Issue #10: Parental Rights

• Read our Research Brief on this topic: State Involvement in Parental Rights and Child Welfare (published April 6, 2004).

The issue of balancing parental rights with the state's interest in protecting child welfare ranked tenth on the list of top priorities from the Utah Priorities poll with 25% of those surveyed giving this issue a “5.”

This issue was brought to the fore in 2003 by the well-publicized case of a family charged with neglect by the Utah Division of Child and Family Services for not pursuing chemotherapy treatment for their son who had been diagnosed with a type of cancer. A follow up question referencing that case found that 51% of the respondents were “very concerned” about this issue. This was a topic of great focus in the 2004 Legislature, and more efforts at changing the law will undoubtedly be made in the next session.

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