The Roles, Responsibilities, and Rights of Parents

Executive Summary

Parental rights have long been viewed as foundational to the benefit of family and society. Multiple Supreme Court decisions prior to 2000 have been very supportive of this concept, but several more recent lower court decisions have chipped away at parental rights to direct what their children are exposed to.

Laws in many states have effectively barred parents from access to their child’s health file – particularly dealing with reproductive health, mental health and substance abuse.

A child’s brain is under rapid and considerable development during the early teenage years, and most authorities support the scientific position that the frontal lobe does not fully mature until the early 20’s.

Parenting styles can be beneficial to the child as expectations, behaviors, and sanctions are taught and learned, and age-appropriate autonomy is recognized by both parent and child. Adolescents consistently participated in fewer high-risk behaviors when parents were involved with and knowledgeable of their activities.

Current scientific research demonstrates that:

• Children and adolescents have immature brain development that benefits from parental involvement in decision-making.

• Children and adolescents do better in an environment where parents state expectations and provide reasonable consequences for inappropriate behavior

• Adolescents are less likely to participate in risky behaviors if they feel connected to the family

• Adolescents who avoid high-risk behaviors will enter adulthood with better skills and outcomes

The American College of Pediatricians strongly endorses parental rights in promoting the best for children and for ensuring a healthy society.