by Paul Dame

The Democratic Party has lost it’s middle and has elevated its most extreme members to the Legislature. Ten elected Democrats have sponsored a bill that would permanently remove the rights of every parent to be involved in irreversible health care decisions for children of any age.

House Bill H.659 would allow children as young as 6 or 8 years old to take hormone blockers or participate in “other treatment” against the consent of their parents. No Age restrictions. No qualifications. No appeal for parents.

This bill is a reminder to every Vermonter that no parent is safe while the Democratic-controlled legislature is in session. Democrats around the country have been incredibly aggressive in eroding the rights of parents to make decisions for their kids until they become adults. That’s what turned the Virginia governor’s race around last year. But now this push to further separate children from the oversight of their loving parents has found a home in Vermont’s Democrat and Progressive Party. In fact, two of the 10 sponsors are currently running fundraising efforts on this very issue after we started circulating a petition to oppose the new bill.

Regardless of whether or not Republicans stop this bill before the end of the session, the fact it has 10 co-sponsors demonstrates to all Vermonters that these legislators want to assume that every parent in the state is guilty and untrustworthy when it comes to making life-alternating decisions for their children. It’s becoming clear that Democrats think parents are the problem

The Vermont Republican Party stands for the rights of parents to protect their children until they are old enough and mature enough to decide for themselves. Adults age 18 or older have freedom to do what they like to their bodies as long as they hurt no one else. But until that time when they can fully understand the risks involved, we still trust parents to make those decisions.  In the incredibly rare instances of parents not providing good care, we have a process that allows both sides to be heard before a judge. These Democrats want to take away even that bit of due process.

Over the coming weeks we will be working to oppose these most extreme elements of the Progressive Democratic Coalition and recruiting reasonable Republicans and common sense conservatives to challenge them this November. Is it time for you to step up? Or should we continue to allow Democrats like these to run unopposed this year? Maybe next year they will have 15 sponsors instead of 10.

The author is an Essex Junction resident and chair of the Vermont Republican Party.