During last night’s Virginia gubernatorial debate, Democrat nominee and former Governor Terry McAuliffe defended his veto of a bill in 2016 which would have mandated that schools inform parents of sexually explicit materials in lessons and allowed them to opt their children out of those lessons. McAuliffe stated:

“I’m not going to let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decisions. … I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.”

In response, Terry Schilling, president of American Principles Project, released the following statement calling for to Democrats nationwide to be forced to address the issue:

“In a rare moment of honesty, Terry McAuliffe said the quiet part out loud last night: Democrats believe they own our kids.

“Of course, this shouldn’t come as any surprise to those who have been paying attention to left-wing politics. For years, Democrats at every level of government have advanced policies to drive a wedge between parents and children—blocking parents from keeping tabs on what is going on in schools, undermining parents’ rights to make healthcare decisions for their kids, and now, through Biden’s misnamed ‘American Families Plan,’ yanking children out of the home at even earlier ages via universal, government-run preschool.

“But now, many parents are finally waking up to this agenda and fighting back. So Democrats like Terry McAuliffe, overcome with frustration and contempt, can no longer refrain from stating their real view: Parents should cede control of their children’s upbringing to government ‘experts’ who know better.

“This is wrong, and it is dangerous. Parents across this country will not submit to allow their children to be exposed to sexually explicit content at young ages or to be taught that their country and their ancestors are evil people who must be renounced. In light of McAuliffe’s comments, every Democrat nationwide should be forced to answer the question: Do you believe parents should have no say in their child’s education? Do you believe left-wing educrats know better how to raise kids than their own parents? Given the incredible stakes of the coming elections, voters have a right to know.”

To schedule an engagement with American Principles Project, contact Paul Dupont at (o) 202-503-2010 or pdupont@americanprinciplesproject.org.