Florida parents just got another powerful weapon in their fight to control what happens to their children.
Democrats and their allies in the medical establishment aren’t going to like this one bit.
And Florida Republicans just filed one bill that will restore parental rights in ways Democrats never saw coming.
Grall and Kendall Lead Charge to Expand Parental Authority Over Minors’ Healthcare
Florida Republicans filed legislation that would dramatically expand parental control over minors’ medical decisions – and it’s already driving the Left into fits of rage.¹
Rep. Kim Kendall sponsored HB 173, with an identical Senate bill (SB 166) carried by Sen. Erin Grall.²
The legislation requires explicit parental consent before minors can receive treatment for sexually transmissible diseases, mental health services, and even follow-up care after crisis intervention.³
https://twitter.com/GarySonnyChiba/status/1977909885837746397
Here’s what really has liberals squirming – the bill eliminates a loophole that previously allowed doctors to give minors contraceptives without telling mom and dad if the physician thought the kid would suffer "health hazards" without them.⁴
That’s right – doctors have been making these calls about YOUR children without YOUR knowledge.
The legislation also kills an exception that let minors access crisis mental health services on their own.⁵
Now parents will know when their kids seek help – as they should.
Schools won’t be able to hide information from parents anymore either.
The bill grants parents the right to review and provide written consent before any school survey that could reveal family political beliefs, sexual behavior, religious practices, or mental health conditions.⁶
Even the use of biofeedback devices – instruments measuring bodily functions outside healthcare facilities – will require parental approval under this legislation.⁷
Democrats Killed Similar Legislation Last Year
This isn’t Grall and Kendall’s first rodeo with this issue.
They carried nearly identical legislation last session, but it died before reaching the governor’s desk.⁸
Democrats and their media allies worked overtime to kill that bill, claiming it would prevent minors from getting "necessary care."
The real story? They were terrified of parents regaining control.
If this bill passes the 2026 legislative session starting January 16, it takes effect July 1, 2026.⁹
Six-Year Battle to Restore What Government Bureaucrats Stole
Grall has been waging this fight since 2019 when she first introduced parental consent requirements for minors seeking abortions.¹⁰
That bill passed the Florida House but died in the Senate.¹⁰ She kept coming back – reintroducing it in 2020 until it finally became law with Governor Ron DeSantis’s signature.¹¹
Then Grall shifted to education, co-sponsoring the Parental Rights in Education Act in 2022 – the bill the media dishonestly branded as "Don’t Say Gay."¹²
That legislation prohibited classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade and required schools to notify parents about mental health services.¹²
The pattern is clear – Grall identified every avenue where government bureaucrats were cutting parents out of decisions about their own children, then systematically closed those loopholes one by one.
In 2021, she successfully passed the Parents’ Bill of Rights, establishing fundamental parental authority over children’s education, healthcare, and upbringing.¹³
That law recognized what should have been obvious all along – parents, not government officials, have primary authority over their kids.
Just this past April, the Florida House passed HB 1505, requiring parental consent for minors to receive STI treatment.¹⁴
Democrats fought that one too, with Rep. Angie Nixon calling it "horrible" and claiming it would leave "blood" on lawmakers’ hands.¹⁵
The bill passed anyway on a party-line vote.¹⁴
The Medical Establishment’s Dirty Little Secret
Look, here’s what they’re not telling you about these exceptions for minors to get medical care without parental knowledge.
Doctors and healthcare providers had carte blanche to decide whether a teenager would face "health hazards" without contraception – then provide it behind parents’ backs. No clear standards. No oversight. Just their personal judgment about YOUR child.
The crisis mental health exception was even worse.
A 13-year-old could walk into a facility, receive counseling and treatment, and parents would never know what their child discussed or what medications were prescribed.¹⁶
Grall and Kendall’s legislation doesn’t prevent treatment – it just requires what should have been mandatory all along: telling parents what’s happening with their minor children.
Schools have been just as bad, administering surveys that probe into family life, political beliefs, and sexual behavior without giving parents a chance to review the questions first.⁶
That ends if this bill becomes law.
Democrats Fear Losing Control Over Children
Democrats and their allies claim these bills will prevent minors in abusive situations from getting help.
But the legislation specifically exempts parental consent requirements when parents are being investigated for crimes against their children.³
What really terrifies them? Parents regaining authority that liberal bureaucrats have been systematically stripping away for decades.
Grall has been playing the long game here.
She started with abortion in 2019, moved to education in 2022, and now she’s coming for healthcare. Each victory builds momentum for the next fight.
If HB 173 passes, it completes a fundamental shift in Florida law – putting parents back in charge of every major decision affecting their minor children’s wellbeing.
The legislative session begins in just three months. Democrats will pull out every stop to kill this bill just like they did last year.
But Grall and Kendall know something the Left doesn’t want to admit – Florida parents are winning this fight, and they’re not backing down until their rights are fully restored.
¹ Michelle Vecerina, "Florida GOP bill strengthens parental rights on health and school matters," Florida News, October 16, 2025.
² – ⁹ Ibid.
¹⁰ "Erin Grall," Wikipedia, July 4, 2025.
¹¹ Ibid.
¹² "Florida Parental Rights in Education Act," Wikipedia, August 15, 2025.
¹³ "Erin Grall," Wikipedia, July 4, 2025.
¹⁴ "Teens need parental consent to get STI treatment, but not to work full-time, House votes," Florida Phoenix, April 25, 2025.
¹⁵ "Bill expanding Florida’s parental rights for health care services passes House floor," FL Voice News, April 25, 2025.
¹⁶ "FLORIDA – CONSENT ISSUES," Medical Economics, November 12, 2020.
