ knowledge?
Somehow, as they say, “The math ain’t mathing.” It’s the very definition of the upside-down.
Mr. Newsom and other politicians in California seem to see their disturbing assault on parental rights as a step in the right direction. Instead, it’s exactly the type of toxic nonsense that is destroying the American family and harming our children.
This putrid absurdity should be a litmus test for every single politician in America. From local school board candidates all the way up to those vying for the presidency, their views on parental freedoms and rights matter.
Where politicians stand on legislation like this counts not just in the practical sense, but also from a constitutional and ideological vantage point. If the government believes it has the right to usurp parental control, which freedom will it come for next?
Americans must push back and refute AB 1955 and other policies like it, refuse to support candidates who advance such measures, and send a definitive and clear message that our children belong to us, not to government bureaucrats.
• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” He is the author of four books.
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