Topic: Horowitz
In an April 4 FrontPageMag article, the Ayn Rand Institute's Thomas A. Bowden writes about the California homeschooling case: "Education, like nutrition, should be recognized as the exclusive domain of a child's parents, within legal limits objectively defining child abuse and neglect."
Bowden fails to note that there was an issue of "child abuse and neglect" in the "Rachel L." case he cites. As we detailed, the California Dependency Court found that Rachel "has been physically and emotionally abused by father and mother did not take steps to protect her, Rachel was sexually abused by [a friend of the family] and the parents did not protect her from him." Further, the court found -- corroborated by Rachel's own testimony -- that the quality of the homeschooling Rachel was receiving was abysmal.
Is this enough "child abuse and neglect" for Bowden to intervene? Or does objectivist philosophy forbid that?
