Parent’s Rights Eroding
The state intrudes yet again. The Washington State Supreme Court has ruled that parents don’t have the right to listen in on their children’s phone calls, even if you think they are headed down the wrong path in life:
The state supreme court last week overturned the robbery conviction of a 17-year-old because it was based partly on testimony from an eavesdropping parent. The ruling reinforced Washington’s strict privacy act, which says that consent from both parties is required to listen in on telephone conversations — even if you suspect your child is involved in a crime or is in danger.
Thankfully, the legislature is going to address this issue next month by excluding minors from the privicy act. Which means that perhaps the courts ruled according to the letter of the law. Funny how that only seems to happen when the law is something silly.
