Parents have God-given authority over their children

In the Bible it is parents who have the responsibility for raising children. Parents have a God-given authority over their children. The fifth commandment requires a child to honour its father and mother (Exodus 20:12). This was quoted by Jesus and by the Apostle Paul.

Child abuse is wrong and entirely incompatible with Scripture. Instead, the Bible expects parents to exercise loving discipline over their children. As part of this, most parents use mild physical chastisement such as smacking. Discipline must not be harsh. Fathers are told to instruct children according to what is good and not to exasperate their children (Ephesians 6:4). That discipline can be painful is clearly accepted in Scripture (e.g. Hebrews 12:7-11). Making the administration of reasonable chastisement a criminal offence is wrong, as are other moves which usurp the authority of parents.

Christians ought particularly to be concerned by any proposals which weaken the moral protections for children. Jesus gave a serious warning of judgment against those who cause children to sin (Matthew 18:6). This is an apt warning in these days when children have their innocence stolen from them.

Parents are ultimately responsible for the education of their children, even where this has been delegated to the state. This is rightly reflected in UK law (e.g. Education Act 1996, Sections 7 and 9). Pupils should be educated in line with their parents’ values and the state should not undermine those values, other than in the most exceptional circumstances.

The unique role of parents must also be upheld in decisions about healthcare. The presumption should be that parents make decisions about what is in their child’s best interests. The threshold for overturning this presumption should be very high. In several prominent cases, views of parents have been discounted too readily.