An Indiana Christian couple who lost custody of their son after refusing to honor his gender identity and preferred pronouns have petitioned SCOTUS to hear their case.
In 2019, Jeremy and Mary Cox of Anderson, Indiana, about 40 miles northeast of Indianapolis, learned that their son, known only as AC, had changed his name and started identifying as a girl. Ta.as Alternating current The couple refused to follow the boy’s new name or female identity because the boy was still a teenager and his gender ideology conflicted with his Catholic faith.
Instead, my parents installed an air conditioner treatment This is to deal with his gender dysphoria and apparent eating disorder. All the while, they continued to treat him as a biological male.
Despite these parents’ reasonable decisions, the Indiana Department of Children’s Services removed AC from the Cox family’s custody and placed him in a “transition-affirming facility” two years later, when AC turned 16. . At that point, the Coxes were able to meet with AC. She claimed in a statement that she was prohibited from discussing her religiously based views on gender and human sexuality with him only “once a week for a few hours.” becketta legal organization that promotes religious freedom, is representing the couple.
The Coxes also claimed that AC’s eating disorder, and by extension his overall mental health, worsened in a “positive” environment.
“This is what every parent fears,” the Coxes wrote in their paper. statement. “We loved our son and wanted to take care of him, but the state of Indiana robbed us of that opportunity by removing him from our home and forbidding us from talking to him about his gender. ”
Although a subsequent state investigation determined in court documents that the Coxes were “fit” parents and that the child abuse allegations were “unfounded,” the Indiana Court of Appeals still ruled that A.C. I supported the decision to remove it. The state Supreme Court declined to hear their case.
State officials initially defended their decision to remove the AC, arguing in court that the boy “should be at home with his girlfriend.” [ac]Now that AC is 18 years old, they have changed their tune and claimed the incident is moot.
Last Thursday, Mr. Beckett filed the following documents: Petition for writ of certiorari The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the Coxes before the U.S. Supreme Court, not only disagrees with the argument that the lawsuit is invalid, but also argues that the case “raises a question of national importance that is sure to reoccur without this court’s intervention.” ”, he claimed.
“Given the urgent national debate over parental rights and the treatment of gender dysphoria, all parties agree that this debate involves important, life-changing issues, but the court has found that this unique “The right of parents to share their religious beliefs regarding gender with others – their children – should be clarified through appropriate means,” the petition states.
The Coxes added, “We hope that a judge will take up our case and protect other parents from having to endure the same nightmare that we did.”
Cox family testimony videowww.youtube.com
SCOTUS has already requested briefs from Indiana officials, which Beckett and the Coxes see as a hopeful sign that SCOTUS will agree to hear the case. The court is expected to decide whether to hear the case by June.
Even if the court were to grant the suit, the ruling would not affect Cox’s custody rights over AC, as he is already an adult. But the couple still wants SCOTUS to confirm the primacy of parental and religious rights and give them peace of mind that other minor children will not be similarly deprived of care. .
“Multiple studies have confirmed that interactions with children’s services increase the likelihood of future investigations,” the petition states harshly.
“If this can happen in Indiana, it can happen anywhere,” said Lori Windham, vice president and senior counsel at Beckett. “Separating children from their loving parents because of religious beliefs shared by millions of Americans is an outrage against the law, parental rights, and basic human decency.
“If the Supreme Court doesn’t take up this case, how many times will this happen to other families?”
CBN has reached out to the Indiana Department of Children’s Services and the Attorney General’s Office, which is representing IDCS in this case, for comment.
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