UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

Post by Advocatus Dei »

May 28, 2014
Did the Whole World Just Go Crazy? Call Today!

Every once in a while, so many senseless things happen all at once that you have to ask yourself if maybe the whole world suddenly “went nuts” and simply forgot to tell you about it. Last Friday was one of those days.

In New York, a fuming mom went to the news after her slim nine-year-old brought home a “Fitnessgram” from school warning that the girl was “overweight” based on her BMI, or body mass index. The girl is 4’1” and weighs 66 pounds.

Child called overweight
Twitter photo of the student classified as "overweight" by New York school district

In Connecticut, a couple filed suit against their local school system and four staff members for “indoctrinating their three daughters into a religious cult.”

In Colorado, a second-grade boy drew a handgun during an assignment to sketch what he saw in the clouds. That is “drew” with a pencil, not “drew” from a holster. The student was punished for his sketch.

In Pennsylvania, a math teacher was charged with having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old student. Yes, another one.

And it’s not just in our country. A bill being considered in the United Kingdom would send parents to jail for up to ten years for harming their child’s “physical, intellectual, emotional, social, or behavioral development.” Some fear parents could face jail time just for hurting their child’s feelings. You know, hampering their emotional development.

As these stories crossed my desk one after another on Friday, I thought two things. First, did the whole world just go crazy? All of these in a single day? Really??

Second, we truly and desperately need the Parental Rights Amendment (PRA), and we need it soon!

Adding to the U.S. Constitution the fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children will strengthen the role of parents in every situation where that role is currently eroding. We can’t say definitively that the PRA would reverse any one of these events (except to keep such laws as the UK is considering from coming here). But these stories show the insanity that takes root in our institutions once parents are no longer allowed.

Parents generally bring common sense and wisdom to local education decision-making. Most importantly, they provide accountability – but only if they are not powerless themselves.

The whole world hasn’t gone crazy yet. A large majority still support the traditional right of parents to make decisions for their children. But the time to preserve these rights is growing short.

Action Item

Please call today and urge your congressman to cosponsor HJRes. 50, the Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. We are still 24 cosponsors away from our goal of 100 to move the PRA into a committee hearing this summer!

First, you can check to see if your congressman is already a cosponsor by clicking on your state at ParentalRights.org/states. Then you will also find there his or her DC office number. Or you can call them through the Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121.

In your own words, urge them to cosponsor HJRes. 50 before their next recess this weekend. They can sign on by contacting Martha Van Lieshout in Mark Meadows’ office.

If you don’t know what else to say, you might point out to them that every day we hear of schools banning parents, of teachers abusing students, of doctors over-riding parents’ wishes. “Zero-tolerance” has become “zero sense,” while states are taking children away from their parents over conflicting medical diagnoses from two different hospitals. When is enough enough? We need to protect the rights of parents to protect their children from government overreach while enough of us still remember what that means.

Please take a moment right now to call your congressman, and then to forward this email to your family and friends. Then check back at 4pra.us/house to see the list of cosponsors grow.

Only by all of us taking action together can we halt the insanity before it becomes the new normal.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Director of Communications & Research

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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

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June 3, 2014
After Ruling, Menendez Vows to Resurrect CRPD

The United States Supreme Court on Monday issued its ruling in Bond v. United States, which dealt with applying the Chemical Weapons Convention Implementation Act of 1998 (“Act”) to a local crime in Pennsylvania. Before the ink had time to dry, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez had vowed to use the decision as an excuse to resurrect the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

“Based on today’s Supreme Court ruling,” Menendez vows, “I intend to put the Disabilities Treaty up for a vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the near future, in the hopes that it will then be considered and passed by the full Senate.”

According to Menendez, the decision “removes any fears that the Convention could ever be used to expand federal authority beyond the limits of the Constitution, undermine state sovereignty, or allow lawsuits to be filed in U.S. court.” Oh, that it were so.

Unfortunately, Menendez’s statement could not be further from the truth.

“Senator Menendez is sorely mistaken if he thinks Bond makes it clear that he is right and treaty opponents are wrong on the meaning of treaties,” Constitutional legal scholar and CRPD opponent Michael Farris said in a statement. “Every opinion issued in this case only serves to underscore the concerns we have voiced regarding ratification of this and similar treaties that would seek to govern domestic policy.”

(Farris wrote an amicus brief for the Court’s consideration in this case, and both the majority opinion and Thomas’s concurrence contain arguments raised in that brief.)

All nine justices agreed that the lower court’s ruling to find Bond guilty under the 1998 law was in error. A six-member majority of the Court held that the law does not apply to this local crime, which should instead be prosecuted under state law. The three remaining justices – Scalia, Thomas, and Alito – wrote three separate concurring opinions in which each showed an eagerness to tackle the constitutional question which the majority evaded: whether or not the treaty power is unlimited and can be used to expand federal jurisdiction under the Constitution.

MAJORITY OPINION

The majority opinion, written by Chief Justice John Roberts and joined by Justices Kennedy, Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan, refused to address the constitutional question of the scope of the treaty power, finding instead that the Act “does not cover the unremarkable local offense at issue here.” Yet, even in evading the constitutional question, the decision highlighted distinctions between the Chemical Weapons treaty at issue in Bond and the CRPD.

CHEMICAL WEAPONS TREATY VERSUS THE CRPD

Multiple times Chief Justice Roberts referenced Article VII(1) of the Chemical Weapons Treaty, which states that “[e]ach State Party shall, in accordance with its constitutional processes, adopt the necessary measures to implement its obligations under this convention.” Bond v. United States, 572 U.S. ___ (2014) (slip op. at 10, emphasis in the original). Such a provision has been replaced in the CRPD, however, with Article 4(5) which asserts that “[t]he provisions of the current Convention shall extend to all parts of federal states without any limitations or exceptions.” (emphasis added) While the former would preserve the federalism structure of our government, the latter intentionally calls for its overthrow.

The Supreme Court held that in Bond “it is fully appropriate to apply the background assumption that Congress normally preserves ‘the constitutional balance between the National Government and the States.’” But again, Art. 4(5) of the CRPD explicitly removes that assumption.

The majority opinion also relies on “the exercise of state officials’ prosecutorial discretion as a valuable feature of our constitutional system” and finds that “nothing in the [Chemical Weapons] Convention shows a clear intent to abrogate that feature.” Yet this, too, would be reversed under Art. 4(5) of the CRPD. It is the clear intention of both the CRPD and the similar Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) that State Parties to the conventions take responsibility for all levels of government precisely to make sure that local discretion cannot be used to counter the provisions of either treaty.

UNLIMITED TREATY POWER

Even without addressing the constitutional question, however, the majority opinion asserts that a duly ratified treaty is not bound by the principles of our federalist system. “Bond was prosecuted under section 229 [of the Act],” Roberts writes, “and the statute – unlike the Convention – must be read consistent with principles of federalism inherent in our constitutional structure.” Ibid., emphasis added.

In the opinion of two-thirds of the Court, implied rights and assumed principles do not apply to a ratified convention. For them, the treaty power is unlimited except by the text itself of the Constitution alone. This is the very danger we have been warning about all along.

SCALIA: ONE TREATY AWAY

In his concurring opinion, Justice Scalia (joined by Thomas in full and by Alito in part) takes issue with the Court’s refusal to address the constitutional issue. He also takes the opportunity to decry the Court’s precedent from Missouri v. Holland, 252 U.S. 416 (1920). In that case the Court asserted that “f the treaty is valid, there can be no dispute about the validity of the statute under Article I, Sect. 8 [of the Constitution], as a necessary and proper means to execute the powers of the Government.”

If this is true, Scalia warns – and it remains existing Court precedent – then “Holland places Congress only one treaty away from acquiring a general police power.” Bond, Scalia concurring in judgment, at 14.

Scalia concludes that the majority decision convolutes the truth “to leave in place an ill-considered ipse dixit [(‘he himself said so’)] that enables the fundamental constitutional principle of limited federal powers to be set aside by the President and Senate’s exercise of the treaty power. We should not have shirked our duty and distorted the law to preserve that assertion….” But in fact they did, and the rule of Holland – that the treaty power may be used to expand federal authority beyond normal constitutional grounds – remains the binding precedent with which we must contend, Menendez’s assurances to the contrary notwithstanding.

