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Minority and Sin
Robert A. Heinlein stated that “Age is not an accomplishment, and youth is not a sin.” However, the current legislation surrounding youth minority in the United States implies that our concept of minority and the Christian concept of sin are not unrelated. Much as Christians surrender control to their God, minors are forced to surrender…
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For Their Own Good: A Study of the Mass Theft of Sheep’s Clothing
When debating the more minor issues of youth rights, one is often faced with a question, such as “Why do you care?” One person quoted the issue of curfews as failing a hypothetical “so what” test. Much of the difficulty in debating this type of question is the assumption that any given issue is discrete…
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#16tovote on the 16th – October 2011
Can you believe it? Just completed the 21st run of #16tovote on the 16th! Been doing this a while and the recaps of them all can be found right here on this blog. And yet, despite it being single-issue, despite it having been done 21 times now, each run is unique! I admit it. I…
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Why Sixteen? Well, Why Not?
Another #16tovote on the 16th is coming up on Sunday, and perhaps the most common question I get during and about it, just as any of us campaigning for this lower voting age in some way, from supporters and opponents alike, is “why sixteen?” Well… why not sixteen? True, this organization’s official position on lowering…
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2010-2011 NYRA Annual Report Released
NYRA is pleased to release this year’s Annual Report. The report covers all of last year’s campaigns and projects as well as an operations update and a financial report. This was a very active year for the organization and there is no better place to read up on all NYRA has accomplished for youth rights….
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#16tovote on the 16th – September 2011
Just finished the 20th run of #16tovote on the 16th! With a decent 47 participants, we as usual tweeted and tweeted about why the voting age should be lower. This time a focus was mostly on emphasizing what basic rights, liberties, and protections those without voting rights lack, that gaining voting rights is a ticket…
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Child development: an ageist guide to condescension the professional way
When I noticed my parents reading a packet on child development distributed by a school that I otherwise respect, I immediately confiscated it, knowing the likely contents. After reading through it, I wrote this rebuttal. The letter explains the rest. Hello, As part of their back to school process, the school I attend distributed your…
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Youth Rights Is a Feminist Issue
The degree to which the third (current) wave of feminism ignores youth rights issues has always boggled my mind. Historically, second wave feminist leaders like Shulamith Firestone made important contributions to youth rights theory and discussed the oppression of children as an important social fact like the oppression of women and African-Americans. Sadly, while third…
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NYRA Runs Lower the Drinking Age Billboard
NYRA is beginning a local advertising campaign in Abilene, Texas to initiate reforms towards a lower drinking age and to raise awareness of youth rights. This campaign will direct Texas residents to the NYRA site where they can find answers to their frequently asked questions, get legal research on drinking age laws for all 50…
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A New Age of NYRA – Updates and Announcements
The National Youth Rights Association has such an immense history of impacts it’s made on the country. At one point in time we had members testifying in front of legislatures, influencing supreme court decisions, appearing on news outlets regularly, and successfully leading campaigns to lower the voting age in states’ local elections. And then… things…
Idaho Law Prevents Minors from Accessing Suicide Hotline without Parent Consent
On July 1st, 2024, SB 1329, called the “Parental Rights in Medical Decision-Making Act,” went into effect in Idaho. This bill amends Idaho law to require parental consent for most health care services to minors, and parental access to minors’ medical records, with only narrow exceptions. The bill defines “healthcare” as “for the diagnosis, screening,…
Why Phone Bans in Schools Threaten Student Safety and Violate Constitutional Rights
In recent years, a growing number of states have taken legislative action to limit or prohibit student cellphone use during school hours. Florida’s law is among the most prominent examples, passing a statewide regulation in 2023 requiring public schools to ban student phone use during class time and to block access to social media on…
