In the name of religious freedom, they claim to be able to withdraw their children from the school. The majority conservative Supreme Court agreed on Friday, June 27, to these parents of students who opposed the use of books tackling LGBTQIA+ themes in progress.
By six votes against three, those of the six conservative judges against those of the three progressive magistrates, the highest jurisdiction of the United States considers that depriving parents of students of the possibility of not exposing their children to the LGBT+ themes in progress is “Unconstitutional involvement” to their freedom of worship and “Involve substantially with the religious development of children”.
“It’s a great victory for parents” who had “Lost control of schools and their children”quickly welcomed the American president, Donald Trump, during a press conference at the White House.
At the origin of the case, parents of pupils of public schools in Maryland, near Washington, challenged the introduction in 2022 in the course of nursery and primary schools of children’s books aimed at fighting prejudices on homosexuality or gender identity.
School authorities, after planning to notify families to allow them to request that their children be given lessons when these books were used, have canceled this option. Parents of Muslim or Christian faith then seized justice by invoking religious freedom, guaranteed by the first amendment to the American Constitution.
“This decision may do damage”
“These books impose on children a set of values and beliefs hostile to their parents’ religious beliefs” et “Exercise [sur eux] Psychological pressure to comply with these specific points of view »written on behalf of the majority the conservative judge Samuel Alito, citing the example of works dealing with the marriage of people of the same sex.
“Books are undoubtedly normative. They are designed to present certain values and beliefs as things to promote, and others, contrary, as things to condemn “and this with “Impressionable young children”he continues.
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“For many believers, few religious acts are more important than the religious education of their children”observes the Alito judge again. In her opinion of disagreement, progressive judge Sonia Sotomayor argues that public schools “Offer children of any confession and origin (…) An opportunity to familiarize yourself with our multicultural society ». “This essential experience in the civic vitality of our nation (…) will be a simple memory if children are deprived of any exhibition to ideas and concepts likely to conflict with the religious beliefs of their parents ”she worries.
“This decision risks doing damage in public schools, hindering fundamental decisions about their school programs and compromising their ability to prepare students to live in our pluralist society”believes Daniel Mach, legal specialist in the organization of defense of American civil liberties Aclu, believing that it could lead to reopen, for example, the question of teaching the theory of evolution.
On the contrary, the ultra -conservative reflection circle Heritage Foundation greets “A resounding victory for American parents, affirming their fundamental right to conduct the moral and religious education of their children”.