THOMAS: NOT YOUR FATHER’S ‘TREATY’

Justice Thomas wrote a concurrence as well, and was joined by Scalia in full and by Alito in part. While Scalia argued that the Court should have taken the opportunity to limit the treaty power based on principles of federalism, Thomas’s opinion holds that the treaty power is already limited, based on original definitions. Were his opinion held by more than only three justices (well, if it were more than four, really), then we could find in it cause for celebration. Otherwise, while it is beneficial in introducing that idea into the constitutional dialog (“I write separately to suggest that the Treaty Power is itself a limited federal power”), it has no binding effect.

Something else in his discussion, however, again lends credence to our view of treaties, over against the white-washed picture which Menendez and his internationalist cronies want to present. In particular, Thomas warns of the seismic shift in the definition and form of “treaties” over the last 50 years or so.

ome have suggested that the treaty power is boundless – that it can reach any subject matter, even those that are of strictly domestic concern. A number of recent treaties reflect that suggestion by regulating what appear to be purely domestic affairs.” Bond, supra, Thomas concurring in judgment, at 2, citations omitted. The Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities are two such treaties.

Thomas believes these are beyond the intended treaty power and therefore should not pose a threat – an opinion with which we agree. Alito’s separate concurrence also supports this view. Nevertheless, a majority of the Court holds otherwise. Thus, despite Menendez’s assertion to the contrary, the threat remains.

CONCLUSION

In his June 2 press release, Senator Menendez claimed that the Bond ruling ends all concerns about the domestic implementation of over-reaching international law. Yet we have seen that the very opposite is true. The Bond decision actually serves to highlight the very grave concerns that have been raised throughout CRPD hearings by those opposed to treaty ratification.

As time goes on, we are hopeful that more senators and scholars will take the time to read the actual Bond decision and not just trust the chairman’s 5-paragraph release claiming victory. As they do, they will see that the Court’s finding has, on every page, reflected the reality of the situation as we have declared it to be from the beginning. Unless and until the whole Court chooses to adopt Scalia’s or Thomas’s view of the Holland decision, ratifying the CRC or the CRPD remains contrary to the principles and interests of American federalism, liberty, and self-government.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Director of Communications & Research

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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

Post by Advocatus Dei »

June 9, 2014
Parental Rights Amendment Returns to the U.S. Senate

The Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (PRA), which would preserve the longstanding traditional right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children, has again been introduced in the U.S. Senate. Senate Joint Resolution 37 (SJRes. 37) was introduced on Wednesday by South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham to propose the amendment for consideration.

This marks the third straight session of Congress in which the PRA has been introduced in the Senate. Senator Graham has been a sponsor of each effort and is now taking up the lead role for the first time. (Former Senator Jim DeMint, also of South Carolina, led in the last two Congresses.)

Action Item

This introduction has happened very quickly, with virtually no chance to enlist original cosponsors. To date, only Senator Grassley of Iowa has joined Senator Graham on the resolution. We would like to change that.

Please take a moment to call your senators and ask them to cosponsor SJRes. 37, the Parental Rights Amendment. You can reach them through the Capitol Switchboard at (202)-224-3121, or find their information by clicking on your state at parentalrights.org/states.

With the Pelletier case in Massachusetts and the state of parental rights in America today, it should be pretty easy to come up with examples of why this Amendment is necessary. So just give them the following message in your own words:

I am calling to encourage my senator to cosponsor SJRes. 37, the Parental Rights Amendment. I agree with the more than 90% of Americans who believe in the traditional role of parents as the primary decision-makers for children. But these rights are being eroded by courts, bureaucrats, hospitals, and schools. Please support this simple Amendment to preserve these rights for our children and future generations.

You might also ask for a written response to your request, which you can share with us via email to info@parentalrights.org.

The following senators are former cosponsors, so your message to them might include thanks for supporting parental rights in the past: Senators Barrasso, Blunt, Boozman, Chambliss, Coburn, Enzi, Inhofe, Isakson, Lee, Moran, Risch, Rubio, and Vitter.

Thank you for taking time now to act on this vital issue in the U.S. Senate.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Director of Communications & Research

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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

Post by Advocatus Dei »

June 11, 2014
Exciting Developments in the Fight for Parental Rights

Senator Lindsey Graham last week introduced the Parental Rights Amendment in the U.S. Senate – and that may not even be the biggest news of the week. In a nutshell, the following stories seem to say that sometimes it pays to push back, and it always pays to push forward.

JUSTINA PELLETIER

Both Liberty Counsel (on behalf of Lou and Linda Pelletier) and the Massachusetts Department of Human Services have petitioned the Massachusetts family court to send Justina Pelletier home. It’s probably the first thing they’ve agreed on yet. Under such circumstances, it is extremely unlikely the judge will deny their request, leaving only the question of timing: when will Judge Joseph Johnston hear the case again and send Justina home? (A hearing is currently set for June 20, but the judge has the authority to expedite the process.)

While this is likely not the end of the matter – the state’s unconstitutional violation of this family’s rights could likely result in at least one lawsuit – it will certainly be a significant victory for this family and for parental rights.

CHRISTY DUFFY

Meanwhile, a medical center in Michigan last week “messed with the wrong mom” and ended up with proverbial “egg on its face.”

Messed with the wrong Mom
The medical office posted notice that under a new law adolescents are required to have a 5-minute confidential conversation with a nurse or doctor – no parents allowed. But when mom Christy Duffy refused and sought an explanation, she was surprised to learn that no such law exists!

We were glad with the help of HSLDA’s Mike Donnelly and a partner at the Kallman law firm in Michigan to be able to put her on the trail of that information. Confronted with the facts – Michigan’s medical privacy law has not been amended since 2004, and includes no requirement for such a “confidential conversation” – the practice was forced to remove the sign and admit their error.

But that wasn’t the end. Christy took the story to Glenn Beck at The Blaze – and we’re bringing the story to you – to make sure all parents are aware of your rights. A leading medical organization has been trying for years to push this “HEEADSSS assessment test” in an effort to find and prevent abuse. But laws forcing these interrogations on patients would violate individual liberty and family privacy rights.

“If government doctors were using this, there would be constitutional issues immediately,” we wrote back in 2012. “Private doctors, however, are not limited by the Constitution.” This means your doctor can ask for that interview, but the government would violate the Constitution if it mandated them. You have a legal right to refuse. Keep that in mind the next time your doctor’s office tries to tell you otherwise.

THE PRA IN THE SENATE

The Parental Rights Amendment was introduced in the U.S. Senate last Wednesday by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) joined on as a cosponsor almost immediately. We will continue to pursue additional cosponsors in the weeks ahead, and ask that you call your senators if you haven’t already to get them on board. Read how to reach them and what to say here.

MAJOR CHANGES COMING SOON

Finally, while I cannot yet go into detail, we are excited over some major changes coming soon here at ParentalRights.org that will help us to expand our reach and educate more Americans on the threats to our parental rights. Hopefully we can reveal the whole plan to you in just the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, I can say this about it: We very much appreciate your support. This new plan looks to help all of us make the most of the time, energy, and other resources that you contribute to this important cause.

Thank you so much for standing shoulder to shoulder and pushing with us!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Director of Communications & Research

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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

Post by Advocatus Dei »

June 19, 2014
CRPD Back with a Vengeance

Justina Pelletier has finally been sent home! The insanity – and her nightmare – are finally over. We rejoice with this family, and thank you for standing with us in supporting them through your thoughts, prayers, and comments on social media.

Yet before the ink could dry on Judge Joe Johnston’s order, it seems insanity has broken out elsewhere instead.

The United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is back on the table in the U.S. Senate, defying all logic and reason. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has vowed to vote on it before the committee this summer, and to follow that with a vote in the full Senate.

Menendez’s announcement came on the heels of the Supreme Court’s recent Bond decision, despite the fact that the ruling only served to highlight the danger of ratifying treaties that seek to dictate American domestic policy. Menendez, who perhaps had not read the ruling when he issued his statement, blithely claimed the opposite.

This only serves to demonstrate that treaty proponents will use any excuse – even a false one – to push this treaty down America’s throat.

Like the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the CRPD includes an obligation for the federal government to ensure that all decisions for children with disabilities be made in the best interests of the child – a legal standard reserved in our country for situations where a marriage is dissolved or where there has been a finding of abuse or neglect. In short, the CRPD will allow courts to treat all parents of children with disabilities as though they were abusive parents.

What is more, the momentum seems to be on their side.

In recent months, countless media outlets and blogs have spouted the same unreferenced misinformation, claiming that the CRPD will not impact U.S. domestic law, and that it will require other nations to adopt the high standards of our Americans with Disabilities Act. This completely ignores a basic truth of international law: a treaty is legally binding on the nation(s) that ratify it. If we ratify the CRPD, under Article VI of the U.S. Constitution it becomes part of “the Supreme Law of the Land.” Our ratification would bind us, and not anyone else.

