Rand Gestures, Just the Vax, Ma’am Dept. 0
Rekha Basu spotlights a (yet another) disconnect in Rand Paul’s reasoning. Here’s a bit:
“States don’t own the children,” declared Paul, who is considering a run for president. “Parents own the children.”
No, we don’t own our children. From slavery to child sexual abuse, the notion of owning another human has led to nothing good. Legally, we’re responsible for our kids and their care, feeding and safety until they’re old enough to take care of themselves. But they are autonomous human beings, which is why, unlike property, there are laws and standards governing what we can and can’t do to them culled not just from individual whims and wishes, but from knowledge of child development, mental and physical health and education.