Hillary Clinton once asserted, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Not to be outdone, California State Senator Richard Pan believes it takes an entire state government to raise a child considering his bill, SB 18 — The Bill of Rights for Children and Youth in California.

Our society has a multitude of laws to serve and protect children, including numerous programs that provide food, housing and health services to children and their families, along with prohibitions against various forms of child abuse, neglect, mandatory school attendance, prohibitions against child labor and the like. Nonetheless, Sen. Pan doesn’t believe government has enough authority in our families.

Upon first reading of the bill, one would think that it is well-intentioned. It applies to all children regardless of religion, gender, immigration status, national origin, sexual orientation and culture. But, as always, the devil is in the details! For instance, the first provision states that children have “The rights to parents, guardians, or caregivers who act in their best interest.” Stop right there and consider who is going to make the judgment call about what is in a child’s best interest? The phrase “best interest of the child” is often invoked in divorce custody proceedings when spouses disagree over what is best for the child. However, thanks to SB 18, this provision could be used to counter parents who agree with one another while either the state government or the child has another opinion on the matter!

Other provisions of the bill recognize the right of children to social and emotional well-being, the right to optimal cognitive, physical and social development, along with appropriate, quality education. Again, who is going to make the judgment call as to the standards of these provisions? Certainly not the parents! This bill interposes state authority for the exact purpose of intervening in the home to counter parental authority and discretion as it exists today. Moreover, all the buzzwords in these provisions could be used to undermine school choice, religious freedom and even family tradition and culture if, in the opinion of our state government, they have a better idea of how to raise kids.

The irony here is that this bill could backfire big-time on the liberal do-gooders in our state government. For instance, another provision recognizes the right of children to form healthy attachments with adults responsible for their care and well-being. This provision, coupled with the rest of the bill, could be used to take kids away from inner city hellholes where the kids are bereft of responsible parents, competent schools and safe neighborhoods.

This bill has more to do with expanding the power of nanny statists than it is about the rights of children. Unfortunately, our state legislature will never force Sen. Pan to delineate exactly which problems he is attempting to address or who will make the judgment calls and create the standards by which kids should be raised. And, as usual, you can bet that conservative parents will be in the crosshair of this legislation if it becomes law.

The left can’t bear to think that parents know what is best for their children and have their best interests in mind without government imposition and interference. This bill is going to radically inflate and distort what constitutes child abuse and neglect in order to conform to a diabolical progressive notion of how to raise children, including such things as whether the child is getting the right amount of exercise, and the right food, values and religion!

Andy Caldwell is the executive director of COLAB and the host of The Andy Caldwell Show weekdays from 3-5 p.m. on News-Press Radio AM 1290.