Combined with the fact that California’s school districts are now required to conceal information related to a child’s gender identity from their parents, this new law is an egregious abuse of parental rights.

Under AB 665, a child can consent to mental health counseling services if they are deemed “mature enough to participate intelligently in the outpatient services or residential shelter services.” Professionals in these fields would be required to consult with the child before determining whether it is appropriate to involve parents or guardians in critical decisions impacting their children’s mental and emotional health.

Proponents of the measure state that the law is a benefit to LGBTQ youth, who often face rejection or criticism from parents and society. They note that kids who are a part of the LGBTQ community also deal with harassment as well, and they believe that parents provide part of that harassment, thus the provision that “obtaining parental consent for a youth who needs support is complicated by the parent or caretakers’ beliefs and stigma about mental health care.”

Nobody wants to see children being abused, harassed, or otherwise mistreated regardless of their sexuality or gender identity. However, this law will essentially strip parents of their right to raise their children as they see fit. It means they will no longer be empowered to make choices regarding their kids’ mental wellbeing, which is a blatant usurpation of parental rights.

State Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh wrote a letter to Gov. Newsom explaining why the new law was problematic and asking him to veto it.

I share the author’s concerns regarding the mental health crisis amongst our youth. However, by removing the requirement that a minor must experience extenuating circumstances to consent to mental health services on their own, we ignore the right of parents to make informed decisions regarding their child’s health. The Legislature should instead amend Health and Safety Code 124260 to ensure that minors on Medi-Cal can access mental health services in the same way as minors who are privately insured.

With a third of our youth experiencing serious psychological distress and a 20 percent increase in adolescent suicides, the state should consider parents a partner in – rather than an obstacle to – their child’s recovery. Support systems, including our families, are effective tools in overcoming mental health challenges. Unless there are circumstances outside of the norm, parents should be included in all decisions related to their child’s health, both physical and mental.

There are a myriad of obvious problems with this law. Other than the fact that it violates parental rights, it also might cause more harm to the children involved. After all, how is a 12-year-old mature enough to make informed decisions about their mental health? Moreover, what impact will this have on the parent-child relationship? How can a parent safeguard their children’s health if they are deliberately kept in the dark about the issues their kids are facing? Even further, what right does the government have to parent people’s children behind their real parent’s backs?

This is a terrifying development given that other blue states might adopt similar policies to what California has implemented. These measures essentially give the state the power to make decisions for children that their parents should be making. But, as I’ve stated many times before: Progressives believe your children should belong to the state, not to you.

Fortunatley, there are many parents and organizations pushing back against California's effort to violate parental rights. Denise Aguilar, cofounder of Freedom Angels, has been instrumental in the effort to defend the rights of parents and their children. The Calfornia Policy Center is also intimately involved in the battle. The non-profit focuses on a series of issues, including education reform, which is important as Newsom and company is using the government to sexualize children and encourage them to embrace gender ideology.

Even further, there have been numerous instances in which California parents have shown up to school board meeting to protest against sexually inappropriate material in classrooms and district policies allowing schools to keep them in the dark about their children's gender identity. It happened in Glendale, Orange County, Natomas, and several others.

There are many who are standing up to fight against Marxist efforts to embed their ideology in education and the medical industry. Let's hope more people wake up and join the cause.