The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops praised the Supreme Court for their decision in the case Mahmoud v. Taylor, which was released on Friday, June 27.
The case concerned a group of public school parents from Montgomery County, Maryland, who were told they could not have their children "opt-out" of lessons featuring "LGBTQ+-inclusive" storybooks. Catholic parents were represented in the group of plaintiffs, which included parents of various faiths.
The Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that parents should be allowed to "opt-out" from these kinds of lessons, and that parents in Montgomery County should be warned in advance that one of the "LGBTQ+-inclusive" books will be used in their child's class.
Justice Samuel Alito authored the majority opinion. Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.
"[W]e hold that the Board's introduction of the 'LGBTQ+-inclusive' storybooks — combined with its decision to withhold notice to parents and to forbid opt outs — substantially interferes with the religious development of their children and imposes the kind of burden on religious exercise," said Alito.
Alito called Montgomery County's polices "a chilling vision of the power of the state to strip away the critical right of parents to guide the religious development of their children."
Bishops respond
A statement released shortly after the decision from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops lauded the Supreme Court's decision.
“Parents have a right to direct their children’s education, especially regarding subjects that touch on faith and morals,” said Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades.
Rhoades is the bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, and is the chairman of the USCCB's religious liberty committee.
“Public schools in our diverse country include families from many communities with a variety of deep-seated convictions about faith and morals," he said. "When these schools address issues that touch on these matters, they ought to respect all families. Parents do not forfeit their rights as primary educators of their children when they send their kids to public schools."
When the parents in Montgomery County asked to remove their children from these lessons, "they did not seek to impose their religious viewpoints on others," said Rhoades. "They simply asked to opt out of a program that was offensive to their faith."
“To be sure, children should not be learning that their personal identity as male or female can be separated from their bodies," said the bishop.
"But if a public school chooses to offer these kinds of programs, it ought to respect those who choose not to participate. The school board was wrong to interfere with the rights of the parents, and I am grateful that the Supreme Court has moved to rectify this injustice.”
