Against her father’s wishes, a 12-year-old Canadian girl posted photos of herself on a dating service website. So he banned her from using the Internet. Then she had a fight with her stepmother. So he said she could not go on a school camping trip. But not accepting the punishment, the girl took her father to court—and won. A judged ruled that her father’s actions were excessive and forced him to let her go on the trip.1 Evangelical commentator Albert Mohler summarized the situation aptly: “This judge needs to be grounded and sent to her room … In posting pictures of herself on the Internet—on a dating site, for crying out loud—[the girl] defied her father and his authority.”2

Over the past two decades, nations have eroded the authority of parents and defined the Fifth Commandment as a violation of child liberties. The matter rose to prominence when 12-year-old Gregory Kingsley divorced his parents in a Florida court. Though an appellate court later ruled he had no legal standing to divorce his mother and father, the trend had already begun.3

Of course, sometimes children do need to be removed from unfit or abusive parents. But in such cases, the decision should be made by a wise adult authority rather than the child. And under normal circumstances, parents should have the final word in their child’s life. Yet increasingly governments are disregarding this fundamental axiom. For example, in the American South parents of a 13-year-old were denied access to their son’s medical records unless the son granted permission.4 In the North, a husband and wife were banned from having a neighbor watch their kids for an hour each morning because she was not licensed to run a daycare center.5 And in 15 states, minors may have an abortion without parental consent, although often they are not allowed to take aspirin at school without permission from their parents.6

The selective erosion of parental rights became a global phenomenon when the United Nations attempted to codify it in a treaty. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child seeks to guarantee healthcare, education, and protection to every child. However, the United States has yet to ratify the 20-year-old treaty because it would enable governments and international bureaucrats to interfere with parental authority.7 For instance, courts in a nation that ratifies the treaty may prohibit spanking and empower minors to have abortions without parental consent.8 Some warn that ratification would give a UN committee ultimate say over issues like sex education and family planning.9

The treaty has motivated some American critics to propose a parental rights amendment to the U.S. Constitution declaring, “The liberty of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children is a fundamental right.”10 Naturally, parental liberty is not an absolute right and may be removed in cases of maltreatment or neglect. Still, it should be the general rule.

The common denominator in all these cases is a misunderstanding of guardianship. For in God’s economy, parental authority is a loving guide to maturity rather than a bondage to be broken. In fact, true bondage occurs when secular states and unchecked adolescent egos are allowed to imprison children outside the reach of familial care.
 
Footnotes:
 
1  Tu Thanh Ha, “Father Doesn’t Know Best, Court Rules in Girl’s Fight to Get Grounding Overruled,” Globe and Mail Website, June 19, 2008, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article692428.ece (accessed March 15, 2010).
 
2  R. Albert Mohler Jr., “Another Chilling Precedent—A Court Undermines a Parent,” June 20, 2008, Albert Mohler Website, http://www.albertmohler.com/2008/06/20/another-chilling-precedent-a-court-undermines-a-parent-2/ (accessed March 15, 2010).
 
3  Anthony DePalma, “Court Grants Boy Wish to Select His Parents,” New York Times Website, September 26, 1992, http://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/26/us/court-grants-boy-wish-to-select-his-parents.html?pagewanted=1&pagewanted=print (accessed March 15, 2010).
 
4  Bob Unruh, “Parental Rights Already Being Lost,” World Net Daily Website, April 28, 2009, www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=96022 (accessed March 15, 2010).
 
5  Annina Bergman, “Government Babysitting Interference Annoys Mothers,” Now Public Website, September 30, 2009, http://www.nowpublic.com/health/government-babysitting-interference-annoys-mothers (accessed March 15, 2010).
 
6  “Parental Consent/Notification for Teen Abortions: Introduction,” Religious Tolerance Website, http://www.religioustolerance.org/abo_pare1.htm (accessed March 15, 2010).
 
7  David Crary, “US Wants to Add Parental Rights Amendment to UN Children’s Rights Treaty,” CNSNews.com, April 29, 2009, http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/47368 (accessed March 15, 2010).
 
8  Ibid.
 
9  Mark Hartwig, “Trumping Parents’ Rights,” Issues and Views Website, August 20, 2001, http://www.issues-views.com/index.php/sect/24000/article/24006 (accessed March 15, 2010).
 
10  Crary.
 
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article from Karios Journal

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