Treaty proponents have not unearthed any new facts. They have not discovered any new angles. The Bond case went against them, actually highlighting the dangers against which we have been warning – but treaty proponents have ignored it. Essentially, they are battling truth by shouting it down.

Sadly, their offensive is working.

To stop them we must respond with many loud voices of our own. We must contact our senators and urge them to oppose ratification of this dangerous treaty.

We anticipate that the CRPD will be taken up for a vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in July. Then, it could come to the Senate floor in September (following the August recess), or in the “lame duck session” that starts in November. But if we wait until then to make our voices heard it will be too late.

Action Items

1. Please take a moment today to write or email both of your senators and urge them to oppose ratification of the CRPD. You can find their contact information by clicking on your state at ParentalRights.org/states, then clicking through to your senators’ websites.

(You can also get directly to your state’s page at 4pra.us/xx, where “xx” is your state’s two-letter abbreviation. Live in New Mexico? It’s 4pra.us/nm.)

You might choose to use one or two of the following talking points when you write:

We do not want to set the dangerous precedent of letting the U.N. write our domestic policy.
The CRPD would remove parental rights and let government bureaucrats decide what is in the best interest of children with disabilities.
Our ratification of the treaty will have no impact on disability law in other nations. It will only open the door for America’s critics to complain about our laws.
Having already passed the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is held as “the gold standard” in disability law, we do not need to subject ourselves to review by a committee made up entirely of foreigners whose nations have not yet attained to that high standard.
This treaty threatens American sovereignty, traditional parental rights, and state jurisdiction over family law.
Please do not call yet. We want to save that powerful punch for when the issue is on the schedule and the push is at its height.

2. Once you have written or emailed, please pass this on to your family and friends who might share your concern for parental rights and American self-government.

Thank you for standing with us to sound the alarm. Together we can defeat this dangerous treaty once again.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Director of Communications & Research

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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

Post by Advocatus Dei »

June 26, 2014
New Member Benefits to Protect You from Medical Madness

No doubt we all breathed a sigh of relief when we read the news that Justina Pelletier was finally going home. While nothing could give back the 16 months that had been stolen from her family and from her life, at least the madness of her kidnapping was at an end.

Only the madness didn’t end.

Justina is home, sure. Her nightmare has turned a significant corner, though she still has a lot of recovering to do.

But in the weeks since then, more stories like hers have come out in the news. I’ll tell you below how you can take steps to keep this madness from happening to you. But first, consider just one of these additional recent events involving parental rights in a medical setting:

Medical Madness Continues

Kansas City mother Michelle Rider has lost custody over her son Isaiah – just like in Justina’s case – even though the teen has a confirmed diagnosis of a debilitating disease that causes painful tumors on his nerves. A Chicago hospital accused the mom of medical abuse because she took her son to five different hospitals in search of the best care and pain management.

In short, the madness is not just in Massachusetts hospitals, and it is far from over.

But you can help us solve this problem while helping yourself as well.

How You Can Help

We adopted the motto long ago, “Protecting children by empowering parents,” and our new Elite Membership program is designed to do just that. We’ve been inviting you to become a member for years, and now we have something special to offer if you do.

Starting this week, we have put together a package of materials for our members, with a new package available each month. This month’s package focuses on “Parental Rights in the Medical Setting” – the very issue faced by the Pelletiers and by Michelle Rider above.

Your membership gift will help fuel the efforts of our organization, while putting into your hands tools you can use to be better informed, better equipped, and simply encouraged in your most important role – that of a parent.

You can read more about this exciting program on our Elite Membership page (or use the shortcut 4pra.us/elite).

We really need your support as we prepare to take on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) once again. But this time your support will secure something worthwhile for your family as well. We provide tips and guidance to give you greater knowledge and confidence the next time you have a medical situation with your child.

Please check out the Elite Membership page and consider starting your membership today. Monthly memberships start at just $5, or you can save with a 12-month membership for only $50. It’s like getting two months free. Most of all, you are fueling our efforts to halt the CRPD and protect your family through passage of the Parental Rights Amendment.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Director of Communications & Research

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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

Post by Advocatus Dei »

July 1, 2014
Supreme Court Strikes Blow against Parental Rights

The Supreme Court of the United States has been in the news a lot lately with some major decisions regarding the balance of power. But one decision you may not have heard about – a decision to not make a decision – may have the biggest impact on your parental rights.

On Monday – the same day the Court handed down their rulings in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores and Harris v. Quinn – they also chose to deny cert to (that is, they opted not to review) Pickup v. Brown and Welch v. Brown. In doing so, they left in place a California ban on reparative therapy which treads on parental rights.

In 2012 California passed a law banning licensed counselors from offering reparative therapy to teens suffering from unwanted homosexual attractions. New Jersey passed a similar law last year, and Massachusetts made an effort to follow in 2014. The law does not apply to clergy or other unlicensed counselors (yet), but prohibits licensed doctors, therapists, psychologists, or social workers from offering the treatment.

Naturally, the ban was challenged in court as a violation of the counselors’ First Amendment freedom of speech. A San Francisco-based federal appeals court upheld the ban, saying it regulates conduct and not speech, a distinction that is hard to swallow when the majority of the “conduct” involves speaking. Yet, by denying cert the Supreme Court has left that ruling in place and the ban – which had been on hold pending this final appeal – can now go into effect.

“This is an outrage,” says ParentalRights.org President Michael Farris of the decision.

Homosexuality is a touchy subject in our society today. Yet regardless of one’s position on the political spectrum, it is undeniably an intensely personal and private matter for those with such attractions. That is why it is so important that young people be free to work through this issue with their parents who love them, and not be forced into one single, “politically acceptable” path by overreaching lawmakers and bureaucrats. That the California legislature would be so bent on protecting one group’s rights that it would trample on the rights of others is extremely problematic.

The law that the Supreme Court has chosen to leave in place criminalizes a form of therapy with proven results among those who seek it. The law violates the right of parents to make medical, psychological, and therapeutic decisions that they, along with their child, determine to be in the best interests of their child. It also violates the doctor-patient decision-making relationship.

New Jersey’s ban is still being challenged in court, while Massachusetts’ effort appears to have failed after an influx of information from several conservative and “ex-gay” organizations revealed the dangers of the bill: teens whose same-sex attractions arise from sexual molestation or trauma during childhood would be denied the professional care they desire and need. Ten other states where such bills were introduced also saw them derailed through an outpouring of parental outrage against the measures, according to a release from a conservative Massachusetts activist group, MassResistance.

ParentalRights.org opposes such bans because they impose undue interference on the right of parents to make medical and psychological care decisions with and on behalf of their children. If the proposed Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution had been in place to protect “the liberty of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children [as] a fundamental right,” we are confident we would have seen a different outcome from this case.

Action Items

There is no immediate action we can take to reverse this unfortunate decision by the Supreme Court. But we can continue our efforts to pass the Parental Rights Amendment in order to strengthen the role of parents in this and other decisions for their children.

To that end, please remember this weekend to encourage your friends and family members to visit ParentalRights.org and join our team of activists by signing the online petition. They will then receive emails and alerts just like this one (they can unsubscribe at any time) enabling them to take an active role in promoting the Amendment.

Also please consider joining as an Elite Member. Your $50 annual donation will fund our ongoing efforts to protect parental rights, while giving you access to exclusive member benefits. (This month’s downloads include informative interviews about your parental rights in the medical setting, both from the medical and legal points of view.)

We must work together to expand our efforts until all Americans recognize the threats to their parental rights, and that the loss of these rights will mean the loss of all of our freedoms thereafter.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Director of Communications & Research

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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

Post by Advocatus Dei »

July 8, 2014
Are You Ready for Recess?

Unfortunately, we expect the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) to be taken up by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the very near future – perhaps later this month. This and other factors could make this year’s August recess one of the most important opportunities to contact your senators and congressman about parental rights issues.

Each year Congress takes recess for the month of August to return to their states and districts and hear from the people “back home.” This year, with elections looming in November, they should be listening especially well. And we have a lot that we need to tell them.

So why not take a moment now to contact your congressman’s office and your senators’ offices and set appointments to go see them next month while they are in town? Then gather some friends to go with you, and prepare to make a difference.

With your senators, the issue is the CRPD. This dangerous treaty could come to the floor of the Senate as early as September, though the “lame duck” session in November would be more likely. But August is the time to get face-to-face, to let them literally see that there are people concerned about this treaty’s threats to American sovereignty and parental rights.

