Bill > HR650

This bill establishes and protects parents' rights to direct the upbringing, education, and healthcare of their children as a fundamental right. The legislation defines parents as biological, adoptive, or legally authorized guardians of children under 18 and sets strict limits on government interference with parental decision-making. The bill requires that any government action substantially burdening parental rights must meet the highest legal standard of a "compelling governmental interest" and be the least restrictive means of achieving that interest. Specific parental rights protected include directing a child's education, moral and religious upbringing, and making all medical care decisions. The bill draws extensively on Supreme Court precedents that have historically recognized parents' primary role in child-rearing, and it allows parents to challenge government actions that infringe on these rights in federal or state courts. Importantly, the bill provides exceptions for parental actions that would cause serious physical harm to a child and includes provisions for potential attorney's fees in legal proceedings. The legislation aims to broadly protect parental rights across all federal laws and implementations, ensuring that parents remain the primary decision-makers in their children's lives while preventing unnecessary government intervention.

Justice

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/650/all-info