[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 77 (Thursday, May 30, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H5653]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CHILDREN NEED PARENTS, NOT GOVERNMENT EXPERTS

  (Mr. LARGENT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LARGENT. Mr. Speaker, in the next few days, we will be hearing a 
lot about the plight of children. The Stand for Children rally, 
scheduled for Saturday, will urge government to do more for children. 
The best protectors of children, the event organizers claim, are 
government bureaucrats and children's advocates.
  I disagree. The best advocates for children today--and the most 
unappreciated--are moms and dads standing together for their children. 
The best thing we could do as a society and for children is not pour 
more money into marginal programs, but affirm and support families and 
parents.
  H.R. 1946, the Parental Rights and Responsibilities Act, promotes the 
idea that family is key to providing for children. Parents are in the 
best position to protect and provide for their children. And the PRRA 
protects families from the harmful actions of government bureaucrats.
  If the actions of the East Stroudsburg, PA, school officials who 
conducted genital exams on 11-year-old girls, without informing the 
girls or receiving explicit parental approval, is any indication of 
what it means to stand for children, Congress should quickly vote on 
and pass the PRRA. Because when it comes to children, what they need 
are moms and dads--not government experts.

                          ____________________