It takes a village idiot to tell you how to rear your child

This bill might be tantamount to putting a thumb in the Nevada dike after the American social structure dam has burst.

This morning the state Senate Judiciary Committee was hearing testimony on Senate Bill 314, which would upgrade in state statute parental rights by saying:

“The liberty of a parent to direct the upbringing, education and care of the parent’s child is a fundamental right. The State of Nevada or any agency, instrumentality or political subdivision of the State shall not violate this right without demonstrating a compelling governmental interest that as applied to the child involved is of the highest order.”

The committee members are asking why the law is needed when the U.S. Supreme Court has established parental rights as fundamental.

State Sen. Mo Denis, the bill’s sponsor, said, “Codifying this simple natural liberty may not be so simple.”

Scott Woodruff of parentalrights.org testified the law would ensure parental rights are fundamental rights in Nevada instead of ordinary rights. His website states:

“For ninety years the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that the right of parents to raise their child is fundamental, giving it the same legal protections as free speech and freedom of the press.  In recent years, however, some lower courts and government officials have resisted compliance with those rulings, reducing the parental right to ‘a collection of numerous mini-rights, each to be afforded different degrees of scrutiny.’

“Parents need a law in order to be secure in their liberty so the court doesn’t have to ponder constitutional law every time an intrusion into family life occurs, making such cases daunting and expensive. A state law will also help deter government officials from attempting to transform ‘parental rights into parental responsibilities — responsibilities that the state is willing to enforce.'”

Is the bill needed?

A couple of days ago, a federal judge ruled the “morning after” pill must be made available nationwide to women of all ages and without a prescription, no matter what parents say.

Then there are those who think it takes a village to rear your child, like this MSNBC promotional feature: