Governments are Actually Taking Kids from Parents!

We are reaching a tipping point in our society where parents may no longer be allowed to actually parent their own children. The sacred bond between parent and child is being undermined like never before by a radical liberal ideology that seeks to make the government in Virginia, and abroad, the supreme authority over children instead of parents.

According a story out of Australia, “[a] teenager has been taken into care in Australia’s first known case of parents being judged abusive and potentially harmful for failing to consent to their child’s self-declared transgender identity and wish for irreversible cross-sex hormone treatment.”  The government has determined that withholding testosterone treatment from the child is causing mental abuse, making it too dangerous for the child to return home. 

Here’s the precedent the Australian government is setting: parents must either consent to irreversible hormone treatment that alters the physical appearance of their child forever, or risk losing custody of their child.

Why should parents in Virginia be concerned about this Australian story?

To begin, this kind of policy has already been tested in Virginia.  During the regular 2020 General Assembly session, we were deeply concerned about a bill (HB 580) that was introduced that would have redefined “child abuse and neglect” to include any “mental harm inflicted by a parent due to a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity.”  The bill ultimately failed, but had it passed, a parent who did not affirm their child’s homosexual feelings or “transgender” identity could potentially have their child removed from their home by the Virginia Department of Social Services.        

While the bill failed earlier this year, its mere introduction is a harbinger of the sharp attack on parental rights that’s likely to take place in the upcoming Virginia legislative session.  A policy like this would have a crushing effect on parental rights, making it very difficult for a parent to guide their child away from behavior they know will be harmful.

Parents should also pay close attention to this story because the child was removed from the home by police after discussing suicide online, without their parents’ knowledge.  It’s very likely that the child used an anonymous text line like the BrdsNBz sex text hotline, managed by the Virginia Department of Health, to make disturbing comments that ultimately caused the Australian courts to remove the child from the home.

This is why we are urging lawmakers in Virginia to pass legislation during the 2021 General Assembly session that will prohibit the government, and any organization it contracts with, from initiating conversations with children about health-related information, such as abortion, sex, relationships, and sexual identity, without a parent’s knowledge and consent.

We believe that parents – not politicians, unelected bureaucrats, or schools – have the distinct privilege and responsibly to care for their children and to direct their health and education.  And parents should be able to do this without government institutions or third parties invading that special relationship between parents and their children. When the legislation is officially introduced, we will be sure to let you know so you can follow it.