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Parents’ Rights Amendment Reaches 140 Co-Sponsors
Effort behind Movement to Ensure Parents’ Rights to Raise their Children Continues to Grow
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 9, 2010) – A Constitutional Amendment to protect the parent-child relationship introduced by U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Michigan, has reached 140 co-sponsors in the House.
“More and more members of Congress understand the threat to the parent-child relationship by government and foreign organizations,” Hoekstra said. “I am encouraged that we are nearly half-way to the number of votes necessary for passing the bill, and we will continue to press forward until we reach our goal.”
The Parents’ Rights Amendment would state explicitly in the U.S. Constitution that parents have the right to raise their children as they see fit while protecting against abuse and neglect. Such threats to the parent-child relationship include potential U.S. ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Two of the bill’s three most recent cosponsors –Rep. Charles Djou (R-HI) and Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA) – are new to Congress, having won special election races in May and June, respectively. Each signed on to the measure less than 60 days after taking office.
“The trend we’ve seen in the last few weeks is that the American people are already electing lawmakers who support parents’ rights,” says constitutional lawyer and ParentalRights.org president Michael Farris, who helped draft the amendment. “I am hopeful we will see this trend continue through November.”
Intended to protect families from undue government intrusion while continuing protections of children from abuse and neglect, the proposed amendment says:
SECTION ONE: The liberty of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children is a fundamental right.
SECTION TWO: Neither the United States nor any state shall infringe upon this right without demonstrating that its governmental interest as applied to the person is of the highest order and not otherwise served.
SECTION THREE: No treaty may be adopted, nor shall any source of international law be employed to supersede, modify, interpret, or apply to the rights guaranteed by this article.
