My wife and I attended the annual Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators conference this past June 8-9. One of the keynote speakers was Michael Farris, founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association and of Patrick Henry College. He is promoting a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution called the Parental Rights Amendment. You can learn more about the amendment, and the need for it, here.
The proposed Amendment expressly sets forth the fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children. The United States Supreme Court has in the past ruled that there is implied in the Constitution such a right. However, there are justices on the current Supreme Court who would likely overturn those decisions if given the chance. Additionally, "international law" may one day intefere with our parental rights and duties. For instance, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has been ratified by just about every country but ours. Courts in other countries have used this treaty to prevent parents from directing the upbringing of their children. A number of the current presidential candidates likely support this treaty. The proposed Amendment would prevent the treaty, if the United States ever ratifies it, from trumping our parental rights and duties.
This amendment will help protect your parental rights whether you send your children to public school or private school or if you homeschool. For instance, there are circuit court of appeals opinions that have held that once you drop your children off at the school house door, the school has absolute control over what your children are taught.
If you are interested in supporting this constitutional amendment, you can sign up to join ParentalRights.org (the dues are $25). Or, you can sign up to be a citizen co-sponsor of the amendment for free, here.
An audience member asked Michael Farris which presidential candidates supported the Parental Rights Amendment. He said that Mike Huckabee and Sam Brownback were strongly leaning toward supporting it. No other candidate had made a commitment.