You can also invite them to sign on with Senator Lindsey Graham as cosponsors of SJRes. 37, the Parental Rights Amendment. Remind them that protecting children by empowering parents is not a Republican or Democrat issue, but an issue that unites all Americans.

When you meet with your congressman, the issue is primarily HJRes. 50, also the Parental Rights Amendment. Specifically, you want to ask them to contact Rep. Mark Meadows and sign on as a cosponsor. (Visit 4pra.us/house to see the current list of cosponsors.) We are hopeful the Amendment will receive a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee later this summer, and adding cosponsors will help make that happen.

In order to see the kind of action we are looking for, both in promoting the Amendment and in halting this dangerous treaty, we must rise above the noise of the elections. Calls and emails can both be effective, but nothing is more powerful than an actual face-to-face meeting with a constituent ready to lay out the issue and ask for their congressman’s support. Please take the time to be that constituent in the coming weeks.

Action Items

First, make those appointments now. You can find links for your congressman and senators by clicking on your state at parentalrights.org/states. Ask for a 15-minute window and plan to take a few friends with you.

Second, call your senators today and urge them to oppose the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Tell them that in these days of government overreach, the last thing we need is to let the United Nations set our domestic policies. Parents of children with special needs deserve the respect to be allowed to make decisions for their own children without government intrusion.

Third, if you have not already done so, become a member of ParentalRights.org by donating here. (You can also click for details.) You will not only receive helpful information for your family, but also support our efforts to halt the CRPD, and to secure the adoption of the PRA.

Finally, send this email to your friends and loved ones and urge them to support parental rights as well.

The risk of ratifying the CRPD this year is great. It will take all of us working faithfully and capturing every opportunity to stop it. And we will have no greater opportunity than the August recess. Please make your appointments today.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Director of Communications & Research

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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

Post by Advocatus Dei »

July 16, 2014
Common Core Jettisoned for State Control, Parent Involvement

On Monday Missouri Governor Jay Nixon signed into law House Bill 1490, which repealed and replaced key sections of Missouri law relating to elementary and secondary education standards, including the Common Core. On a day when Nixon nearly set a record for vetoing bills, one of the few that he signed was a tremendous victory for parental rights: HB 1490 calls for the adoption of new state academic standards, rejecting the Common Core that Nixon brought to Missouri in the first place.

According to the Common Core website, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (“the Department”) adopted the standards on June 15, 2010, to be fully implemented throughout the state in the coming 2014-15 school year. As governor, Nixon exercised authority over the Department at the time. But the public outcry against the standards has been great, and the legislature has responded.

The Common Core State Standards Initiative, or Common Core, is a national set of academic standards established by private corporations and state executive trade unions and backed by federal dollars, in violation of the Constitution’s separation of powers. Significantly, very few with doctorates in the respective subject areas were part of developing the standards, and the ones who were involved refused to sign off on the final product. (Ed. note:This sentence originally erroneously reported that few were "professional educators." For more on the make-up of the committee, see the Pioneer Institute's white paper at http://pioneerinstitute.org/featured/co ... validated/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.)

HB 1490, which ParentalRights.org supported, does more than simply reverse the decision to adopt this program, however. It also outlines a whole new procedure for adopting academic standards in the future, including many new safeguards to prevent another federal takeover.

The Common Core was adopted by the Department during the summer break between school years, without any legislative oversight, review, or public input. Education, which is traditionally and constitutionally a role of the states and not the federal government, was handed over to the latter without any say from the people.

That will not happen again under HB 1490, which requires that any academic standards revision must go through work groups assigned by the legislature. These work groups, to be comprised of education professionals and parents of children in the grade levels to which the standards will apply, will be selected by a wide range of persons. The governor, lieutenant governor, commissioner for higher education, president pro tempore of the senate, speaker of the Missouri House, statewide association of Missouri school boards, and the state board of education are among those tapped by the bill to each name members to the groups. (Read the whole list in section A(3) here.)

In addition, the law states that whenever standards are developed or modified a minimum of three public hearings will be held, giving parents and other concerned citizens a voice before any changes are made. And it prohibits the Department “from mandating the curriculum, textbooks, or other instructional materials to be used in public schools.” Such decisions are left to the local school boards, though they will of course be chosen to meet the academic standards set by the state.

Common Core, with its requirement that material taught in addition to the guidelines must not exceed 15% of all material studied, greatly restricted any discretion on the part of state or local officials in correcting or supplementing the standards, regardless of what would prove best for students. The new law includes a provision that “local school districts and charter schools may adopt their own education standards, in addition to those already adopted by the state,” as long as they don’t create a direct conflict with the state standards. There is no limit by percentage, which allows for more local control.

Each of these safeguards will prevent the kind of heavy-handed power grabbing that led to the Common Core being adopted by 43 states and the District of Columbia in the first place. (For more on how Common Core sprang up so quickly, click here.) Instead, HB 1490 protects the role of parents, through local educators and state lawmakers, in directing the education of their children.

We are grateful for the support of those of you in Missouri who called, emailed, or otherwise spoke out to champion this bill. And we are proud of Missouri for returning education to the purview of parents and state lawmakers, and not to deep-pocketed special interest groups and the federal educrats.

Action Items

The CRPD is still an impending threat in the U.S. Senate. For more on the dangers, click here. If you have not already taken action, or if you haven’t lately, please call your senators and urge them to oppose ratification of this dangerous treaty that will sacrifice American sovereignty and your parental rights for a (alleged) public relations boost. You can find your senators’ office numbers by clicking on your state at parentalrights.org/states.

In addition, the Parental Rights Amendment is still collecting cosponsors in the House (Rep. Mark Meadows’ HJRes. 50) and in the Senate (Sen. Lindsey Graham’s SJRes. 37). Contact your lawmakers (access their contact info at parentalrights.org/states) and urge them to sign on as a cosponsor. Or you can set up an appointment to see them while they are home on recess in August. Click here for more on setting up an appointment.

Thank you for standing with us to defend parental rights. This victory in Missouri proves that success can be reached if we stand together and make the will of the people known!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Director of Communications & Research

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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

Post by Advocatus Dei »

July 17, 2014
Senate Committee Schedules CRPD Vote - Call Today!

Dear Champion of Parental Rights,

The U.S. Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee will vote on the dangerous UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on Tuesday, July 22.

Now is the time to let the Senate hear loud and clear that Americans are firmly opposed to surrendering our sovereignty, parental rights, and the rights of people with disabilities to unelected, unaccountable UN bureaucrats. Please call and email your two U.S. senators right now and urge them to reject the CRPD. We need every single parent and concerned citizen to make their voice heard. Bad bills can be repealed, but once a treaty is ratified there is no going back.

You can reach your senators by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121, or find their direct office line by clicking on your state at parentalrights.org/states. (You can also use the shortcut 4pra.us/ followed by the 2-letter postal abbreviation for your state. Live in Florida? That's 4pra.us/fl.)

Your message can be as simple as the following:

“I urge you to oppose the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This treaty surrenders U.S. sovereignty to unelected UN bureaucrats and will threaten parental care of children with disabilities. Our nation already has laws to protect Americans with disabilities. This treaty is unnecessary and will hurt families by giving bureaucrats the power to decide what is in the best interests of a child with disabilities, not the child’s parents.”
We do not have the votes to stop the CRPD in the Foreign Relations Committee. That is why we urge you to call not only the senators on the Committee, but also your own two senators. Please call even if your senator supports the treaty, or even if he or she opposes it. Every senator needs to hear from us. The following senators are on the Foreign Relations Committee:

Democrats Republicans
Robert Menendez (NJ): (202) 224-4744 Bob Corker (TN) (202) 224-3344
Barbara Boxer (CA): (202) 224-3553 Ron Johnson (WI) (202) 224-5323
Benjamin L. Cardin (MD): (202) 224-4524 James E. Risch (ID) (202) 224-2752
Tom Udall (NM): (202) 224-6621 Jeff Flake (AZ) (202) 224-4521
Edward Markey (MA): (202) 224-2742 John McCain (AZ) (202) 224-2235
Chris Murphy (CT): (202) 224-4041 John Barrasso (WY) (202) 224-6441
Tim Kaine (VA): (202) 224-4024 Rand Paul (KY) (202) 224-4343
Jeanne Shaheen (NH): (202) 224-2841 Marco Rubio (FL) (202) 224-3041
Christopher Coons (DE): (202) 224-5042
Richard J. Durbin (IL): (202) 224-2152
ParentalRights.org opposes the CRPD because it says “in all actions concerning children with disabilities, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.” If ratified by the Senate, government officials could use this section to override parents’ decisions for their child with a disability.

