Dr Stephen Chavura has offered a compelling review of Them Before Us: Why We Need a Global Children’s Rights Movement by Katy Faust and Stacy Manning—a book that takes a much-needed stand against the modern family policies that prioritize adult happiness over children’s welfare.
Faust and Manning argue that children have a fundamental right to be raised by their biological mother and father in a stable, loving household. This arrangement, they assert, is backed by overwhelming evidence as the best environment for a child’s long-term flourishing.
In contrast, the authors critique cultural trends such as no-fault divorce, single parenthood, and practices like IVF and surrogacy, which often treat children as commodities rather than individuals with inherent rights.
The book also challenges the notion that “parenting” is gender-neutral. Mothers and fathers, Faust and Manning argue, bring complementary strengths to child-rearing, rooted in biological and emotional differences that benefit a child’s development. They highlight the dangers children face in homes with non-biological caregivers, where risks of abuse and neglect are significantly higher.
Chavura praised Them Before Us as an “important evidence-based critique of our culture’s preoccupation with adult happiness even at the cost of children’s welfare.” The work is a call to rethink modern family policies and restore children’s rights to the center of priorities. For those seeking a cultural revolution worth fighting for, Dr Chavura says, this is it.
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