Free Republic

Women's tennis legend Billie Jean King was in Delray Beach, Florida, on Friday for the Billie Jean Cup qualifier, and discussed more than just the match. During a 30-minute press conference, the 79-year-old King criticized Florida’s "Parental Rights in Education" law, also known as the "Don’t Say Gay" law by its critics. The bill was signed into law in March 2022 by Gov. Ron DeSantis and bans teachers from giving classroom instruction on "sexual orientation" or "gender identity" in kindergarten through third grade.

When it comes to parental bills of rights, not all legislation is created equal. The House on Friday narrowly passed House Resolution 5, known as the Parents Bill of Rights Act, which would amend existing federal education laws. A Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution also has been proposed. Multiple pieces of proposed legislation at the state level seek broad protections for parents, using language such as to “direct the upbringing” of their children. ... The proposed laws have fueled questions about the role parents should play in their children’s education. At the same time, they have fanned partisan...

The legal battle over a Florida law that restricts classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation is pitting red states against blue states. Republican attorneys general of 14 states last week sought approval to file a brief supporting Florida in a fight about the new law. That came after Democratic attorneys general from 15 states and the District of Columbia this summer filed a brief supporting the bill’s challengers...

Randi Weingarten, union boss of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), said that parental rights bills such as the one recently signed into law in Florida are “the way in which wars start.” “This notion – we’ve been very lucky in America, and we in some ways live in a bubble for a long time,” the president of the nation’s largest teachers’ union said. “This is propaganda. This is misinformation. This is the way in which wars start. This is the way in which hatred starts.”

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Friday on ABC’s “The View” that “he’s right” when asked if he agrees with his husband Chasten Buttigieg’s quote that the “Don’t Say Gay” law “will kill kids” while discussing Florida’s recently passed “Parental Rights in Education” law. Co-host Ana Navarro said, “The first thing I want to say is I am so sorry that you have become the butt of jokes by some really stupid, stupid people when it comes to your paternity.”

On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “At This Hour,” Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) said the Virginia gubernatorial election “was about local issues. Those were about parental issues. And unfortunately, racism raised its ugly head and the Republican candidate used it very aptly.” And she isn’t going to tie the result in Virginia “to Democrats or anything we did here in Washington.”

Joe Lonsdale, a founder of Palantir Technologies Inc. and a prolific venture capitalist, stoked a debate on Twitter about parental leave, saying any prominent man who takes six months off with his newborn is "a loser." The comment was made in response to a tweet about Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. Transportation secretary who took time off to care for his child, and criticism from the podcast personality Joe Rogan. A father of three, Lonsdale is a regular critic of "woke" politics. He is a longtime associate of Peter Thiel, the powerful conservative billionaire. Lonsdale's venture investments include Flexport Inc., Joby...

The Republican governor of Vermont signed legislation this week which makes it legal for minors to obtain an abortion without parental consent. Vermont law also allows non-physicians, including registered nurse practitioners, to perform abortions. To put in perspective how radical the state's abortion standards are, consider that parents have to give their child written or verbal permission to obtain so much as an ibuprofen pill from the school nurse, but do not have to approve of their daughter's obtaining a life-altering decision like abortion under GOP Gov. Phil Scott's new law. “Like many Vermonters, I have consistently supported a woman’s...

There has been unending hand wringing about teen drug use, pregnancy, and dismal academic performance. As a garnish, we are also in the midst of an epidemic of teen obesity. There have been unending government programs to “combat” these problems. Some of them may have helped temporarily but most are run by pimps that simply enjoy slopping at the public trough. All of the aforementioned has been abetted by government, particularly the Federal Government. Divorce is a major contributor to this frightening mess as is societal acceptance of out of wedlock births. Consistent with the latter, it is now considered...

"Imagine If..." The Reality of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Imagine an Air Force mom, serving her country on a month-long deployment, who learns that her daughter has been secretly removed by local authorities, claiming the child has been "abandoned." Children begin mandatory sex-education at the age of four, regardless of their family's opinions, beliefs, or convictions, and parents are imprisoned if their children fail to receive any of their mandatory vaccinations. Parents live in a state of constant supervision and suspicion. Imagine if your national government had the audacity to appoint a "guardian" to monitor...