Other provisions of the CRPD promote abortion, require a national registry of all children with disabilities, and threaten U.S. sovereignty and our fundamental right to govern ourselves. The term “disability,” however, is not defined. Our nation already has the best laws in the world to protect Americans with disabilities, and we use our leadership and foreign aid overseas to urge nations to protect their own citizens with disabilities. This treaty is unnecessary and will weaken U.S. leadership by replacing our nation’s proven record on disability rights with UN “leadership.”

Some senate staff may argue that the CRPD isn’t dangerous because it can be amended with Reservations, Understandings, and Declarations (“RUDs”). No one has seen the proposed RUDs yet, so we don’t even know if they are well-written. But more importantly, RUDs are fatally flawed. The CRPD itself says in Article 46, “Reservations incompatible with the object and purpose of the present Convention shall not be permitted.” Who decides? The UN. International law experts have made the same arguments, and we cannot trust our freedom to five justices on the Supreme Court making the right ruling. In addition, a future Senate could withdraw RUDs.

Some senate staff may also argue that the recent Supreme Court ruling in Bond v. United States addresses our concerns. I answered this argument on HSLDA's site here. Bond was an incredibly narrow ruling, and it never addressed the treaty power issue. In fact, the concurring opinions by Justices Scalia, Thomas, and Alito prove that our concerns about UN treaties are completely justified.

The good news is that your action defeated the CRPD in 2012. By the grace of God, we can do it again. Please call right now and please also forward this email to your friends. You can visit parentalrights.org/crpd to learn more about the CRPD, and you can read the text of the CRPD here.

For Liberty,
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Michael P. Farris, JD, LLM
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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

Post by Advocatus Dei »

July 17, 2014
Senate Committee Schedules CRPD Vote - Call Today!

Dear Champion of Parental Rights,

The U.S. Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee will vote on the dangerous UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on Tuesday, July 22.

Now is the time to let the Senate hear loud and clear that Americans are firmly opposed to surrendering our sovereignty, parental rights, and the rights of people with disabilities to unelected, unaccountable UN bureaucrats. Please call and email your two U.S. senators right now and urge them to reject the CRPD. We need every single parent and concerned citizen to make their voice heard. Bad bills can be repealed, but once a treaty is ratified there is no going back.

You can reach your senators by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121, or find their direct office line by clicking on your state at parentalrights.org/states. (You can also use the shortcut 4pra.us/ followed by the 2-letter postal abbreviation for your state. Live in Florida? That's 4pra.us/fl.)

Your message can be as simple as the following:

“I urge you to oppose the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This treaty surrenders U.S. sovereignty to unelected UN bureaucrats and will threaten parental care of children with disabilities. Our nation already has laws to protect Americans with disabilities. This treaty is unnecessary and will hurt families by giving bureaucrats the power to decide what is in the best interests of a child with disabilities, not the child’s parents.”
We do not have the votes to stop the CRPD in the Foreign Relations Committee. That is why we urge you to call not only the senators on the Committee, but also your own two senators. Please call even if your senator supports the treaty, or even if he or she opposes it. Every senator needs to hear from us. The following senators are on the Foreign Relations Committee:

Democrats Republicans
Robert Menendez (NJ): (202) 224-4744 Bob Corker (TN) (202) 224-3344
Barbara Boxer (CA): (202) 224-3553 Ron Johnson (WI) (202) 224-5323
Benjamin L. Cardin (MD): (202) 224-4524 James E. Risch (ID) (202) 224-2752
Tom Udall (NM): (202) 224-6621 Jeff Flake (AZ) (202) 224-4521
Edward Markey (MA): (202) 224-2742 John McCain (AZ) (202) 224-2235
Chris Murphy (CT): (202) 224-4041 John Barrasso (WY) (202) 224-6441
Tim Kaine (VA): (202) 224-4024 Rand Paul (KY) (202) 224-4343
Jeanne Shaheen (NH): (202) 224-2841 Marco Rubio (FL) (202) 224-3041
Christopher Coons (DE): (202) 224-5042
Richard J. Durbin (IL): (202) 224-2152
ParentalRights.org opposes the CRPD because it says “in all actions concerning children with disabilities, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.” If ratified by the Senate, government officials could use this section to override parents’ decisions for their child with a disability.

Other provisions of the CRPD promote abortion, require a national registry of all children with disabilities, and threaten U.S. sovereignty and our fundamental right to govern ourselves. The term “disability,” however, is not defined. Our nation already has the best laws in the world to protect Americans with disabilities, and we use our leadership and foreign aid overseas to urge nations to protect their own citizens with disabilities. This treaty is unnecessary and will weaken U.S. leadership by replacing our nation’s proven record on disability rights with UN “leadership.”

Some senate staff may argue that the CRPD isn’t dangerous because it can be amended with Reservations, Understandings, and Declarations (“RUDs”). No one has seen the proposed RUDs yet, so we don’t even know if they are well-written. But more importantly, RUDs are fatally flawed. The CRPD itself says in Article 46, “Reservations incompatible with the object and purpose of the present Convention shall not be permitted.” Who decides? The UN. International law experts have made the same arguments, and we cannot trust our freedom to five justices on the Supreme Court making the right ruling. In addition, a future Senate could withdraw RUDs.

Some senate staff may also argue that the recent Supreme Court ruling in Bond v. United States addresses our concerns. I answered this argument on HSLDA's site here. Bond was an incredibly narrow ruling, and it never addressed the treaty power issue. In fact, the concurring opinions by Justices Scalia, Thomas, and Alito prove that our concerns about UN treaties are completely justified.

The good news is that your action defeated the CRPD in 2012. By the grace of God, we can do it again. Please call right now and please also forward this email to your friends. You can visit parentalrights.org/crpd to learn more about the CRPD, and you can read the text of the CRPD here.

For Liberty,
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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

Post by Advocatus Dei »

July 28, 2014
Urgent: Call Right Now to Reject UN Disabilities Treaty

Dear Champion of Parental Rights,

We have received intelligence that this week, supporters of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) will be lobbying in force for Senate ratification of this dangerous United Nations treaty. They are busing in activists, making phone calls, and pulling out all of the stops.

We must match their efforts. Please call your two U.S. Senators right now and politely but firmly urge them to defeat the CRPD. Then, make a point to call again on Tuesday afternoon; we understand treaty supporters have scheduled a rally for that time, and we need to meet strength with strength. You can reach your senators by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and asking for them. You can also find their contact information by clicking on your state at Parentalrights.org/states.

Your message can be as simple as the following:

“I urge you to oppose the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This treaty surrenders U.S. sovereignty to unelected UN bureaucrats and will threaten parental care of children with disabilities. Our nation already has laws to protect Americans with disabilities. This treaty is unnecessary and will hurt families by giving bureaucrats, instead of parents, the power to decide what is in the best interests of a child with disabilities.”
I know you are busy parenting your children. I know many of you have already called and you may feel your senator is not listening to you. But I also know that your dedication to US sovereignty, educational freedom, and parental rights made the difference in 2012 when the Senate rejected the CRPD. Please take the time to make these calls again. I know that if we are united in making our voices overwhelmingly heard, we can win again.

Senate staffers may argue that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee added Reservations, Understandings, and Declarations (“RUDs”) to the CRPD to answer our concerns with the treaty. RUDs are considered to be weaker than treaty language under international law, as my recent analysis shows. Do we dare to trust our God-given right to direct the education and upbringing of our children to these RUDs?

Other staffers may argue that the treaty is only a statement of support for people with disabilities, and will not change US law. Remind these staffers that Article VI of the US Constitution says treaties that are ratified with the consent of the Senate “shall be the supreme Law of the land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.” The US already is the world leader in advancing the rights of persons with disabilities – we don’t need to ratify a UN treaty to remain the leader.

Thank you for calling. Please forward this email to your friends and urge them to call as well. At this point, the CRPD has not yet been scheduled for a floor vote, which means that supporters of the treaty still do not have the two-thirds majority they need to pass it. Your phone calls and letters are making the difference.

To learn more about the CRPD and to read it for yourself, please visit http://www.parentalrights.org/crpd" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

For liberty,

Michael P. Farris, JD, LLM
President, ParentalRights.org

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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

Post by Advocatus Dei »

August 6, 2014
When the Sign Says “No Parents Allowed”

Perhaps this has happened to you. You walk into the doctor’s or the dentist’s office and you find a sign like the one shown at right. “Parents: Due to new HIPAA and OSHA regulations you are not permitted beyond this point!”

