All in the Family

WHEN SHOULD THE STATE INTERVENE?

Robert K. Vischer March 19, 2007 - 12:38pm

When is it proper for the state to intervene in a family on behalf of a child’s well-being? Most Americans agree that the state can, and should, remove a child from physically abusive parents. What about parents who relentlessly mock the sexual orientation of their son? Or teach their daughter that women should never work outside the home? Or forbid their child’s exposure to any “secular” books, music, or art?

A refuge of intimacy...

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About the Author

Robert K. Vischer, a frequent contributor, is professor of law at the University of St. Thomas and the author of Conscience and the Common Good: Reclaiming the Space Between Person and State (Cambridge University Press).

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