A legal shield for “free-range parenting” is being debated at the State House in Concord.
New Hampshire lawmakers said they’re trying to balance parental rights with the well-being of children.
House Bill 1012 would shield so-called “free-range parents” from criminal charges as long as their parenting decisions result in no actual injury or harm to the child, or if any injury or harm is the result of an unavoidable or unforeseen accident.
“Somewhere along the way, we’ve decided that our children cannot do anything unless we’re 2 feet away from them watching them,” said state Rep. Mark Proulx, R-Manchester. “They don’t get any life experiences. You’ve got to scrape your knees a few times to figure out not to do that.”
Some lawmakers said they support child freedom and independence, but they said the bill isn’t the best way to encourage them.
“According to this, this feels like it would leave an exception for parents who want to just keep their kid in the house all day long, all year round and never see another human being,” said state Rep. Alissandra Murray, D-Manchester. “That would be allowed with this bill. There’s just no account for the mental and emotional well-being of these kids.”
“If you have a situation where, God forbid, a parent throws their child into a basement and literally throws down a bag of bread for days at a time, that is illegal, and this bill will not make that be legal by any means,” said state Rep. Jennifer Rhodes, R-Winchester.
The bill sparked a lot of discussion and debate. Even some who like the idea say it may not be workable.
Because of those concerns, the House Criminal Justice Committee ultimately adopted a bipartisan amendment to protect a parent’s right to allow their child to take reasonable risks, while maintaining judicial discretion.
Adam Sexton, WMUR
