Lankford Keeps Parents in Charge of What’s Best for Their Kids, Not the Government

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Tim Scott (R-SC) along with House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) introduced the Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act, which affirms parents have a fundamental right to control the upbringing of their children.

“Moms and dads have the right—and responsibility—to determine what’s best for their kids. Good parents should not live in fear of their own government every day. Whenever parental rights are threatened by federal government overreach, families deserve a fair hearing before a court. The Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act preserves the rights of parents and restricts government overreach into our homes and families,” said Lankford. 

“Parents have a fundamental right to control the upbringing of their child, whether it’s in the classroom or at home,” said Scott. “Yet, far too often, parents are being pushed out of their child’s lives, and kids are paying the price. I’m fighting to put parents back in the driver’s seat and ensure they remain the lead decision maker in their child’s life.”

“In America today, the rights of millions of parents are under siege—this moment calls for a targeted course correction so that these proud men and women can raise their children without government infringement,” said Foxx. “The Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act serves not only as a reinforced bulwark for parental rights, but also as a fundamental check against the government whenever it decides to enforce policies that fail to extend due deference to parental decision-making. I am immensely proud to introduce this legislation alongside Senators Scott and Lankford to further safeguard the rights of parents.”

Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), John Barrasso (R-WY), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), John Kennedy (R-LA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Mike Braun (R-IN), and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) cosponsored the bill.

Lankford’s bill aims to protect parents’ rights to direct their children’s upbringing. The bill prevents the federal government from infringing on the fundamental right of parents to raise their kids allows parents to use the violation of this right in judicial or administration proceedings on the federal and state levels.  

Lankford remains a strong parental rights advocate who has stood up numerous times to the Biden Administration when they’ve tried to push parents out of the decision-making process for what’s best for their kids. He stood firmly for parental rights and school choice when he called for the Senate to immediately pass his resolution to support parents having the freedom to choose the best educational environment for their kids and remain in control of whether or not they want their children exposed to “woke” ideologies at school, including Critical Race Theory and others. Democrats blocked the Senate from unanimously standing up for American parents. 

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