Both bills are slowly working their way through the legislative process. It didn't take Largent and Grassley long to begin drafting such a bill. After the Christian Coalition's endorsement, it is understandable that Gary Bauer's Family Research Council and James Dobson's Focus on the Family have urged the passage of this bill. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, recently published a 27-page study to prove that the bill needs to be passed to protect the right of parents to raise their children without government interference. Supporters of the bill point to numerous examples where state legislatures, courts, school boards, librarians, mental health professionals, and social service agencies have violated the rights of parents.
Parental rights are under assault across the nation, supporters claim.
While the sentiment of the bill is laudable, the actual language of the bill undermines legitimate government interest in protecting children. People for the American Way, a nonpartisan, constitutional liberties organization, is leading a coalition of nearly 70 national organizations to inform the public about serious problems contained in the parental rights bill. The broad language of PRRA would allow parents to challenge child protective services investigations in federal court and get a court order to halt such investigations. Child protection agencies must have the right to investigate reports of abuse or neglect. Yes, there have been abuses of power by social service and child protection agencies.