Parental Independence: A Theory of the Right to Parent

How do adults get the right to parent a child? In this paper, I argue for a broadly Kantian account called “Parental Independence.” In short, Parental Independence says that when citizens set out to raise their offspring, they exercise their equal freedom to set and pursue their ends. Insofar as their pursuit of the end of parenthood avoids the domination of others, they are entitled to raise their offspring. The distinctive feature of Parental Independence is that it is neither a dual-interest nor a child-centered account of the right to parent, but is instead grounded in a commitment to Independence.