What can you do? And what should you do?

For many, the first response is disbelief, followed by anger. Maybe you’re thinking, as a commenter on our Facebook post of this weekend did, “Whole lotta NOPE going on right here!” But the best response is generally to talk with the staff.

Some practices really do fail to respect the special role parents play in a young patient’s life. But most professionals understand and appreciate what parents bring to the table. (And as another commented, it is often not the doctor but overreaching government that is pushing them to “police” you anyway. The doctor may well be on your side!)


So start with a practice you trust. If you are new to an area, ask around. Go in and “interview” the office. Learn their reputation. Then, as one dental professional suggested, go yourself before you take your child. Were you comfortable enough with them when they cleaned your teeth to let them work on your child as well? (Obviously this advice is of no use in the emergency room, but great for the dentist or family doctor.)

You might assume, as many did when we posted this picture (and as we did ourselves) that the dentist is claiming falsely that new HIPAA guidelines require them to separate parent from child to protect the child’s privacy. What we learned from the West Virginia dentist’s office where this picture was taken, however, was that their office’s open floor plan forces them to balance parental rights against the privacy of the person in the next bay over. Parents, however, are always included in their child’s exam and all decision making. When they saw how their sign was misunderstood, they quickly took it down, and they have assured us that they respect the role of parents with their children.

In the case of Michigan mother Christy Duffy two months ago, it took a public outcry to drive the hospital to back away from its posted policy. In this current case, all it took was a conversation. (The practice also received a good deal of heat from our post, but that proved to be unnecessary.)

So talk to your doctor or dentist. If you see a sign like this one, ask them about it. If it is truly their intention to stand between you and your child, find a new doctor. If it is not, you might graciously suggest they fix their sign. Either way, both your children and our cause will be served best by a polite and civil discourse for as long as that is possible.

CRPD Update and August Recess

Now, when discourse fails, we apply the massive pressure that only concerned parents can bring. And that is just what we expect we will need to halt the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities this fall.

We made it to August recess without a vote in the Senate, but your senators need to hear from you now more than ever. The closer we get to the end of the term in December, the harder treaty proponents will push for a vote that could ultimately rob parents of their parental rights.

Action Items

So please take a moment now to line up a visit to your senators’ offices while they are home for August recess. You can find a step-by-step visit guide at 4pra.us/visit.

Then, secure your membership to ParentalRights.org. Your $50 annual donation will give you access to Elite Member content, including this month’s package on Internet Safety. As an added bonus (and in light of the uproar that today’s sign has caused), we will also include last month’s package on Parental Rights in the Medical Setting at no extra charge.

Finally, talk about parental rights. Talk to your friends and family, your doctor and dentist, your child’s teachers and administrators, and anyone else who will listen. The more your rights are known, the less likely they are to be overridden by accident – and the less those who would do so on purpose will be able to get away with it!

Sincerely

Michael Ramey
Dir. of Communications & Research

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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

Post by Advocatus Dei »

Aug. 13, 2014
Bring Parental Rights Home to Your State

Just two years ago, only three states offered legislative protection for parental rights. Since then five more states have secured similar laws. The Parents’ Bill of Rights adopted by Oklahoma this spring was likely the most comprehensive parental rights legislation anywhere, ever. And we anticipate seeing even more gains in 2015.

But the time to get those efforts started is now.

That’s why Jim and Patti Sullivan of Florida are already talking with lawmakers about a parental rights statute in the Sunshine State. They’re working with some of the same leaders in the Florida government who were instrumental in the passage of a 2011 memorial calling on Congress to adopt the Parental Rights Amendment.

And in Ohio we have been working to coordinate with two potential allied organizations regarding parental rights legislation there. Our hope is to introduce an Oklahoma-like bill early in the term that starts in January, 2015.

Similar efforts are in the works in other states, too, including Mississippi, Washington, Missouri, Idaho, New Jersey, Texas, and North Carolina.

At this point, ParentalRights.org has a wide array of sample parental rights statute language to fit nearly any state’s political climate. Even the least parent-friendly states can agree on our medical rights statute drafted in answer to the Pelletier case in Massachusetts. It quotes a New York appeals court decision in saying that the state cannot charge parents with medical neglect if the parents are operating under the direction of a licensed medical professional, following a known course of treatment, for their child’s reasonably diagnosed condition.

More parent-friendly states may be ready to adopt a more wide-ranging statute, such as our basic language that declares that “the liberty of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their child is a fundamental right.” This is the same standard that would be adopted nationally with the passage of the Parental Rights Amendment.

And the most parent-friendly states could model their legislation on the full-spectrum statement of detailed parental rights signed by Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin in June.

So whatever the climate in your state, we can provide a fitting starting point. It may be that all we need is you to get the ball rolling!

Action Items

1. Remember to visit your Congressman this month and encourage their support for the Parental Rights Amendment, HJRes. 50. For more on how to plan your visit, go to 4pra.us/visit.

2. Remember also to visit your Senators and urge them to oppose ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. For more on why we oppose this treaty, visit parentalrights.org/crpd. Then go to 4pra.us/visit for more on making your visit. Let them know that no reservation, understanding, or declaration can excuse using the international treaty power to pass domestic policy in a free and self-governing nation.

3. Get the ball rolling in your state! To see where you stand, visit your state’s page by clicking on your state at parentalrights.org/states. Then, email your State Coordinator and ask them how you can help get a statute going. Or fill out our volunteer form at parentalrights.org/volunteer, and put “state statute” in the “special skills” box. Working together, we can protect children by preserving parental rights all across the country.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Director of Communications & Research

P.S. – This month’s Elite Member premium packet is on the theme of Internet Safety, and we’re throwing in July’s packet (“Parental Rights in the Medical Setting”) at no extra cost. Join now and receive a new packet every month to empower you as you protect and raise your precious children.

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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

Post by Advocatus Dei »

Aug. 21, 2014
Urgent: Hold the Line against CRPD

Former Republican Senator Bob Dole has been pushing his former colleagues in the Senate to support the U.N.’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). He knows the treaty is about 2 votes short, and he is applying all the pressure he can to get those 2 votes.

It is imperative now more than ever that we continue to hold the line so that those last 2 votes do not cave. Your calls, emails, and visits may be the only thing giving them the backbone to stand up to the pressure and vote “No” to this treaty that would move domestic law to an international context and put your parental rights at risk.

Please take a moment today to call or email your Senators and urge them to oppose this treaty. If you already called, call them again. Or even better – there may still be time to schedule a visit while they are in your state until the end of the month.

Your message can be as simple as the following:

I am calling to urge my senator to vote “No” on ratification of the CRPD. We do not need to ratify any treaty that purports to direct our domestic policy. Only Americans should make law for Americans. Even if the content of this treaty were perfect – and I have concerns that it is deeply flawed – an international treaty is no way to pass American domestic law. Treaties should deal with how nations treat other nations, not how my government governs me or my family. Thank you.
You can find your senators’ contact information by clicking on their website links on your state page. You can get there by clicking on your state at parentalrights.org/states.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to take a vital stand for parental rights and American freedom.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Director of Communications & Research

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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

Post by Advocatus Dei »

Aug. 26, 2014
Members Fuel Fight to Save Parental Rights

They’re after our kids – the judges, the bureaucrats, the internationalists, the big government elites – and they seem to think they can make better decisions for our children than we can. And they know – they know – that if they can shape the hearts and minds of this next generation, there will soon be no one left to resist them at all.

The only thing stopping them is you. Your constitutional right to direct the upbringing, education, and care of your children is all that stands between your child and the bureaucrats’ dreams-come-true. But your rights, as you know, are eroding.

That is why your membership in ParentalRights.org is so important. As always, your donation funds the only national level organization standing up to protect your parental rights to guard your child’s heart and mind for a free and secure future.

But now your membership is beneficial to you in the present, as well. That’s because every month we offer Elite Member Benefits in the form of print outs, e-books, or informative interviews to help you be the best parent you can be – and exercise your rights to the full – right now.

"Love the ID kits!" -- Joy D., NY
For only $5 a month, or a discounted $50 one-time annual fee, you will receive a code once a month to your free Elite Member Benefits download. This month’s topic is Internet Safety, featuring a video interview with Enough Is Enough’s Donna Rice Hughes, as well as some handouts and coupons to help you protect your children online.

