by Kevin Swanson

Praise God for the “island of freedom!” In the 1990s, we began to see this metaphorical island developing in the United States, as well as in other countries around the world. While liberties were being curtailed by over-zealous legislators and bureaucracies, we were amazed to see the island forming for those who wanted to opt-out of state control over every part of life. 

To the present day, we are still amazed to watch the US Supreme Court carve out exceptions for the Montana School Tax Credit, and the Little Sisters of the Poor who didn’t want to subject themselves to the Contraceptive/Abortifacient insurance mandate. While the direction of the courts and the legislatures have taken the nation in the wrong direction, God has still provided some breathing room to Christian families and ministries. 

First, the island formed for anybody who wanted to homeschool their children here in the US and elsewhere. While schools were turning increasingly progressive (or “regressive” depending on how you look at it), some parents objected to the agenda. They looked to opt-out on the control and the programs. Several parents went to prison for it, but we were amazed to see homeschooling win in almost every court case and legislative battle. 

Parental rights for those families whose children attend public schools has diminished greatly over 10 years.  Beginning with the Brown and Mozert cases, public-schooling parents lost ground in controlling any aspect of their children’s education. In Fields v. Palmdale, the 9th circuit clearly ruled against parents who wanted to exempt their primary school children from an explicit sex survey. The justices ruled that, “…Once parents make the choice as to which school their children will attend, their fundamental right to control the education of their children is, at the least, substantially diminished.”

For the 20 years I have worked with Christian Home Educators of Colorado, I have stood amazed to watch homeschooling exempted in so many legislative battles at the Capitol. From the several attempts to further restrict the compulsory attendance age to many attempts to mandate vaccines, homeschooling families have been exempted by amendment over and over again. I can’t think of a case we have lost in the arena of parental rights over the last three decades! 

Under the Obama administration, Christians were exempted from Obamacare and its abortifacient-coverage mandate from the get-go, through the Christian Medical Sharing exemption. Millions of Christians have taken advantage of this exemption, saving $40 billion in ten years (about $215,000 per family). And, they didn’t even have to fund abortions and abortifacients as part of the plan!  

Here’s what I see is happening. Those who seek to take responsibility of their children’s education, upbringing, and healthcare are also provided the freedoms to do so. For some reason, God has rewarded us with remarkable liberties during one of the most difficult times in the history of Western society. Let’s take advantage of it, and continue to defend the precious liberties — the island of freedom — for our children and grandchildren to come.

Editor’s Note: We praise God for the island of freedom that He has provided for Colorado families! We don’t take this freedom for granted and are committed to fighting to defend the gift God has given us. This summer we are raising funds for the CHEC Homeschool Freedom Team, led by CHEC Legislative Liaison Carolyn Martin. You can be a part of this stand for freedom through your donation. 

Donate to the Freedom Fund

About the Author: Kevin Swanson

Kevin has 43 years of experience in the homeschooling movement; he served as executive director for CHEC for 10 years before becoming the director of Generations here (an affiliate of CHEC) – a ministry he founded to strengthen homeschool families around the country. Kevin’s passion is to strengthen and encourage the homeschooling movement all over the world. He is the author of The Story of Freedom — The History of Western Liberties, available at Generations here.