Utah Breaks New Ground

Utah has a good reputation when it comes to respecting parental rights, and the Utah Legislature has just made history by creating an "Office of Child Welfare Parental Defense" to make sure every parent's rights are protected. House Bill 268, sponsored by Representative Mike Thompson, established this new office as a part of the Department of Administrative Services this year. This legislation budgets $239,000 to establish a "Child Welfare Parental Defense Fund" and to hire an executive director to provide assistance and advice for families charged with child abuse or neglect.

American law has long provided an attorney for poor citizens who are charged with a crime. These public defenders make sure nobody goes to jail without competent legal counsel. HSLDA is concerned with the grave injustice of a system that protects criminal defendants from jail but leaves parents at the mercy of a legal system that can take a child away upon mere suspicion of abuse or neglect. Most homeschool parents would rather go to jail than have their children placed in a secular foster care system. Utah has taken the first step to ensure real assistance for poor families who face this threat.