Child rights advocacy group Them Before Us recently released a scorecard ranking all fifty states and the District of Columbia based on each state’s laws surrounding parentage, surrogacy, donor conception, IVF, marriage, and divorce. States that best protect the rights and needs of children and strengthen families received the highest scores. Illinois received a C-, ranking “poor” on parentage, “poor” on surrogacy, “poor” on donor conception and IVF, and, surprisingly “fair” on marriage.
Clearly, the state of pro-family legislation needs improvement. We need more laws in Illinois and across the nation that recognize and support the vital role of strong families. But this will only happen when elected officials in Springfield, at the county level, and in local communities understand the importance of protecting the family as the foundational institution of society.
How can we accomplish that when lawmakers are redefining words and concepts central to the family itself? When language is altered to fit ever-changing cultural ideologies rather than enduring truths?
Illinois Democrats just passed legislation referring to “menstruating and lactating individuals.” This deliberate disconnect from biological reality is becoming a hallmark of deep-blue state politics.
We cannot ignore the fact that laws teach the next generation what society considers right and wrong. Over time, the acceptance of a new orthodoxy reshapes the culture. As Francis Schaeffer warned,
“What was unthinkable yesterday is thinkable today and ordinary tomorrow.”
Without strong families, our communities will not thrive.
