In her weekly newsletter, Rep. Cynthia Davis, R-O-Fallon, says she will resubmit her Parents' Bill of Rights proposal during the 2009 legislative session. The text of her newsletter is printed below:
I have been doing some math lately and calculated that I have parented my children through:
Twenty-nine years of public school,
Thirty-six years of home school, and
Three years of private school.
Through this time, I have learned that the best decision for each child needs to be made each year depending on the child’s personality, family finances, logistics, state mandates, time commitments and more.
Our founding fathers had many debates about what should and should not be in the Constitution. The Bill of Rights articulates many items that now seem so obvious as to be unnecessary to put it into writing at the time, yet their foresight has acted as a guiding light and spared us many bad laws.
Last session I introduced a bill that would have put into state law the right of parents and guardians to direct the care, healthcare, teaching and education of their children. My bill was called the “Parents’ Bill of Rights.” It was a brief statement that these are natural and fundamental rights of parents and legal guardians. My bill passed onto another bill as an amendment, but the bill on which it was attached did not survive the last day of session. The debate was vigorous, yet ultimately the legislators had to decide whether they thought parents could be trusted to raise their children or not.
You might wonder why we would need to insert something as obvious as parental rights into state law. The State of Missouri has the right to terminate parental rights, yet there is no place in state law where we identify those rights. If we assume that parental rights and duties are common knowledge, we are risking the possibility they could be diminished, marginalized or eroded away one element at a time. A statute defining the obvious is more efficient than trying to undo the damage later by those who want to test the sovereignty and the jurisdiction of the family.
Parents have rights. Unless we have a bill that articulates what those rights are, there is no limit to the clashes that may be created that will disrespect and defy the rights of the family. Anytime we can reinforce personal responsibility and parental involvement, we are strengthening our families and reducing dependency on our government. We may also be eliminating some confusion that judges experience when attempting to interpret our laws and our state constitution.
Parenting is not easy. When you have small children, they spit up on you and mess their diapers. When they get older, they may sass you, embarrass you, and engage in debates when you just want simple obedience. On top of all that, the culture used to support the family unit to a greater extent that it does now. The tax burden on each family, adjusted for inflation, is considerably higher than it was many years ago.
Today many feel like both parents must join the outside workforce just to earn enough money to pay taxes to support the governmental institutions that are doing our parenting jobs for us. Ask your school teachers how they feel about the additional tasks they must perform to make up for the voids at home. Many schools feel like they must offer extra help with homework, provide emotional counseling and offer breakfast. In the past, these tasks have been up to the parents. However, no institution can be a substitute for parents.
The best part about living in this country is the freedom we enjoy to live our lives according to our own consciences. The fruit of liberty allows us as parents to make our own decisions about how to raise our children. I am committed to continuing the effort to assure that parents maintain their rights in the State of Missouri.
No comments:
Post a Comment