Letters for Feb. 27, 2023

Library Protection Act

Idaho law recognizes the fundamental right of parents to make decisions concerning the care, custody and control of their children, including decisions about education, medical treatment and religious upbringing.

With these rights come obligations: helping kids learn how to think critically; helping them discern what behavior is appropriate or inappropriate; helping them learn how to navigate in the larger world. And that involves exposing them to ideas that not everybody embraces or would choose for themselves. Such exposure helps develop discernment that is essential to maturity.

Proposed House Bill 139 states that if a child under the age of 18 is allowed to access to library materials deemed “harmful to minors,” the child’s parents could file a civil lawsuit against the library for up to $10,000 plus legal fees. That flies in the face of parental authority.

Raising wise, discerning children does NOT mean banning books that state legislators deem unacceptable. It does NOT mean banning books that mention lifestyles that state legislators don’t personally espouse, or censoring images of the human body. (We all have one, by the way). Say NO to HB 139.

Deb Closson

Boise