Senate Minutes: The Parents Bill of Rights

Imagine you were the parent of a beautiful daughter. When she began suffering a host of debilitating symptoms, you take her to a reputable doctor—his prognosis is mitochondrial disease, and he continues to treat her for a few years, but when symptoms worsen, he advises you to take her to a children’s hospital for more specialized care. 

You follow his advice, but instead of getting tests with the type of specialist your doctor has recommended, the hospital decides the symptoms are all in your child’s head, and that you as a parent are guilty of child abuse because of your continual medical intervention.  They refuse to treat ever-worsening physical symptoms and instead recommend mental health treatment.  Even more devastating, when you disagree with their diagnosis and try to fight the hospital, they go to court seeking to end your parental rights. 

Parents should have the right to get a second medical opinion, right?  No, the court tells you that as a parent, you have no rights, and no longer have any say in your daughter’s healthcare or even where she will live.  You no longer have the right to see her when you want to, or even take a picture of her to document her declining physical condition—no rights at all.

Sounds like a nightmare, doesn’t it?   Shockingly, this is a true case that’s going on now in the state of Massachusetts.  The teen’s name is Justina Peltier, and Boston’s Children’s hospital has successfully convinced the courts to terminate her parents’ rights.  That same hospital has reportedly had five similar custody cases in the past.

The more you read about this case the more shocking it becomes. There are many news sources that have carried the story—it isn’t just a lone blogger or fringe newspaper.  The story has been reported on by local and national news media, including the networks.   But there are other examples from around the country of courts or government officials deciding they know better than parents as to how their children should be raised. 

These cases prompted me to be the Senate author of legislation called “The Parents Bill of Rights.”  This simply seeks to ensure the ability of parents to decide how to bring up their children, including decisions on education, religion, health and mental health care.  Parents should be given access to review all records related to their children.  Written permission should have to be obtained by parents before any record of a child’s blood or DNA is created, stored, or shared.  With the exception of school security or surveillance, written permission before videos or voice recordings should be required.  Parents should be notified if there is a suspicion that their child has been the victim of a crime.  Parents should also be given information about a Child Protective Services investigation involving their child.

I absolutely do not condone any conduct by a parent or guardian that is unlawful—in cases of physical or sexual abuse or neglect, children must be protected and those responsible held accountable.  The Parents Bill of Rights is simply aimed at protecting the basic, fundamental rights of parents to raise their children as they see fit—a right that has been recognized since long before this great nation was founded, but which is now being increasingly challenged by outside parties.  Standing up for the rights of parents to raise their children is the right thing to do.

Please feel free to contact my Capitol office with any questions or concerns you may have at 405.521.5628 or at griffin@oksenate.gov