There is a frightening trend within New Jersey government whereby more and more legislation being signed into law usurps the authority of parents to raise their children as they see fit. Sometimes it removes the parents from decision-making about things that pertain to their children, other times it withholds information from the parents themselves. Here are some of the more egregious examples.
Bill A-5342, euphemistically known as “the weed bill” stated that law enforcement could not notify parents if a minor child was caught with marijuana until the second offense. This would mean a minor could be under the influence abusing a controlled substance and the parents would be completely kept in the dark. Rather than being able to get the child help before a more serious problem develops, law enforcement would be legally prohibited from alerting parents of the very serious situation at hand.
Bill A-4848, an extremely radical abortion bill passed in December 2021 allows children as young as 15 years old to have an abortion without parental notification. Regardless of where one stands on the issue of abortion, most people agree that it is a parent’s unequivocal right to know and have a say in something as serious as having an abortion. The potential for long term mental and physical damage to an underage child makes this a decision beyond the maturity of level of someone not even close to adulthood.
Bill A-2679 is a bizarre piece of legislation that was introduced in February of 2022. This bill would allow for underage children to get a vaccine regardless of the wishes of parents or guardians. This frightening proposal would allow individuals with little or no experience in assessing and evaluating the risks of medical procedures and treatments to make what could possibly be a life and death decision regarding their own health.
Bill A-4454, passed in January of 2021, mandates that [inappropriate] sexual material be included in all curricula in New Jersey schools from grades K through 12. This disastrous legislation not only exposes children to inappropriate, non-academic material, but completely takes over the role that has been the exclusive realm of parents since the beginning of time.
The common thread with these disparate pieces of legislation is the flagrant removal of parents from the rightful decision-making place in their child’s life. The frequency and extent to which this is happening signals a concerted effort on the part of some in government to neuter the role of parents in raising their children and replace it with some overreaching bureaucratic group think contained within a labyrinth of oppressive state laws.
The only thing that would reverse this trend is for parents to become aware of exactly how critical and real this situation is and make their voices heard at the ballot box. Until legislators are convinced the threat of election reprisal is real, they will continue to chip away at parental rights whenever the legislative opportunity presents itself. An informed and engaged electorate is the best antidote for these blatant attacks on parental rights. In the meantime, I am co-sponsor of several “Parental Bill of Rights” bills, that would prevent government from overstepping its bounds into what always has been and should remain the exclusive domain of parents to raise their children without interference.
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Gerry Scharfenberger, PhD. is a New Jersey Assemblyman representing the State’s 13th Legislative District.
