{"id":27250,"date":"2025-04-22T11:09:39","date_gmt":"2025-04-22T15:09:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=27250"},"modified":"2025-04-22T11:09:39","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T15:09:39","slug":"parents-know-and-love-their-child-best-west-virginia-enacts-parents-bill-of-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2025\/04\/parents-know-and-love-their-child-best-west-virginia-enacts-parents-bill-of-rights","title":{"rendered":"\u201cParents know and love their child best\u2026\u201d West Virginia Enacts Parents\u2019 Bill of Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"
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West Virginia governor Patrick Morrisey signed a \u201cParents\u2019 Bill of Rights\u201d into law on Monday, joining twenty other states in passing similar legislation. House Bill 2129<\/a> codifies into law \u00a0rights \u201creserved to the parent of a minor child in this state without obstruction or interference from the state, any of its political subdivisions, any other governmental entity, or any other state institution.\u201d \u00a0Certain rights attributed to parents include the right for parents to morally bring up and educate their children and to make most healthcare decisions for their children. The measure passed 87-9 in the House and 31-1 in the Senate along mostly party lines with Republicans voting for and most Democrats voting against.<\/p>\n

Jordan Carpenter, legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, praised<\/a> the new legislation. \u201cParents love and know their child best, and they have the right and duty to direct the upbringing and care of their children. In no world should the government intrude on parenting choices just because it disagrees with the parents,\u201d he said. \u201cThe West Virginia Parents\u2019 Bill of Rights ensures parents remain free to guide the upbringing, education, and health care of their children without undue government interference. ADF commends Gov. Morrisey and Delegate Jim Butler for their leadership on this legislation and for joining the 19 other states with laws that protect the parent-child relationship that forms the bedrock of our society.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bill particularly focused on healthcare, which has become a lightning rod of controversy as conservatives push back against transgender ideology and as parents battle with schools over using preferred pronouns without notifying them. Such cases have been brought to light by Republicans in particular, including cases where parents lost parental rights for not using preferred pronouns. The bill does not cover parents seeking gender affirming care for their children or so-called gender-reassignment surgeries, which were banned in the state in 2023. It also would not apply to abortion, which is accessible for minors up to 14 weeks. The bill permits parents who feel their rights are being infringed upon to file an injunction against the offending party. There are also limitations in place to prevent parental abuse. Other bills signed into law included Senate Bill 456, which defined \u201cbiological sex.\u201d The bill seeks to, \u201cReaffirm the longstanding meaning of sex, male, and female in state law\u201d and protect single-sex spaces such as women\u2019s restrooms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

West Virginia governor Patrick Morrisey signed a \u201cParents\u2019 Bill of Rights\u201d into law on Monday, joining twenty other states in passing similar legislation. House Bill 2129 codifies into law \u00a0rights \u201creserved to the parent of a minor child in this state without obstruction or interference from the state, any of its political subdivisions, any other…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":27253,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cParents know and love their child best\u2026\u201d West Virginia Enacts Parents\u2019 Bill of Rights<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"WV passes Parents\u2019 Bill of Rights, ensuring parental control over education, healthcare, and moral upbringing without government interference.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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