Brazil Must Uphold the Rule of Law and Respect the Family

The recent criminal sentencing of Brazilian parents Audato and Ieda Denardi for homeschooling their children should concern every nation committed to human dignity, parental rights, and the rule of law. While reasonable people may debate educational policy, no government should criminalize devoted parents who are faithfully educating their children and acting in accordance with their deeply held convictions.

At stake is a principle far greater than homeschooling. The case raises a foundational question for every free society: Does the family exist by permission of the state, or does the state exist to protect the family?

The answer is neither novel nor controversial. It is rooted in biblical truth, natural law, and international human rights law. The family is the first and most fundamental institution of society. Government does not create the family. Rather, the family precedes government and serves as the primary community through which children are nurtured, educated, and formed in character.

Scripture teaches that parents bear primary responsibility for the instruction and formation of their children. Moses commanded Israel, “These words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). Likewise, parents are instructed to raise their children “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). These responsibilities are not delegated first to the state. They belong first to mothers and fathers.

Natural law reaches the same conclusion. Human beings possess inherent dignity because they are created with a nature that precedes political authority. Parents possess a natural duty to care for and educate their children, and corresponding rights flow from those duties. A government that claims authority to displace parents in the ordinary upbringing of their children exceeds its proper role and undermines the very social order it exists to protect.

International law likewise recognizes the family as society’s foundational institution. Brazil is a member of the United Nations and has long affirmed the principles set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which declares in Article 16 that “the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.” Article 26 further recognizes that “parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.”

Brazil is also a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Article 18 requires states to respect “the liberty of parents” to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions. Similarly, the American Convention on Human Rights recognizes the rights and responsibilities of parents in directing the upbringing and education of their children. These principles are not obstacles to a healthy society. They are essential safeguards of liberty and the common good.

The rule of law requires governments to exercise power within lawful limits and in a manner consistent with fundamental rights. It requires respect for institutions that stand between the individual and the state. Chief among those institutions is the family.

The Denardi case sends a troubling message. When parents who are conscientiously educating their children become subjects of criminal prosecution, government risks replacing parental authority with state control. Such a course weakens civil society and threatens the very freedoms that international human rights instruments were designed to protect.

Brazil has long been a respected voice in the international community and a nation deeply influenced by faith, family, and democratic ideals. Its leaders now have an opportunity to reaffirm those commitments. The proper response is not the criminalization of parents, but the protection of parental rights consistent with the nation’s constitutional and international obligations.

A just society recognizes that strong families build strong nations. The Brazilian government should therefore uphold the rule of law, honor its international commitments, and respect the family as the natural and fundamental unit of society. In doing so, it will not only protect the rights of parents and children, but also strengthen the foundation upon which every free and flourishing nation depends.