Change Is Coming

Change is coming.  No, I’m not talking about Barack Obama or John McCain (and aren’t you glad!).  I’m talking about big changes in the works here at ParentalRights.org.

With Election Day tomorrow, voters across the country will choose not only a president, but the 111th Congress.  Once that happens, we will get to know the new Congress and begin to work in earnest on pushing H.R. 97, the Parental Rights Amendment bill.  We already have several very exciting plans and tools in the works that are almost ready for launch.  For many of you, long months of sitting, waiting, wondering what you can do next, are almost over!

Protecting Kids by Preserving a Parent’s Right

According to an August 12 report from KXLY in Spokane, Washington, the Department of Child Protective Services for nearby Colville has come under investigation after a number of parents and legal guardians complained about the department’s practices: removing children from perfectly good homes, splitting families for no apparent reason, and treating legal guardians with great disrespect. Added to parental complaints is a letter by local area physicians claiming they have no confidence in the Colville DCPS office.

All by itself, the story should raise concerns, but Colville is not alone.

Parental Rights Amendment Introduced

Contact your Representative today and urge them to support the Parental Rights Amendment.

The Parental Rights Constitutional Amendment bill has just been introduced in the House of Representatives! Our bill number is H. J. Res 97. You can read the language of the bill by visiting http://thomas.loc.gov and searching for the bill number.

Rep. Pete Hoekstra introduced the proposed constitutional amendment which is designed to preserve and protect parental rights from future erosion. Preserving parental rights for generations to come is an issue that concerns every parent across this nation. That’s why now is the time to get your Congressperson to support this vital bill.

The introduction of the Parental Rights Amendment signals the opening of an important discussion in Congress. So we encourage you to begin engaging Congress on the issue of parental rights today.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

You can contact your member of Congress here.

Write, call or email with a short message urging your member of Congress to stand in support of H. J. Res 97, the Parental Rights Constitutional Amendment. Encourage them to contact Rep. Pete Hoekstra to add their name to a list of potential Co-Sponsors.

And look for more updates as we move forward with this vital effort!

Video Promo: Parental Rights in Danger

This short promo can be used at events or a coffee in your home. Check it out below here and download a high quality version for showing at your event here.

More on the California Court Saying “No Constitutional Right to Homeschool”

Less than two weeks ago, a California appeals court declared in In Re Rachel L. that the vast majority of parents in California may only choose between public and private school because they are unqualified to teach their children. Tens of thousands of children in California are currently homeschooled, but this fact was unconvincing for these three judges, who boldly proclaimed that “parents do not have a constitutional right to home school their children,” unless they are certified by the state to teach.

In so ruling, the court declined to follow the Supreme Court’s 1972 decision in Wisconsin v. Yoder and its 2000 ruling in Troxel v. Granville, relying instead upon two antiquated lower-court decisions. The California court refused to recognize parental rights as fundamental rights (even though the Supreme Court did in Troxel), opting instead for the more lenient, pro-government standard of “reasonableness.” According to the court, homeschooling could not be a legitimate educational option because it would place “an unreasonable burden on the state to have to supervise each and every home in which a child was being educated.”

How do you like that?

“Parents do not have a constitutional right to home school their children”

That is what a California court recently said. Regrettably the Supreme Court of the United States might agree with that view. If the fundamental parental right was enumerated in the Constitution through a Parental Rights Amendment, we would not have rulings like this California case.

Sign the petition today and get your friends involved. We can’t wait until it is too late.

Suing Mom and Dad?

An In-depth Look at Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Last week, we looked at how Article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child gives the government authority to intervene in the decisions of parents simply by appealing to the child’s “best interests.” This week, we continue our in-depth analysis of the CRC by examining Article 12, which says: “States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child.”

What’s Wrong with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child?

It’s usually looked upon as a positive means of holding countries accountable to protect children. But the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is so much more than that.

When the UNCRC was brought up for ratification in 1995, the core group of Senators in opposition concluded that this treaty marked a significant departure from the originally constituted relationship between state and child. They found, in fact, that it was literally incompatible with the right of parents to raise their children as well as a wholesale giveaway of U.S. sovereignty.

But why?

Widespread concerns about the UNCRC stem from the treaty’s repeated emphasis on one key principle used to guide all decisions affecting children: consideration of the “best interests of the child.” This principle underlies all of the rights found in the Convention.

Video Presentation on Parental Rights and the Dallas Rally

Check out this great video that Jessica Hulcy created about why she is involved in this effort. She is a member of the committee that is organizing the rally in Dallas on March 1. I hope you can attend!

Watch the video here.

ParentalRights.org Rally in Dallas, TX – Saturday, March 1, 2008

ParentalRights.org is pleased to announce a special informational rally on Saturday, March 1 to hear Michael P. Farris, J.D. speak on the important topic of eroding parental rights in the U.S. This issue affects EVERY PARENT IN AMERICA.

For years, the Supreme Court has recognized that parents have a fundamental right to raise their children as they see fit, but that support is being steadily undermined by judges across the country who are denying the vital role of parents in the lives of their children and instead, are inserting the government into a “parental” role in the lives of America’s children. Please do not miss this special opportunity to hear Farris’s SOLUTION, which he describes as “the battle of the century for every parent in America.”