ADF to 9th Circuit: Protect parents' right to direct upbringing of their children

The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Kate Anderson, director of the ADF Center for Parental Rights, regarding a friend-of-the-court brief ADF attorneys filed Monday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit on behalf of The Justice Foundation in Regino v. Staley supporting the right of parents to make decisions about how their children are raised:

“Parents have a fundamental right to direct the upbringing, care, and education of their children. Chico Unified School District administrators violated this right when they began to treat an 11-year-old girl as a boy, directing employees to use a different name and male pronouns—without even telling her mother, Aurora Regino. When schools keep important information secret, parents like Ms. Regino can’t decide what’s best for their children, including how best to address their mental health needs. The decision to intervene in a child’s mental healthcare should never be made behind her parents’ backs. In Ms. Regino’s case, the lower court failed to recognize this nation’s long history and tradition supporting parents’ right to make decisions about—and thus to be informed about—their children’s mental health and education. The state should not be allowed to keep parents in the dark about their children’s wellbeing. We urge the 9th Circuit to reverse the lower court’s decision for its failure to respect parents’ constitutionally protected freedom to make the best decisions for their own kids.”

Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.

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