Republicans introduce bill that aims to protect parental rights

Republicans in the House and Senate introduced a bill Thursday called the Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act, upping the fight over parental rights.

The goal of bill is to apply the strict scrutiny test to protect parental rights when it comes to government actions that affect parents’ “fundamental right to direct the upbringing, education, and health care of their children.”

The legislation would also allow parents to bring legal action at the federal or state level if they believe a violation of their rights is occurring.

The bill was introduced in the Senate by Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and James Lankford (R-Okla.), and in the House by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

“Parents have a fundamental right to control the upbringing of their child, whether it’s in the classroom or at home,” Scott said. “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.”

The lawmakers used examples from the last administration they believed violated parental rights such as “proposed Title IX regulations [that] would have allowed the federal government to require schools to treat boys as girls, and vice versa, without informing parents.”

This will be the second attempt to enact such measures after Republicans passed a Parental Bill of Rights in 2023 in the House. The bill failed in the Democrat-led Senate.

Republicans now control the House and the Senate, giving the bill better odds, but the margins are slim.

“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,” Foxx said.

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