Texas State Agencies' Attempt to Keep Homeschoolers in the Crosshairs Could Be Foiled

"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty; power is ever stealing from the many to the few."-Wendell Philips

Adjust your tinfoil hats, readers!  Or, don't, it's up to you.  I am a recovering tin foil hatter and a former home school mom, so you can imagine that my tin foil hat was stuck with glue for a while.  However, it may not have been affixed completely in vain.  Why's that, you ask?  Listen up to some tactics used by a state agency to keep home schoolers and parents rights advocates in the crosshairs of  the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

See, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services wanted to, in my opinion, make life harder for those that opposed their agenda.  According to Parental Rights.org, which is ironically one of the parents rights advocate groups, the department wanted to, "...make it harder for Texas parents to seek the support of "advocacy organizations, such as parent rights advocated and homeschool coalitions" when they are being investigated for alleged child abuse or neglect.  (Yes, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services actually singled out parent-rights advocates and homeschoolers!)"  Parental Rights sent the state agency a letter and you can read it here.

As a former home school mom who actually HAD Child Protective Services called on her for, get this, letting my children play outside unsupervised, I am appalled, but I should not be shocked by this revelation.  The woman representing CPS banged on the door so hard that my kids ran and hid in the laundry room.  They were terrified of going outside and were also saddened at the revelation that the cops that were sitting out there on our street that day were not there with my kids' safety or best interest in mind.

Needless to say, after my own personal experience, this kind of stuff gets my hackles up.  Infringing on personal liberties, especially the right to parent your child the way that the parent sees fit is wrong on so many levels.  I do understand that some parents out there give other parents a bad name, but the public school mentality of broad range punishment of the many because of the few has to stop.  If you've been reading my stuff for any length of time, you know I love an action item.  So, what can you do?  

Well, you can watch legislation like a hawk.  Honestly, though, what working, full-time parent has time to do that?  You can subscribe to email alerts from agencies or groups that have adopted an interest in the things that you're concerned about.  You can also call your legislators, state and federal.  Those are the things that make the most difference.  

No, Illinois, Abortion is Not Healthcare

Abortion is not healthcare.  Say it with me, abortion is not healthcare.  Abortion will never be healthcare.  Ever.

It should not come as a surprise to you, though, that the Illinois state legislature would disagree on that point, as it has passed The Reproductive Health Act.  This law, provides greater access to pregnancy care, contraception, abortion procedures and other related benefits for all people and all genders.

Democratic lawmakers aren't satisfied, and they won't be until their efforts to repeal the Illinois Parental Notification of Abortion Act that was signed into law in 1995.  This particular law requires that when a girl under the age of 18 desires an abortion that her guardian(s) be notified two days before the procedure takes place.

The issue of abortion as healthcare is a moral issue because as Christians, we are called by the Bible to choose life.  The most basic of commands is in fact the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill."   If you look in the book of Deuteronomy, you'll find another life affirming quote, "This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.  Now, choose life, so that you and your children may live."-Deuteronomy 30:19  Yet another scripture that we're all too familiar with is the one about being knit together in your mother's womb, Psalm 139:"For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb."   All of these scriptures point to a God who is life affirming, and he calls those who follow him to be like Him.

The issue of abortion as healthcare in the context of this law is also a parental rights issue.  This law, as it is written would violate parental rights of the parents of these teens in crisis.  Parental rights are not something to be toyed with.  So many times in recent history they've been undermined by various circuit courts and CPS case workers and the like.  Fortunately, there is a group focused on protecting parental rights called, you guessed it, Parental Rights.org.  Their mission is to protect parental rights through an amendment to the United States Constitution.  They also believe that parental rights are fundamental.  From their website,  

"Parents play an irreplaceable role in the lives of their children. This vital relationship positively impacts a child's physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The right of parents to maintain a strong involvement in their children's lives has been continually upheld by Supreme Court doctrine. It is deeply valued by millions of American families" 

The issue of abortion as healthcare is also a fiscal issue in the eyes of the secretary of  Health and Human Services, Alex Azar.  He made a statement recently in regards to the Trump administration's effort to prevent groups receiving federal funds, under the Title X from using funds to 'perform, promote, refer to, or support abortion as a method of family planning.'   "Congress has said that you cannot support abortion as a method of family planning.  We're just finally enforcing it."  

So, you see, as so many other legislative efforts that have been put forth by so many other state houses and even Congress, this law will most assuredly end up in the court system to be determined by a judge.  However, we as citizens and Christians must remain vigilant and remember, "The enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full."  And all of God's children say, "Amen!"