Across the States
Battle for Parental Rights
Utah homeschoolers demonstrated their impact on the political process as they worked together for parental rights.
Homeschoolers may be familiar with a recent Utah case in which a former homosexual partner was granted custody of a child over the objection of the child’s mother. This court action resulted in House Bill 148, which takes away the court’s ability to grant custody of a child over the objections of the natural parent.
The bill did not go uncontested. Pro-homosexual activists lobbied hard against it, but family-friendly activists voiced their support for it. In February 2006, Home School Legal Defense Association urged homeschoolers to speak out about this bill, and they carried the day with phone calls, emails, and letters to legislators.
In March 2006, attorney Frank Mylar, political and legal advisor for the Utah Home Education Association, was in the legislative chambers during the last hour of this year’s session, and he reported that tension was high as the bill’s vote approached. But supporters of H.B. 148 overcame every last-minute obstacle in the legislature, and the bill passed.
— by Scott W. Somerville
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