Champions of Parental Rights Take on the Child Welfare Narrative in D.C.
On Monday, January 13, The American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., held a panel discussion called What Are Parental Rights and How Far Do They Go? The focus of the discussion was on how much government intervention is needed to protect children from abuse, and how to balance intervention against family rights.
The panel featured Tom Rawlings, CEO and President of Child Welfare & Justice Transformation; and Ronald Richter, CEO of JCCA (formerly Jewish Child Care Association) in New York City. As former family court judges, these men are both known for their support of the child welfare establishment as it is today, viewing it as perhaps a “necessary evil” to protect children from bad parents.
Also on the panel, however, were two friends to the Parental Rights Foundation: Christine Gottleib, Director of the New York University Family Law Clinic, has been a guest on our EPPiC Broadcast more than once and is an active coalition partner in much of our bipartisan reform work; and Will Estrada, former president of the Parental Rights Foundation and now Senior Counsel for the Home School Legal Defense Association, also serves as a member of our Board of Advisors. Together, Chris and Will represent the view that parents can be trusted, and that their rights (and the integrity of their families) cannot be sacrificed in the effort (as important as it is!) to save children who are abused.
A balance must be reached that protects children from abuse and protects innocent families from the trauma of unnecessary government intrusion.
As Will put it during the panel discussion, quoting directly from the Supreme Court’s Parham v. J.R. decision, “The statist notion that governmental power should supersede parental authority in all cases because some parents abuse and neglect children is repugnant to American tradition.” 442 U.S. 584 at 603 (1979)
One thing I found especially exciting as I listened to Will and Chris on this panel: although they were clearly “on the same page” regarding child welfare reform, they come from opposite sides of the political aisle. Chris represents New York University, and Will is a Republican, even serving on the Trump Transition team in 2016. They almost couldn’t be any further apart politically-and yet they soundly agree on parental rights and preserving families.
“The way to help kids is to protect the rights of their parents,” Chris said at one point, echoing in different words our motto of “protecting children by empowering parents.”
Both Chris and Will called for reining in anonymous reporting and abolishing mandated reporting. Will also called for elimination of the Child Abuse Pediatrician specialty, and joined Chris in calling for an end to the use of involuntary Termination of Parental Rights to permanently destroy family ties.
Will brought Supreme Court precedent, especially quotes from the above-mentioned Parham v. J.R. He testified that parental rights are constitutionally protected and are a part of the legal make-up of American jurisprudence, not just a cause célèbre since the 2020 pandemic.
Chris brought the numbers, highlighting the 4.4 million reports of child abuse made last year. That includes knowingly false accusations made anonymously by jilted partners. It includes calls from mandated reporters in incidents where they do not suspect any abuse or neglect, but they feel they must report to protect their licensure and their livelihood.
That’s millions of families getting that knock at the door and having their sense of safety and well-being turned upside down.
In contrast, only about 300,000 cases lead to intervention or supports. That means more than 4 million reports are coming into the system that do not lead to any finding of abuse, neglect, or need.
Together, Will and Chris presented such a solid argument for reform that it defined the overall feel of the panel. Rawlings and Richter offered warnings from the bad cases of abuse that have come before them through the years, but any idea that those few cases should therefore lead to a broad surrendering of innocent parents’ rights simply couldn’t take root.
If you are interested, I would encourage you to watch the panel on YouTube here. (This links to the start of the panel discussed here, but the earlier panels are also worth watching, though many of the experts do not advance a pro-family position.)
There is so much work yet to be done in this space, and it will take well-spoken champions on both sides of the political aisle to bring success. Chris and Will demonstrate what that looks like on this panel.
Thank you for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents through parental rights laws and through meaningful child welfare reform.