LETTER: Usurpation of parents' rights continued on March 13 at the State House
April 1, 2025To the Community:
Stop for one moment and imagine a role reversal of the two groups occupying Room 11 at the Vermont State House on March 13: A trans rights group reserved Room 11 and a parent’s rights group attended to disrupt. No doubt, the parent’s group would have been immediately escorted out.
March 13th wasn’t just about free speech. It was a demonstration of the current state control of winners and losers. The protected and unprotected under Article 22.
In 2023, I testified against H.89 (Act 14). Parents' rights to direct the care of their children were “secured by the state,” defining a one-way legally protected health care model to reproductive health care services and gender-affirming health care. Any person compliant with the state model of care is protected, “...any act or omission undertaken to aid or encourage, or attempt to aid or encourage, any person…” Act 14 was passed without one safeguard for minors.
To this day, state expert testimony has not addressed minors’ brain development, informed consent, minors’ consent challenges, and minors’ protections, such as age limits, case plans, due process, and court oversight offering anecdotal evidence as factual. Dissent is restricted, vilified and shut down.
The state of Vermont continues to usurp parents' rights and responsibility to oversee and direct their child’s reproductive journey, leaving minors vulnerable to protected adult influencers under Act 14.
In 2017, Act 35 was passed allowing minors to consent to receive any legally authorized treatment related to the minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including psychotherapy, and other counseling services that are supportive without the consent of a parent or legal guardian under authorized outpatient treatment.
In 2017, AOE policy (collaboration between the Agency of Education, Outright Vermont, and Planned Parenthood) determined:
a) “All students have a gender identity which is self-determined.”- page 2
b) “In order for a school to provide information legally required to be shared with parents, may require the school to maintain two sets of records.” page 8
In 2021, edu-guidelines-condom-availability (collaboration between the Agency of Education and Planned Parenthood) policy determined, “Minors in Vermont have a legal right to access a full range of reproductive and sexual health services without parent permission”- page 5
In 2025, Act 150 was passed. Section 6 denies parents access to their child’s library records at 12 years old.
It’s time for school choice to be included in Vermont education reform.
Carol Kauffman
Vermont Family Alliance
Addison