War On Parents: The ACLU’s Fight Against Parental Rights

Blog Articles · May 2, 2023 · Healthcare

Parental rights are under siege by the left, and the ACLU is leading the way.

A PDF version of this document can be downloaded here.

ATTACK ON PARENTAL RIGHTS

  • The ACLU is waging a war on parental rights, aiming to keep parents out of decisions about their child’s wellbeing.
  • For years, the ACLU has been opposing parental consent laws on abortion, working to allow minors to access abortions secretly without parental involvement.
  • Now, the ACLU is continuing their push to undermine parental rights by opposing parental consent even for gender-mutilating surgeries.
  • The ACLU has advanced its radical agenda in our nation’s schools, hoping to cut parents out of any decision making.
  • Parents have a fundamental right to protect the welfare of their child, despite what the ACLU may think.

RADICAL OPPOSITION TO PARENTAL CONSENT

  • If the ACLU had their way, children nationwide would be able to choose to undergo an abortion or gender-mutilating surgery without any parental knowledge or consent.
  • The ACLU is backing a radical pro-abortion initiative in Ohio that could end parental consent on abortion and gender-mutilating surgeries.
    • The Ohio proposal includes such overly broad language that it could end parental consent even for harmful gender-mutilating surgeries.
    • The ACLU itself has openly admitted that their proposal could end parental consent in Ohio. Referring to existing laws on parental consent, ACLU of Ohio attorney Jessie Hill stated the initiative “would mean that laws that conflict with it cannot be enforced, should not be enforced.”
    • Some courts across the country have already interpreted language similar to what has been proposed in Ohio to strike down parental notification and consent laws.
  • The ACLU is campaigning for a constitutional amendment in Oregon that would enable children to secretly get an abortion without parental knowledge.
  • This is far from the first time the ACLU has tried to undercut the rights of parents. The group has dedicated itself to opposing parental consent laws on abortion.
    • On its website, the ACLU specifically calls out “laws restricting teenagers’ access to abortion.”
  • In 2016, the ACLU fought to overturn parental notification laws in Alaska, siding with Planned Parenthood in a lawsuit against the state.
  • In 2017, the ACLU claimed that parental consent laws in Indiana created an “unconstitutional undue burden.”

ACLU PUSHING WOKE AGENDA IN SCHOOLS

  • The ACLU has waged a long-running war against parents and their right to oversee the wellbeing of their children.
  • The group has opposed school transparency laws, which help parents stay informed on what their child is learning in school.
    • The ACLU is trying to hide simple instructional materials from parents, such as books, articles, and videos, claiming transparency rules would prevent students from “learning and talking about race and gender in schools.”
  • The ACLU recently argued in New Hampshire that parents lose the right to parent their child once they enter a public school.
    • The case began after a mother discovered a New Hampshire school district had been secretly helping her child transition.
    • The ACLU believes school districts have the right to hide critical information from parents, saying schools must “control the learning environment” for students.
  • In Wyoming, the ACLU is fighting against a bill that would prohibit instructing young children, such as kindergarteners, about sexual orientation and gender identity.
    • The ACLU claims the bill is a “dangerous” form of censorship, stating that these young children “should not have to hide their identities” in school.
  • The ACLU has fought to make it easier for teachers or school administrators to secretly transition a child’s gender without telling the parents.

THE ACLU IS PUTTING CHILDREN AT RISK

  • The ACLU is pushing dangerous experimental medical procedures for minors, including gender-mutilating surgeries and puberty blockers, under the guise of “gender-affirming health care.”
  • In Missouri, the ACLU is suing to block new regulations implementing basic safeguards to protect minors from being given puberty-blocking drugs, hormones, or surgeries.
    • The ACLU has called these regulations a “baseless and discriminatory attempt to limit the healthcare options for transgender individuals.”
  • In Tennessee, the ACLU is backing a lawsuit that would open the door to “gender-affirming” drugs, hormones, and surgeries for young children.

As states across the country continue to realize the dangers of these medical interventions, the ACLU is planning further legal actions in states such as Indiana, Kentucky, and Idaho.