Parents override a child's right to be consulted on decisions that directly affect their life
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The Situation
What They Said
“We do not need to ask the child — we are the parents and we decide what is best.”
This phrase is used when parents or guardians are making a significant decision affecting a child — such as school transfer, living arrangements, or medical treatment — and dismiss any suggestion that the child should be consulted.
The Fallacy
Appeal to Authority / Non Sequitur
This argument is a non sequitur: the fact that parents have authority over a child does not logically follow that the child has no right to be consulted. Authority and consultation are not mutually exclusive. Parents can retain full decision-making power while still being required to hear the child's views. The argument also treats parental authority as absolute, which is rejected by children's rights principles in many legal systems.
What the Law Says
Your Legal Foundation
Código Civil y Comercial de la Nación
art. 26 del Código Civil y Comercial de la Nación — Child's right to be heard
“The minor has the right to be heard in any judicial process that concerns them as well as to participate in decisions about their person.”
Even though parents have legal representation rights, the law explicitly grants the child the right to be heard and participate in decisions about their person, which includes significant decisions like school transfer or medical treatment. Thus, dismissing the child's input outright violates this legal right.
What Scripture Says
God's Word on This
Colossians 3:21 (NET)
“Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they will not become discouraged.”
Scripture warns parents against actions that discourage or frustrate children — consistently excluding children from decisions that affect their lives risks exactly this harm.
Proverbs 15:22 (NET)
“Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with abundant advisers they are established.”
Seeking counsel — including from those most directly affected — leads to wiser decisions; dismissing the child's perspective deprives decision-making of a crucial source of insight.
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You Know the Law — But Do You Know What to Say?
Reading your rights is one thing. Using them under pressure — calmly, correctly, in the right words — is what actually protects you. Members get the scripted rebuttal for this exact situation: what to say first, what to say if they push back, the tone to use, and the constitutional provision to cite. Practise out loud with audio until it's automatic.