Help Stop a Dangerous Expansion of Court Power Over Families in Ohio!

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Ohio lawmakers are advancing legislation that would give courts sweeping authority to override parents’ decisions — including medical and vaccination choices — even when there is no evidence of harm to a child.

SB 174 replaces the long-standing legal concept of “parental rights” with “parenting responsibilities” and grants courts the “complete discretion” to reassign those responsibilities based on vague and undefined standards.

Under this bill, courts would be empowered to:

• Override parenting plans created by parents
• Dictate medical, educational, and health decisions for children
• Restrict parental access to records, schools, or communication with their child
• Declare a parent “unsuitable” based on loosely defined criteria
• Impose court-created parenting plans with “any other provision” the court chooses

The bill lowers the evidentiary standard for stripping parents of decision-making authority to a “preponderance of the evidence” — the weakest legal threshold — and relies heavily on subjective concepts such as a child’s “best interest,” “detrimental,” or “danger to physical development,” none of which are clearly defined.

Of particular concern, medical decision-making is explicitly included within the scope of court-controlled parenting responsibilities, yet the bill fails to define what constitutes a child’s “health care needs.”

Ohio law currently offers no protection for parents who decline vaccination from being deemed neglectful, and SB 174 opens the door for courts to mandate medical interventions — including vaccines — over parental objection.

This bill represents a serious shift away from parental autonomy and toward government control of family life.

SB 174 has already passed the Ohio Senate and now moves to the Ohio House of Representatives, where it can still be stopped.

Please act TODAY.

TAKE ACTION

Contact your Ohio State Representative and urge them to OPPOSE SB 174.

Find your Ohio Representative here:
 https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislators/district-maps

Phone calls are most effective, but emails help too.

SAMPLE SCRIPT

“Hello, my name is ___, and I’m a constituent. I’m calling to urge Representative ___ to OPPOSE SB 174.

This bill replaces parental rights with court-controlled ‘parenting responsibilities’ and gives judges broad discretion to override parents’ decisions — even when there is no evidence of harm and parents are in total agreement with each other.

SB 174 allows courts to dictate medical, educational, and health decisions using vague and undefined standards, and it lowers the threshold for removing parental authority to the weakest legal standard.

Parents — not courts — should have the primary authority to make decisions for their children.

Please vote NO on SB 174 and protect parental rights.

Thank you.”

TALKING POINTS

1. Parents are presumed fit to make decisions for their children. SB 174 erodes this foundational legal principle by allowing courts to override parental judgment without evidence of abuse or harm.

2. Parental rights are fundamental rights, not privileges granted by the state.
    Redefining parental rights as “responsibilities” reframes parenting as something the government may supervise, reassign, or revoke.

3. Courts should intervene only when a child is in danger—not simply because a judge disagrees with parental choices. SB 174 expands judicial authority far beyond protecting children from harm and into routine family decision-making.

4. Courts already have the authority to intervene in cases of abuse or neglect — SB 174 goes far beyond that and invites unnecessary government intrusion.

5. Medical decisions belong within the parent-child relationship, not the courtroom. Allowing judges to control medical care undermines informed consent and the deeply personal nature of healthcare decisions.

6. Vague legal standards invite arbitrary and inconsistent rulings.
    Undefined terms like “best interest,” “detrimental,” or “danger” leave families vulnerable to subjective opinions rather than clear legal protections.

7. Lowering the burden of proof makes it easier to strip parents of authority.
    Using the weakest evidentiary standard opens the door for parental rights to be limited based on speculation rather than facts.

8. SB 174 allows courts to take control over nearly every aspect of a child’s life. Court-created parenting plans can dictate schooling, medical decisions, access to health records, communication, holidays, and daily decision-making—areas parents are fully capable of managing together without government interference.

MORE INFORMATION

SB 174 — Bill text, status, and history:
 https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/136/sb174

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