On November's ballot in CA we will have two very important propositions. The Marriage Amendment and Sarah's Law which is a parental notification law. Please, please, please view this 60 second video and pass it on to everyone you know. Please go to www.FriendsOfSarah.com for more information. Also see National Organization for Marriage California

Federal employees, like other American workers, are entitled to up to 12 weeks of leave after the birth of a child. It's just not paid leave. A bipartisan group of lawmakers is working to change that, though. And at least one of the group's members believes that legislation to establish a paid parental leave policy for federal employees has a serious shot at passing this Congress. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, has rolled out two bills that would provide at least eight weeks of paid maternity leave for civil servants, and paternity benefits as well. One bill (S. 80) would provide...

He's the owner of one of the largest alternative newspapers in the country, a father of seven and a Vietnam veteran decorated with a pair of Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart. He's also a conservative Catholic who attends Mass every day, teaches Latin to home-schooled students and rides the public bus from his Coronado home to his office in Little Italy. But to understand what drives Jim Holman, why he has bankrolled two parental-notification initiatives for minors seeking an abortion in this state, you might want to turn the calendar to 1989. That's when his weekly newspaper, the San...

Tallahassee, FL (LifeNews.com) -- Florida appeals court has approved a teenager's request to have a secret abortion without her parents knowing. The ruling, which overturns a local judge's decision, is exposing a problem in the state where virtually all of the waivers request to bypass parental notification are granted. The unnamed teenager is about nine weeks pregnant and her parents don't know yet. She wants to get an abortion without her parents knowing, but she doesn't meet the intent of the judicial bypass. The bypass is meant to be a provision that allows teenagers in problematic home situations involving abuse...

Forms, which must be notarized, also warn teens of medical risks AUSTIN — After 13 months of intense pressure from opposing factions, the state has adopted rules requiring written — and notarized — parental consent forms for girls under age 18 to get abortions. The new forms span six pages, warn of medical risks and tout "women's right to know" brochures backed by abortion opponents, said those on opposite sides of the issue. The rules would take effect 20 days later. Patrick said the governor's office backed the final form approved late last week, which requires parents' written consent be...

The proponents of last year's failed parental-notification initiative are back, pushing a nearly identical measure for this year's November ballot. Buoyed by $2 million from conservative financier and newspaper owner James Holman, the campaign already has collected 700,000 signatures--100,000 more than is needed--to place a measure on the fall ballot. The campaign intends to turn those signatures, and more, in to counties across the state by mid-May, setting up a rematch of last year's heated abortion debate during the fall's gubernatorial election. "We've gathered more than 700,000 signatures and we are planning on qualifying for the November ballot," said campaign...

MONDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) -- Infant children of parents who are habitual snorers are themselves at increased risk for frequent snoring, a new study reveals. The study also found that young children diagnosed with atopy -- a tendency to develop allergies and asthma -- are also prone to frequent snoring. And African-American children are at elevated risk for chronic snoring, the researchers said. The findings are important, the researchers said, because so-called "sleep-disordered breathing" among children has been previously associated with the development of learning disabilities, heart disease, and metabolic disorders. "Early intervention can reduce morbidity due to sleep-disordered...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Backers of a failed special election measure that would have forced doctors to notify parents or guardians before performing abortions on underage girls are circulating petitions to have Californians vote on nearly the same measure next November. Like Proposition 73, the initiative would require a girl under 18 to wait 48 hours after a parent or legal guardian is notified of her intention to get an abortion. Secretary of State Bruce McPherson on Monday cleared supporters to begin gathering signatures. Voters rejected Proposition 73 by 53 percent to 47 percent during the Nov. 8 special election, when...

A group of people dressed as sperm cross a main avenue during a campaign promoting use of condoms in Bogota, Colombia, in this May 18, 2005 file photo. Roman Catholic priests in a Colombian town are furious over a councilman's proposal that people 14 and older must carry a condom at all times to reduce unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2006. (AP Photo/ Javier Galeano, file)

New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly Ayotte said the minute she opened her mouth yesterday, she stopped feeling nervous about arguing a pivotal abortion case before the U.S. Supreme Court. “I felt nervous just as I’m sure anyone who has appeared before the court and particularly given it was my first time,” said Ayotte, the state’s first female attorney general. “But once you open your mouth and they ask the first question, that all sort of melts away because you’re so focused on the case.” Ayotte said she expected tough questions and wasn’t surprised to get them. “Most of the time...