Wisconsin Democrats Argue Against Parents Being Able to Name Their Children

In a heated debate over Wisconsin’s Assembly Bill (AB) 510, Wisconsin state Rep. Melissa Ratcliff (D) said parents shouldn’t be able to choose the names of their children.

“AB 510 gives adults the power to determine the names and pronouns used for their child at school,” Ms. Ratcliff said. “This directly risks undermining the dignity and identity of LGBTQ students who may not be supported or respected for their chosen names and pronouns at school, which may be the only safe space for some children.”

The Epoch Times contacted Ms. Ratcliff but received no comment by publication time.

The bill passed the Wisconsin Assembly on Jan. 18, 2024, with votes along party lines. Republicans supported the bill, but Democrats didn’t.

The new bill states that its purpose is to “create rights reserved to a parent or guardian of a child.”

Republicans control Wisconsin’s Assembly and Senate, but Gov. Tony Evers is a Democrat. If Mr. Evers vetoes the bill, Republicans are two seats short of being able to override the veto.

“Why does one side feel that parents should not have the right to raise their children? Parents know their children best.” Rep. Joy Goeben (R) told The Epoch Times.

This bill’s provisions will protect parental rights across Wisconsin, Ms. Goeben said. In many states, schools have proven willing to secretly gender-transition students without telling parents, she added.

“[AB 510] will mean freedom to raise your child,” Ms. Goeben said. “To know what your child is doing in school, to have to have the final say of what is best for your child.”

Parental Rights in Wisconsin

The bill laid out several different areas where parents have rights over what happens to their children. Parents have these rights unless they are limited by law or court order, the bill stated.

Some of these rights involve freedom of conscience-related issues. These include the right to “determine the religion of the child,” the right to choose the name and pronouns a child uses in school, and the right to opt the child out of school programs on religious or philosophical grounds.

Other rights in the bill involve the freedom of educational choice. In the bill, parents have the right to choose the child’s education, the right to review educational materials the child uses at school, the right to access the child’s education records, the right to visit children at school, the right to engage with the child’s school board members, and the right to receive information about a child’s performance in school.

Finally, the bill lists rights involving the child’s security.

Among these rights are the right to be informed about and control the child’s health care, the right to know about school surveys that reveal private information, the right to be informed of school security or surveillance systems, the right to be aware of discipline the child receives at school, and the right to be informed of crimes at the child’s school.

If someone denies a child’s parent or guardian these rights, the parent can file a complaint or sue the responsible party for relief, attorney’s fees, and as much as $10,000 in relief, the law stated.

Legal Perspective

These provisions are much-needed to protect parental rights, Cory Brewer, the education counsel for the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL), told The Epoch Times.

“When some of these schools have policies that exclude parents or keep secrets from parents, that violates parents’ constitutional right to raise their own children,” she said.

So far, WILL has brought lawsuits against three Wisconsin school districts that have kept secrets from parents, Ms. Brewer said.

In a letter to the Wisconsin Assembly’s committee on family law, WILL attorney Luke Berg wrote that Madison, Milwaukee, Eau Claire, and Oshkosh school districts all have policies encouraging secret gender transition.

“Imagine discovering one day that, for months, school staff have been treating your daughter as if she is your son, or your son, as if he is your daughter, without you knowing about it,” Mr. Berg’s letter reads.

Mr. Berg told legislators he has received this call from six parents in the last several years.

The part of the bill mentioning a parental right to “determine the religion of the child” doesn’t violate the Constitution, Ms. Brewer said. This clause refers to protecting the parental right to teach a child religion without government interference, she said.

“I interpret that to mean the religious upbringing of the child, and that’s the right of parents,” she said.

This clause wouldn’t allow parents to overrule a child’s religious conversion, Ms. Brewer said.

Ms. Goeben also said the religion provision is “just giving the parents the right to raise their child in the faith that they believe,” she said.

From a legal perspective, Wisconsin has long needed a parental rights bill, Ms. Brewer said. Although the Constitution already grants the rights described in the bill, it’s essential to clarify these rights exist, she added.

“When parents ask questions, sometimes they’re mocked, ignored, and intimidated. Parents have the right to direct the upbringing and education of their children, not the schools.”

Wisconsin Republican representatives Robert Wittke, Rick Gundrum, Dave Maxey, Amanda Nedweski, Peter Schmidt, Amy Binsfeld, Nik Rettinger, Scott Allen, Gae Magnafici, David Steffen, Robert Brooks, David Armstrong, Calvin Callahan, Jerry O’Connor, Joy Goeben, Ty Bodden, Angie Sapik, Paul Tittl, Tom Michalski, Ellen Schutt, William Penterman, Barbara Dittrich, Dave Murphy, Chanz Green, Elijah Behnke, Jeff Mursau, Janel Brandtjen, Chuck Wichgers, Nate Gustafson, Nancy VanderMeer and James Edming introduced the bill. This list includes 31 of the assembly’s 64 Republicans.

Republican state Senators Van Wanggaard, Romaine Quinn, Howard Marklein, and Steve Nass cosponsored the bill.