Borrowing page from anti-tax lobby, moms group launches parents rights pledge for politicians

Pledge recognizes "parents have that fundamental right to direct the education, the medical care, the moral and religious upbringing of their children in their character development," said activist Tiffany Justice.

By Charlotte Hazard

Published: September 16, 2022 12:39pm

Updated: September 17, 2022 11:43pm

For decades, anti-tax activists like Grover Norquist kept politicians in line by compelling them to sign a no-new-taxes pledge. Activist moms hoping to wrestle back control of school curriculums are stealing a page from that playbook as they press for parents bill of rights legislation in every state.

"We're launching something on Monday called 'The Parent Pledge,' and that's something that elected officials and candidates can take," Moms for Liberty founder Tiffany Justice announced during a wide-ranging interview Saturday on the John Solomon Reports podcast.

"It just says that they recognize parental rights are fundamental rights, that parents have that fundamental right to direct the education, the medical care, the moral and religious upbringing of their children in their character development," Justice explained. "And that the government needs to know their place and that they will stand against government overreach."

A Florida resident who served on the Indian River County School Board (2016-2020), Justice praised her state's governor, Ron DeSantis, for being a strong advocate for parental rights in education.

"We have an amazing governor in Florida who has embraced parental rights," Justice stated. "We love DeSantis. It's not because he's a Republican. But because he's a dad and he the trusts parents. "

Moms for Liberty has been starting chapters across the country and establishing political action committees to challenge the stranglehold teachers unions have long maintained on public education.

"These unions realize that they're losing their grip and their hold on public education," said Justice, citing Florida Democratic nominee for governor Charlie Crist's selection of a "union boss" as his running mate. "And now they're looking to assert themselves and really show their real true political colors at higher levels of government so that they can strongarm people into doing what they want. But parents aren't going to let that happen."