Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-Illinois-15th) has reintroduced the Parents Opt-In Protection Act in the House of Representatives, aiming to strengthen and affirm parental rights in education. This initiative is particularly timely as Illinois is implementing a new state mandate that requires children to answer sensitive mental health questions without obtaining consent from their parents.
On July 31, 2025, Illinois governor JB Pritzker signed SB1560 into law. The bill mandates school districts provide universal mental health screenings for all students at least once a year. The state requires these screenings begin when a child is in the third grade.
Although the bill promotes itself as a robust “mental health initiative,” it essentially leaves out the child’s family from the process. While there is an opt-out option for parents, it appears to be an afterthought. Parents are not directly asked if they believe these surveys could harm their child’s well-being; instead, the decision is made at the state level for every student. Parents must proactively take action to withdraw their child, should they even know the screenings exist.
SB1560 appears to grant the state control over children’s mental health, something they have mishandled many times before now. The Illinois education system in particular is known for promoting harmful gender agendas that endorse “wrong body” mental health ideas and excessively sexualized school curriculum.
Many of the bill’s adversaries say SB1650’s screening mandate is “disastrous policy that will do vastly more harm than good” as it could lead to mass “false positives.” Abigail Shrier, author of Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters, published her concerns in The Free Press, citing that the false positive rate for mental health screenings can be as high as 97%, which overwhelms the accurate diagnoses and limits care for children who need it.
Additionally, mental health screening has often been associated with coercive gender transitions, where children are questioned about their sense of self and satisfaction with their bodies after their parents are asked to leave the room during a doctor’s visit.
Shrier also flags concerns about the parents’ opt out policy. She writes:
Most parents will never learn that the “opt out” exists. And many of those who do will find out how little it often means in practice. Over the years, many parents who opted out of sexual orientation and gender identity instruction for their children have told me that the school staff either didn’t know about their opt out or simply ignored it.
That’s where Congresswoman Mary Miller’s bill comes into play.
She told Breitbart News, “J.B. Pritzker’s plan to impose invasive ‘mental health screenings’ on kids, forcing parents to jump through hoops to opt out, is ridiculous and unacceptable.”
The Parents Opt-In Protection Act puts parents back in control and guards children from invasive probing by the state. If the bill passes, the state of Illinois and others would have to receive written consent from a minor’s parents before conducting mental health testing.
Currently, the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) handles families’ rights regarding surveys, analysis, and evaluations, specifically concerning mental or psychological issues and sex behaviors or attitudes. Congresswoman Miller’s bill would amend the PPRA to specify that a parent should be asked for their written consent before conducting any potentially sensitive evaluations with their child, including Illinois’ universal screening.
Original co-sponsors of the Parent Opt-In Protection Act include Congressman Andy Harris (R-Maryland-1st), Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger (R-Tennessee-1st), Congressman Michael Cloud (R-Texas-27th), Congressman Eric Burlison (R-Missouri-7th), and more.
Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee is proud to support Congresswoman Miller’s efforts to protect families’ rights in Congress, notably through the Parent Opt-In Protection Act. Parents should never be sidelined from their child’s health.