Coming in September – only a week away – is a package on Menu Planning to help busy parents like you make the most of your budget as you provide for your children. Food may not be a “cool” or “trending” parenting topic, but it’s vitally important – a part of every day!

"Thanks so much for your help!" - Donna A., NC
What’s more, we have made our July packet on Parental Rights in the Medical Setting a permanent part of every membership as well. Join today and you will have access to all three packages in less than a week! (September package becomes available Monday, September 1.)

By joining now, you will bring these benefits directly to your inbox on a monthly basis. Even more important, you will fund the vital but costly work of ParentalRights.org as we strive to protect your rights against intrusive U.N. treaties, activist judges, and encroaching legislation and regulations. Only with your help can we persevere until the Parental Rights Amendment is adopted and your rights are secured.

"We really appreciate it. We are a large family." Jennifer P., CA
So join today, then pass the message along.

You can also join our membership contest and earn rewards for enlisting your friends to join. So what are you waiting for? Only one more month in the contest, and only one more week to get your August Elite Membership packet for a safer internet experience.

Thank you for joining with us financially as we strive to protect parental rights now and for generations to come.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Director of Communications & Research


P.S. – This is also the last week of August recess, and the last week to call or visit your Senators while they’re in your state and urge them to oppose the CRPD. Click here for details.

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Virginia Notice: A financial statement is available from the State Office of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services upon request.

Washington Notice: The registration statement required by the Charitable Solicitation Act is on file with the Washington Secretary of State.

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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

Post by Advocatus Dei »

Sept. 2, 2014
Great News! PRA Goes to Subcommittee September 9

The Constitution Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on House Joint Resolution (HJRes.) 50, the Parental Rights Amendment (PRA), on Tuesday, September 9. Given that Congress is currently scheduled to be in session for only twelve work days before recessing again for the November elections, this hearing on only the second day communicates the importance of the resolution. The measure enjoys the support of 79 cosponsors, including Rep. Trent Franks, the chairman of the subcommittee. Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) is the measure’s lead sponsor.

“I’m pleased that my colleagues on the House Judiciary Committee will consider the Parental Rights Amendment. This is an incredibly important milestone. The Parental Rights Amendment will ensure that child-rearing decisions are not made by faceless bureaucrats but by parents who love their children and know them best,” Congressman Meadows said.

This will mark the second consecutive session of Congress in which the PRA has been taken up by the subcommittee. The same subcommittee held a hearing on HJRes. 107 in July of 2012 during the 112th Congress.

“It is encouraging to know that in the midst of so many other important matters that Congress is dealing with, they have not lost sight of the importance of families,” says ParentalRights.org president Michael Farris. “Parental rights is ‘perhaps the oldest of the fundamental liberty interests recognized by [the Supreme] Court,’ but recent erosion of this liberty demands that we act to preserve it for our posterity.”

Farris, who boasts 30-plus years of experience as a constitutional lawyer and serves as chancellor of Patrick Henry College in Virginia, will be one of the expert witnesses to speak at the hearing on behalf of the Amendment. ParentalRights.org staff also plan to be in attendance.

Action Items

1. Call on your congressman to cosponsor the Parental Rights Amendment. The 79 cosponsors are listed at 4pra.us/House. If your congressman is not on the list, please contact his or her local office – or reach their D.C. office through the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 – and ask that he or she contact Martha Van Lieshout in Mark Meadows’ office to sign on as a cosponsor.

Feel free to use your own words, of course, but a sample message follows:

I support the Parental Rights Amendment, which is House Joint Resolution 50. I am glad to see that HJRes. 50 is being taken up by the Constitution subcommittee next week, and that it already has 79 cosponsors. I would like to encourage my congressman to sign on as a cosponsor of the measure as well. The lead sponsor is Mark Meadows of North Carolina, and the contact person in his office is Martha Van Lieshout. I urge my congressman to take this stand to protect the right of loving parents to make decisions for their children without undue government interference.
2. Support our efforts with a membership to ParentalRights.org. If you are not already a member, why not join today? Your $5 monthly donation – or discounted $50 annual donation – will not only entitle you to all the great information in our monthly Elite Member Benefits packages, but will also fuel our efforts to protect parental rights.

Only with the help of donors just like you have we been able to introduce the Parental Rights Amendment in both houses of Congress and get it to this subcommittee hearing. Only with your generosity have we been able to stand against the push to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to warn you about dangers like the national student database associated with Common Core, and to inform you of grievous parental rights cases like that of Justina Pelletier.

With your support, we will continue this vital cause until your parental rights are permanently secured in the Constitution.

September 9 will be an exciting day in the struggle for parental rights, and we are grateful for the chance to share this victory with you!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Director of Communications & Research

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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

Post by Advocatus Dei »

Sept. 4, 2014
Let Us Share Your Story with Congress

ParentalRights.org President Michael Farris will be providing testimony on the Parental Rights Amendment before the Constitution Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee next Tuesday, September 9, and he would like to include your story.

Have you ever had a doctor or other medical professional (dentist, orthodontist, ophthalmologist, etc.) interfere with your parental rights? Perhaps they prevented you from accompanying your minor child into the treatment room for care. Perhaps they overrode your decisions regarding what is best for your child. Perhaps they called in the state because you sought a second opinion.

If you have had an experience of this sort, however basic or egregious, please send a brief summary to stories@parentalrights.org as soon as possible. You don’t have to write a long letter or include a ton of details. Just let us know what happened so that we can show Congress just how quickly this problem is growing, and just how far it has spread.

If you would also like to help fund our on-going efforts, you can secure a $5-monthly membership (or just $50 per year – a 16% savings) and receive two Elite Member Benefits packages – the current package on Menu Planning, and (fittingly enough) our package on Parental Rights in the Medical Setting. (If you already have a membership or don’t want one, you can make a general donation here.)

Thank you for your help as we prepare to take the issue of your parental rights to the very halls of Congress on September 9!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Director of Communications & Research

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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

Post by Advocatus Dei »

Sept. 9, 2014
Farris: New Foundation To Support Parental Rights

Dear Champion of Parental Rights,

I write to share with you an exciting opportunity to advance the cause of parental rights in a new and important way. And I need your help to make it happen.

Our goal remains focused. We want to place permanent protections for parental rights into the Constitution of the United States. We have also advanced selective interim goals that are vitally important, including the defeat of United Nations treaties that would harm parental liberties.

Our efforts thus far have been focused on getting people who support parental rights to call their elected officials to enact legislation.

It has become apparent that we need to devote additional efforts to informing the American public about our issue. If more parents know the true state of parental rights in our law and judicial practice, then more parents will join in our efforts to protect parental liberty.

Our efforts will be successful only when enough parents wake up, stand up, and speak up.

Accordingly, we have decided to launch a project to dramatically expand both our research and public communications on parental rights.

ParentalRights.org is a 501(c)(4) organization. That means that the organization itself is tax exempt, but because we do a lot of lobbying, we cannot grant tax deductions to our donors.

Education, research, and litigation, however, can legitimately be funded by organizations that are both non-profit and tax deductible.

So we are launching a sister organization: Parental Rights Foundation. This foundation will be a 501(c)(3) organization, which means that donations made to the Foundation are tax deductible. It will not engage in lobbying but only in research, education, and other activities appropriate for such organizations.

The Parental Rights Foundation will allow us to:

Produce scholarly “White Papers” on various aspects of parental rights
File “friend of the court” briefs to provide legal insight to judges in important cases such as that of the Pelletiers in Massachusetts
Conduct public campaigns through seminars, meetings, social media, and traditional press to ensure that a far greater percentage of parents and policymakers understand the threats that are rising daily in our nation
Produce new articles, videos, and blogs that can be shared through social media to help our grassroots members participate in this new campaign of public awareness and education
While we have been educating the public and policymakers to some degree already, our capacity to do so is limited by lack of resources.

Both organizations will need funding, because ParentalRights.org will continue our growing legislative and lobbying efforts. But launching the Foundation will allow a substantial part of our efforts to come through gifts that are tax deductible.

Whenever I speak to live audiences about parental rights, the response is strong and positive. When people learn the truth, they want to help.

It is impossible for me to physically stand before enough audiences to educate all the people we need. We must expand our educational efforts in a big way.

My hope is that the Parental Rights Foundation will become the leading authority for parental rights policy in America, the go-to place for everyone from parents to educators to lawmakers.

Educating the public will lead to more widespread support. And the support of the American public is essential for a project of this magnitude.

Will you help me with this effort? For the first time, we can offer you a tax deduction for any gift that you are able to make to help us launch the Parental Rights Foundation.

