The new "parental rights" crusade - by the religious right

Last, year, the Christian Coalition and many religious-right supporters began calling for laws and constitutional amendments guaranteeing "parental rights" so that parents could raise their children without governmental interference. It was one of the planks in the Christian Coalitions "Contract with the American Family" At the federal level, this resulted in the introduction of Senate Bill 984 ("The Parental Rights and Responsibilities Act of 1995") by Senator Charles Grassley (Republican--Iowa). There the bill has remained bottled up in committee. To break the bottleneck, Majority Leader Bob Dole and others urged an amendment that now provides an exception for demonstrable child abuse or neglect--a feature painfully absent from some state bills, which read simply: "The right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children shall not be infringed."

Furthermore, according to the New York Times of January 15, 1996, many of the federal amendment's supporters hold that the wording permits, for example, corporal punishment using a leather strap but would not allow "serious" child abuse for which other laws apply. On January 14, Virginia Governor George Allen threw his support behind a state constitutional amendment that lacks even that caveat, declaring in defense: "Parents have good sense. They'll do what's right"

Most observers--supporters and critics alike--also interpret "parental rights" laws to mean that parents would have complete control over the content of public-school curricula, testing, and so forth, thus usurping the existing authority of teachers, school boards, and state and federal policymaking bodies. In dozens of states, this new formulation of a long-standing conservative cultural goal-disempowering "government schools and bureaucrats"-has become the Christian Coalition's current major effort toward legislating the content of public education. Not surprisingly, groups espousing creationism have backed the concept and, with Governor Allen's support, the campaign may be emerging from what the Times considers a kind of religious ghetto. Allen, however, has long advocated a broad list of Christian Coalition agenda items.

One difficulty for opponents is that they may sound silly objecting to "parental rights"--until the potential problems are clearly spelled out. This requires educating the public to the risk that, for example, such legislation could become a near hunting license for critics of teachers unions and public schools and could thereby potentially escalate an already persistent urge on the part of many teachers to avoid entering "controversial" territory, such as evolution education, sex education, psychological testing, and the like.

In addition to the Christian Coalition, prime sponsors of the effort include the Virginia-based Of the People, Michael Farris' Home-School Legal Defense Association, and American Legislative Exchange, a D.C.-based free-enterprise advocacy group. The tactic differs from state to state, with some advocates choosing legislation and others going for constitutional amendments or popular referenda. However, the movement is advancing in a number of places, including Kansas, Illinois, North Carolina, and Washington State--although Virginia is the first to garner a governor's leadership for the crusade.

If you encounter such a call for "parental rights" in your community or discover it in local news coverage, please share the information with the American Humanist Association, P.O. Box 1188, Amherst, NY 14226-7188; (716) 839-5080. This is one of those developments that humanists need to watch as closely as possible and be ready to take action on wherever necessary.

COPYRIGHT 1996 American Humanist Association
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