Something to Consider

Though I like to keep the blog mostly for fun updates about the kids, I've recently become aware of an issue that I think is worth mentioning to others, especially other parents, because it will, one way or another, affect the laws concerning parents and children, and probably soon.

I'm talking about the Parental Rights Amendment and the UN Convention on Rights of the Child (CRC). 

You may or may not have heard about one or both of these. Either way, I would strongly encourage you to use the link above to check out the information, particularly their short explanation of why we need the PRA. I tried writing a summary here, but it was hard to condense it all. The website does a much better job than I can. I did want to make a few comments, though.

If you've heard about the CRC treaty, you probably know that every country has signed onto it except the US and Somalia. This fact makes it sounds like it must be something the US should do (how could all those other countries be wrong?). What you may not know is that every one of those countries signed their approval with reservations. However, in the US, our own constitution states that international treaties override all state laws, and virtually all of our child/family laws are state laws. So we do not have the option of ratifying it "with reservations." If we sign, suddenly the treaty becomes our new set of laws, overriding all existing laws. And what would we be getting? Well, to be honest, most of it is probably pretty benign. But there are a few things that would be troublesome, and they'd be legally binding just like the rest of it.

The part most concerning to me is that if the US ratifies the UN CRC treaty, suddenly the government (national and/or international) has the right to decide in any parent-child dispute what is "best for the child," and the burden of proof is shifted to the parents to prove their fitness rather than the state to prove they are unfit. This is the opposite of "innocent until proven guilty." And with our litigious society, I can only imagine what sorts of things would be brought into courts if teens were informed that they have the legal right to oppose their parents' every decision. 

I don't anticipate having legal disputes with my own children, but the treaty's jurisdiction extends past the courtroom and into many areas of government policy. One example is that just this week in Britain, the ministry of education released recommendations based on the CRC treaty which would significantly increase the restrictions on homeschooling families in that country. They are recommending (among other things) that the choice of curriculum be up to the state, and that government officials should have the right to enter the home and interview children alone to determine their preferences regarding schooling. Although it is not explicitly stated, the implication here is that if the child expresses any dissatisfaction with homeschooling, a legal process could ensue.

So please give the website a look and if you agree with the Parental Rights Amendment, sign their petition. This is a grassroots movement and they need all the help they can get to raise awareness and support.