In order to hit our launch goals – to crank up our research, get our first articles written, and launch a new website to feature the results – I need to raise $100,000 for the Foundation! If you can, send your best gift to help get this effort off the ground.

When people learn the truth about governmental attacks on families, they will respond. People will get it: If the government attacks one good family, they can attack my family as well.

If we want to protect our freedom, we need more informed allies. The Parental Rights Foundation is the tool that can help us achieve that end.

Thank you!

Sincerely,


Michael Farris
President

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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

Post by Advocatus Dei »

Sept. 9, 2014
Farris: New Foundation To Support Parental Rights

Dear Champion of Parental Rights,

I write to share with you an exciting opportunity to advance the cause of parental rights in a new and important way. And I need your help to make it happen.

Our goal remains focused. We want to place permanent protections for parental rights into the Constitution of the United States. We have also advanced selective interim goals that are vitally important, including the defeat of United Nations treaties that would harm parental liberties.

Our efforts thus far have been focused on getting people who support parental rights to call their elected officials to enact legislation.

It has become apparent that we need to devote additional efforts to informing the American public about our issue. If more parents know the true state of parental rights in our law and judicial practice, then more parents will join in our efforts to protect parental liberty.

Our efforts will be successful only when enough parents wake up, stand up, and speak up.

Accordingly, we have decided to launch a project to dramatically expand both our research and public communications on parental rights.

ParentalRights.org is a 501(c)(4) organization. That means that the organization itself is tax exempt, but because we do a lot of lobbying, we cannot grant tax deductions to our donors.

Education, research, and litigation, however, can legitimately be funded by organizations that are both non-profit and tax deductible.

So we are launching a sister organization: Parental Rights Foundation. This foundation will be a 501(c)(3) organization, which means that donations made to the Foundation are tax deductible. It will not engage in lobbying but only in research, education, and other activities appropriate for such organizations.

The Parental Rights Foundation will allow us to:

Produce scholarly “White Papers” on various aspects of parental rights
File “friend of the court” briefs to provide legal insight to judges in important cases such as that of the Pelletiers in Massachusetts
Conduct public campaigns through seminars, meetings, social media, and traditional press to ensure that a far greater percentage of parents and policymakers understand the threats that are rising daily in our nation
Produce new articles, videos, and blogs that can be shared through social media to help our grassroots members participate in this new campaign of public awareness and education
While we have been educating the public and policymakers to some degree already, our capacity to do so is limited by lack of resources.

Both organizations will need funding, because ParentalRights.org will continue our growing legislative and lobbying efforts. But launching the Foundation will allow a substantial part of our efforts to come through gifts that are tax deductible.

Whenever I speak to live audiences about parental rights, the response is strong and positive. When people learn the truth, they want to help.

It is impossible for me to physically stand before enough audiences to educate all the people we need. We must expand our educational efforts in a big way.

My hope is that the Parental Rights Foundation will become the leading authority for parental rights policy in America, the go-to place for everyone from parents to educators to lawmakers.

Educating the public will lead to more widespread support. And the support of the American public is essential for a project of this magnitude.

Will you help me with this effort? For the first time, we can offer you a tax deduction for any gift that you are able to make to help us launch the Parental Rights Foundation.

In order to hit our launch goals – to crank up our research, get our first articles written, and launch a new website to feature the results – I need to raise $100,000 for the Foundation! If you can, send your best gift to help get this effort off the ground.

When people learn the truth about governmental attacks on families, they will respond. People will get it: If the government attacks one good family, they can attack my family as well.

If we want to protect our freedom, we need more informed allies. The Parental Rights Foundation is the tool that can help us achieve that end.

Thank you!

Sincerely,


Michael Farris
President

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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

Post by Advocatus Dei »

Sept. 16, 2014
Find Where Your Candidates Stand

The 2014 mid-term elections are only seven weeks away. Do you know where your candidates stand on parental rights? (Find out here.)

Each election cycle, we try to send our Parental Rights Amendment pledge to each congressional candidate in a district, then post the results on our website. This lets voters who visit our page see quickly and clearly who supports the Amendment and who does not.

This year, though, we have gotten behind, and we need your help to catch up. With the CRPD threatening, the PRA hearing in the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution last week, and the launching of the new Parental Rights Foundation, we have not had the man hours to secure those pledges as well.

But you can help!

Right now, we are looking for volunteers in each district who can help us get the pledge out to each candidate who will appear on the ballot for your U.S. House or Senate elections. It is important that the pledge goes to every candidate on the ballot so that every candidate has an equal chance to sign.

We realize many will not sign. But we don’t want to be in the position where a candidate can say, “I never got the chance to see this pledge that my opponent has been willing to sign.” This could make us look biased and partisan, when in truth our only issue is the Parental Rights Amendment.

Our hearing in the House subcommittee on the Judiciary last Tuesday went well. ParentalRights.org President Michael Farris and Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute’s Wendy Wright both testified in favor of the Amendment. Catherine Ross of George Washington University School of Law testified in opposition. Discussion centered around whether or not the measure is needed at this time, though Ross also communicated a willingness to trust “experts” to know what is best for children, while Farris and Wright trust parents as better decision makers.

Thank you to the hundreds of you who sent us your stories about how your parental rights have been threatened or violated. Thanks to you, Mr. Farris was able to tell Congress that we have heard from literally hundreds of concerned parents from all over America who have suffered such experiences.

We do not know whether to expect a vote this year or not because time is short for this Congress. But even if no vote is taken, the congressional record on this matter continues to grow, putting us in very good position to make a serious run at House passage in 2015.

Action Item: Securing Pledges

If you are able to help us with the pledge project, here is all you need to do:

1. Email pledge@parentalrights.org and let me know what district you are in. If someone has already signed up for that district, I will try to let you know that right away so you don’t duplicate their work.

2. Find out who will be on the ballot for your House seat and for the Senate from your state. You can usually find this information through the website of the registrar or the state board of elections.

3. Use a web search to find contact information for each of the candidates. If you want to include serious write-in contenders as well you can, but that is up to you.

4. Download the pledge from here and email it to each of the candidates. Include in your email the following:

ParentalRights.org is asking candidates to pledge their support for the proposed Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Please look over the attached one-page pledge. If you can, please sign it and return it by email to pledge@parentalrights.org; by fax to 540-751-1249; or by post to ParentalRights.org, P.O. Box 1090 Purcellville, VA 20134.

If you can make a personal visit to their offices in lieu of an email, so much the better – but strive to approach each candidate in the same way.

5. Once you have contacted all offices, send a follow-up email letting me know the task is completed. Once we know all the candidates from a race have been reached, we will give them several days to respond and then post the pledge signers from that district to our site.

Thank you for helping us get the word to your candidates regarding the vital Parental Rights Amendment!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Director of Communications & Research

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Re: UTAH-The Parental Rights Amendment & UNCR

Post by Advocatus Dei »

Sept. 17, 2014
CRPD Sneak Attack Foiled at Last Minute

Dear Champion of Parental Rights,

Treaty proponents will stop at nothing, and we urgently need your support right now.

Yesterday, without notice, Senator Harkin (D-IA) tried to bring the U.N.'s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) to the Senate floor by the "unanimous consent" of those in the chamber. In this sneak attack he almost succeeded in putting the treaty on the Senate calendar for a vote while limiting debate and eliminating any opportunity to offer amendments from the floor.

Thankfully, through the vigilance of Utah Senator Mike Lee (R), yesterday's sneak attack failed. (You can thank him in an email here: http://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) But that doesn't mean it's over. Our opponents in the Senate can try this again and again over the next three and a half months until the end of the session.

They could even go a step further, as Senator Durbin (D-IL) did two years ago, and propose that the treaty be adopted by unanimous consent – without any vote being taken whatsoever!

Freedom is dangerously close to being lost, and it is absolutely imperative that we remain vigilant every moment of this session, all the way through December.

Right now, we must have the resources to monitor and block this treaty through the end of the year! We cannot do this without your help. It's “all hands on deck.” Please help us today by sending a donation to stop the CRPD.

We must stand up to these tactics, and it's only because of your support that we can fight back. Thank you for standing with us to protect the parental rights of all Americans, including those whose children have disabilities.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Director of Communications & Research

P.S. – In his parting comments, Senator Harkin declared, “I may be retiring from the Senate, but I’m not retiring from this fight. I will never retire…. I will continue to work with [treaty proponents] to advance this and get it over the hurdle…. We will succeed in ratifying this treaty.” We need your help today to prove him wrong!

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