LornaJun 14, 2023
Gersande La Flèche

If you see "parental rights" or "parents' rights" in the context of the autonomy and medical and social welfare of a child within the federal jurisdiction of Canada, it may interest you to note that that concept is fairly antithetical to the established legal approach (as imperfect as it often is). According to practice here — as far as I understand it, based on conversations with lawyers and social workers — the welfare of the child comes first and foremost, and the concept of parental rights is not really a thing, but in the eyes of the courts and the law should be framed rather as parental responsibility. Parents don't have the right to do whatever they want with their children. Parents have the responsibility to the welfare and wellbeing of their children.

"Parents rights" is a gender critical, queerphobic, and ableist dogwhistle. Be on guard when you see it.

Jun 14, 2023 at 3:02pmWeb
Show threadCatherine is not complacentJun 14, 2023
@gersande it’s a buzzword people who should never be allowed to have anything to do with children use.
I’m an advocate for parental responsibility and the first and foremost responsibility a parent has is to keep their children safe and to make certain they know they are safe.
Show threadmjJun 14, 2023
@gersande the hellscape version of that is what we have going on in Florida, where the state weaponized their perverted concept of "welfare of the child" to uphold their ultra-right wing agenda. (Vis a vis taking kids away from parents if one of the parents is trans)
Show threadErin [they/them]Jun 14, 2023
@gersande
Show threadarchlentilJun 14, 2023
@gersande they're arguing for the right to trample on children's autonomy and treat them as less than human. and they don't even see that as a problem because it aligns really well with the rest of their fashy worldview.
Show threadVixJun 14, 2023

@gersande Not in Canada, but here in the US parental rights can deny children necessary medical care, that results in their death(!!!) and can get off scott free under the pretense of 'parental rights'/'religious freedom.' (As, this is most often the case with Christian Scientists & Jehovah Witnesses).

Children deserve autonomy.

Show thread183231bcbJun 14, 2023
@venusianvixen @gersande This is also how you can tell they don't really believe fetuses are people or that abortion is murder. If they really thought a fetus was a person, they'd support "parents' rights" to abort fetuses.
Show threadVixJun 14, 2023

@183231bcb @gersande I was so scared, this got flagged for Right-Wing Bullshit.

But, that is the funny thing. They'd likely support the Christian Scientist/JW mother utilizing her right to her religious freedoms, and not condemn her for the loss of the life.

Christians & Republicans are very, very pro-death.

Show thread183231bcbJun 14, 2023

@venusianvixen @gersande It wasn't "flagged:" When you make a post on Mastodon (and most other Fediverse servers) you can choose to apply a content warning. I used a CW for "right-wing BS" for the benefit of my followers who might not want to be reminded of attacks on their reproductive rights.

Also, welcome to Mastodon!

Show threadVixJun 15, 2023
@183231bcb @gersande Oh!!
Show threadVixJun 15, 2023
@183231bcb @gersande Thank you!!
Show thread183231bcbJun 15, 2023
@venusianvixen @gersande You're welcome!
Show threadKat A Klysm Jun 25, 2023

@venusianvixen @gersande this is exactly it. I’m in Florida and my youngest is gender nonconforming (they’re still figuring out exactly what). I’ve been railing against that parental rights bill since before it was passed.

Another hint it’s RW BS is that Moms for Liberty were heavily supportive. 🤢

Show threadVixJun 25, 2023
@kataklysm @gersande Mom's for Liberty is one of those like "Freedom" organizations where liberty doesn't actually mean liberty, but instead is a buzzword to attract flies (i mean, fascists) to their shit.
Show threadKat A Klysm Jun 25, 2023
@venusianvixen @gersande exactly, with a heavy focus on anti lgbtq rhetoric, especially anti trans. Those bitches are active in my city and I’m just 🤬
Show threadCykonotJun 14, 2023
@gersande the "parents rights" movement dehumanizes actual living young persons. It treats them like dolls, to be toyed with at their parents whims. It implicitly supports ALL child abuse, but is currently focused on forced detransitioning (incidentally taking away some parents rights) and conversion therapy. Not only that, the current push to legalize child labor is intimately wrapped up in it, as they would like to be able to fully control their child-laborers finances etc
Show threadlocalzukJun 14, 2023

@gersande the concept of "parents rights" is basically just a fancy way of a parent trying to exert overbearing control of their children, as if they are posessions rather than wards.

Its antithetical to every part of being a good parent.

Show threadsmoking 𒋆𒄣𒌦𒈾𒁍 with 'iluJun 14, 2023
@gersande while i also dislike "parents' rights" as an argument, it's probably worth mentioning that Canadian legal practice is fucked up in its own way, having a long connection with breaking up indigenous families
Show threadWill 🌹🏴Jun 15, 2023

@gersande Parents Rights has always been short for "Parents rights to own their children as property."

It started with a campaign opposing child labor restrictions

https://citationsneeded.libsyn.com/ep-176-how-the-parental-rights-rallying-cry-has-been-a-rightwing-stalking-horse-for-over-100-years

Citations Needed: Episode 176: How the “Parental Rights” Rallying Cry Has Been a Rightwing Stalking Horse for Over 100 Years

"Surrounded by children, DeSantis signs the 'Parental Rights in Education' bill," ABC13 reports. "Biden partnered with organization which questioned parents' rights to be notified about their kids' transition" Fox News tells us. "Parental rights isn't a partisan issue. It's what's best for our children," an opinion column in The Washington Times warns. We've heard these cries for over a century from reactionary forces: we’re just a bunch of scrappy "parents" protecting our kids from sinister, secular forces of state control. But what does "parents' rights" mean exactly? Which parents' rights are we talking about? Which "rights" are we centering, and who funds which parents to assert which set of rights that, we are told, are essential to these "parents"? There is, of course, no essential "parents" cohort with a coherent ideology and view on education. But, as a term, it's a useful stalking horse for far right political projects targeting education, namely those opposing secularism, anti-racism, LGBTQ existence, labor, and teachers unions. A skeleton key for whatever reactionary cause doesn’t want to be presented as such. After all, who could oppose "parents' rights." Like the clever term "pro-life," the "parents' rights" label is similarly designed to put advocates of secularism and progress on the defensive, to erase parents who oppose a far-right agenda, and court sympathetic and whitewashing coverage from corporate media. On this episode, we discuss the history of "parents' rights" as a popular right-wing slogan, from its uses in opposing child labor laws in the early 20th century to pushing religious indoctrination in public schools in the 1990s to today's attacks on trans people and teachers unions; how its evocation by the right––and acceptance by media outlets––obscures the darker motives and political forces at work; and why any media framing of what "parents" want or don't want is inherently mugging bullshit. Our guest is Jennifer Berkshire.