Diverse coalition of parents' groups urge Congress to pass Families' Rights and Responsibilities Act
The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel and Vice President of Advocacy Strategy Emilie Kao regarding a letter ADF and 46 other organizations, as part of the Promise to America’s Parents Coalition, sent to U.S. congressional leadership Wednesday urging it to pass the Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act:
“Children flourish within strong families, led by their parents. Parents—not the government—play the primary role in raising their children. Parents have duties and corresponding natural rights to guide their children’s health care, education, and upbringing. Yet parental rights have been eroded by government actions that view children as the property of the state and exclude parents from critical decisions. These concerns are what led to the creation of the Promise to America’s Parents—a coalition of community and policy organizations that work to preserve the fundamental right of parents to direct their children’s upbringing, education, and care through sound laws and policies like the Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act.
“We urge Congress to enact this bill which restrains federal government overreach by reaffirming the role of parents. It also requires federal courts to safeguard parental rights with the same level of protection afforded other fundamental rights, like free speech and religion. Now and always, it’s parents who know their children best, not the government.”
- Pronunciation guide: Kao (GOW’)
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
# # #
Related Resources
ABOUT Emilie Kao
Emilie Kao serves as senior counsel and vice president of advocacy strategy for Alliance Defending Freedom. Before joining ADF, Kao served as director of the DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society at the Heritage Foundation. She also served as senior legal counsel at an international human rights law firm, East Asia team leader in the U.S. Department of State’s Office of International Human Rights, and director of international advocacy at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. She was an adjunct professor at Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University and is co-editor of the “First Principles on International Human Rights” essay series. She has testified before the U.S. Congress and spoken at the United Nations in Geneva and New York. Kao earned her A.B. cum laude from Harvard University and her J.D. from Harvard Law School. She is a member of the state bars of California and the District of Columbia and is admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court.