Parental Rights in Ohio
Ohio Parental Rights News
Winning Defense: Stopping Bad Bills across the Nation
We talk a lot about good bills that we’re working on across the nation: legislation like our Parents’ Bill of Rights and fundamental parental rights bills that will strengthen the right of parents to raise, educate, and care for their children. But thanks to your support of ParentalRights.org, we also work aggressively to stop bad…
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Ohio State Law and Parental Rights
At Risk
Ohio does not have a state statute that explicitly defines and protects parental rights as fundamental rights.
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Ohio Courts and Parental Rights
"Strict Scrutiny" Applied to Parental Rights
Ohio courts have recognized the right of parents to oversee the care of their children as a fundamental right deserving of the strict scrutiny standard. However, this precedent is subject to change.
In Oliver v. Feldner, 776 N.E. 2d 499, 507 (Ohio Ct. App. 2002), the Ohio Court of Appeals held, "[i]t is difficult to escape the conclusion, with eight of nine Supreme Court justices agreeing that a fundamental due process right was at stake in Troxel, that a strict-scrutiny analysis must be taken in reviewing nonparental-visitation statutes."
See also In re Thompkins, 875 N.E. 2d 582, 584-5 (Ohio 2007) and Harrold v. Collier, 836 N.E. 2d 1165, 1172 (Ohio 2005), cert denied 547 U.S. 1004 (2006).