California's absurd and insidious "bill of rights for children" invites pernicious meddling

The most contentious “rights” in Pan’s list are the ones that imply second-guessing of parental decisions and interference with family relationships. S.B. 18 says children have a right to “live in a safe and healthy environment,” to have “parents, guardians, or caregivers who act in their best interest,” and to “form healthy attachments with adults responsible for their care and well-being.” Since it’s not clear what happens when a parent’s idea of a healthy environment, healthy attachments, or a child’s best interest conflicts with a legislator’s or a bureaucrat’s, you can start to see why the bill’s opponents call it “an attempt by power-hungry California legislators to further degrade the rights of parents,” argue that it “will eventually make the State the top-dog controlling force over all children in California,” warn that “it’s extremely problematic to allow a very small group of people to decide what constitutes ‘best’ for…millions of families,” or worry that Pan’s dubious, undefined rights “could easily be manipulated to make a case for confiscating your child.”

While these dangers are theoretical at this point and might remain so even if Pan’s bill passes, the state does (and should) impose limits on parental authority, as illustrated by laws against child abuse or the debate over mandatory vaccination. A legislature that takes this vacuous list of rights seriously would be more inclined to err on the side of intervention, with potentially pernicious implications for parental prerogatives and children’s welfare. Does homeschooling qualify as “appropriate, quality education”? Is a household that contains firearms a “safe and healthy environment”? Is a strict religious upbringing consistent with “optimal cognitive, physical, and social development”? Are parents who let their child eat junk food, walk to the playground by himself, or participate in risky sports acting in his “best interest”? People’s opinions on such subjects vary widely. Pan’s bill invites legislators to enforce their opinions under the pretense of protecting children’s rights.