Moms for Liberty stand up for parental rights at all levels of government
SAN LUIS OBISPO — On Friday, Jul. 23, crowds gathered in front of the San Luis Obispo (SLO) Government Center to rally for children’s and families’ rights to mask and vaccine choice. The rally was just one of many rallies organized by the SLO Chapter of Moms for Liberty that have occurred or are scheduled to occur over the next month.
Moms for Liberty is a national organization that explains that they are made up of “moms, dads, grandparents and community members that have a desire to stand up for parental rights at all levels of government. The founders’ Tiffany Justice and Tina Descovich, are two moms on a mission to stoke the fires of liberty. As former school board members, they witnessed how short-sighted and destructive policies directly hurt children and families. Now they are using their first-hand knowledge and experience to unite parents who are ready to fight those that stand in the way of liberty.”
Moms for Liberty began with two small chapters in Florida, and in a matter of five months, grew to over thirty chapters in eighteen states.
“We launched Moms for Liberty because we saw parents who didn’t have a voice in the education system,” said Descovich.
“It’s about empowering parents—women and men, mothers and fathers—to be the watchdogs of their district, to re-engage in their children’s education,” said Justice. “Your parental rights do not stop at the classroom door.”
Political tensions surrounding masks and vaccines have been heating up as the return to school quickly approaches. Local school boards have made it clear in recent meetings that they have grown dependent upon Government funding which is—ethically or not— expressly tied to their political compliance. They now find themselves facing increasing pressure on a second front, in the form of concerned parents who would rather protect the health of their children than protect politically-motivated funding channels.
“The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is funded by Pfizer. That is all you need to hear about that. Every decision you’re making here today is money-driven, just as the AAP. All we’ve heard about is the funding. When are you going to start worrying about the well-being of the children?” said Jennifer Grinager, Chair of the SLO Chapter of Moms for Liberty, as she addressed the Atascadero School Board on Jul. 22.. Grinager holds a Bachelors’ degree in Child Development and a Master’s of Science in Counseling, along with a license to practice Marriage and Family Therapy.
According to the AAP website, “The AAP CATCH Program is made possible through the generous support of Pfizer, Inc, with additional support from individual donations through the AAP Friends of Children Fund.”
The AAP website also states that “children were 0.00 percent to 0.26 percent of all COVID-19 deaths, and eight states reported zero child deaths,” since the advent of COVID-19, and “In states reporting, 0.00 percent to 0.03 percent of all child COVID-19 cases resulted in death.”
Atascadero resident Christa Abma, a self-employed mother of five, argues that—at least in the case of children—the risk of physical and emotional health caused by wearing a mask is more dangerous than the risk posed by COVID-19.
“For children… it’s a guaranteed daily risk versus the low chance of the child dying from COVID,” said Abma. “A child getting sick is normal—I’m not sure why we are acting like it’s not normal or even healthy for a child to build up their anti-bodies…let our bodies work how God designed them to work.”
Grinager agrees, stating, “For children, in particular, I do believe that the risk from masks is far greater than the risk of COVID. The CDC and CDPH have not been consistent with any information surrounding COVID since the beginning except for one thing, they have maintained all along that kids do not easily get COVID nor spread it…The CDC finally came out with their research on the matter a few months ago and have specified that kids don’t have ACE 2 receptors developed yet, something that is key in contracting and spreading COVID. Kids older than 11 years start to develop ACE 2 receptors, but they have a lesser amount. For the children who do get COVID, it is very mild; unless they have an underlying health condition that is serious, then they are at greater risk. The death rate of children in our Nation is .0003 percent. However, the death of children by suicide has gone up in our Nation, in some reports, as much as 300 percent. There is a long list of issues and problems being seen in children due to mask-wearing.”
“Freedom to choose is all we are asking for,” Abma continued. “If you want your child to wear a mask, go for it. If your child wants to wear a mask, go for it. But no one should have to be forced to put one on their child. Just allow the kids to get back to normal schedule and routine…Schools need to go back to the basics, and the government needs to just let teachers teach, so our kids can learn.”
