Sen. Gordon, Sen. Sampson Sound Alarm on Efforts to Undermine Parental Authority

State Sen. Jeff Gordon (R-Woodstock) and State Sen. Rob Sampson (R-Wolcott) today sounded the alarm on an upcoming University of Connecticut Law School symposium that calls parental rights into question.

The symposium entitled “Are Parental Rights Always in the Best Interest of Children?” to be held on March 31 by the school’s Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal will “…explore the complex issues surrounding the role of parental rights in advancing progressive goals while at the same time examine how parental rights are being used to undermine racial, gender, and LGBTQ equality.”

Senator Gordon raised concerns, citing the fundamental importance of parents in the lives of their children.

“I want to applaud the many parents who have shown a growing interest in influencing the policy-making process. Your voices are critical if we are to fight back against the expanding government intrusion into your homes and your families. Parents matter! A child’s parent or guardian has the ultimate authority in their child’s physical wellbeing. Why shouldn’t the same hold true for their mental, psychological, and educational development?

“It’s troubling to contemplate the idea that someone else might know better than a child’s own law-abiding parents what is in their best interest. I understand the deep concerns many Connecticut families have over the promotion of certain ideologies. I am committed to working with you to protect your rights and freedoms as parents in raising your children here in Connecticut,” he said.

Senator Sampson also cited the incremental nature of this disturbing trend, and documented incidents in Connecticut that underpin this ideology. In the summer of 2022, he was a vocal supporter of parents amidst the politically-biased and bigoted comments of a Cos Cob school administrator that were caught on camera. He also raised concerns over politically-charged teaching materials within Guilford Public Schools.

“Despite the radical left’s failed attempts to gaslight Connecticut parents into believing that there’s nothing to see here, we will not be fooled.  No one is suggesting that this is a widespread issue but to dismiss parents’ concerns as out-of-hand is unacceptable. There is something insidious going on in some places. Ask yourself, why would any reasonable person think that parental involvement is a bad thing? More importantly, why would progressives like those organizing this event see parental knowledge of what their child is being taught in public schools as problematic?” he said.

In recent years, Legislative Democrats have repealed the religious exemption for childhood vaccinations required to attend school, in addition to promoting one-sided progressive curriculum models. Connecticut Democrats were also widely panned for taking to social media and sharing a cartoon equating engaged parents with horror movie villains in 2021.

Currently, Democrats in Hartford are advancing measures to allow children as young as 12 to receive vaccinations without parental consent, along with proposals to insulate educators from parental oversight.