As parents, we all take for granted the rights we have to determine and decide what is best for our children, but did you know that these rights are not protected under the U.S. Constitution? Parentalrights.org is introducing an amendment that would protect families from the growing threat of global and state control of our youth.

     Parental rights are extremely important to us as homeschool parents. It’s one of the issues they were discussing during the keynote address at the AFHE convention. The right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children has been recognized and upheld for centuries. But there are ominous clouds on the horizon. Today, parental rights are coming under assault from federal judges who deny or refuse to recognize these rights. Adding further danger to the child-parent relationship, international law is seeking to undermine the parental role. Together, these threats are converging to create a "perfect storm" that looms over the child-parent relationship.

      Not all judges hold a low view of parental rights. Some, like Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, believe that parental rights are among the "inalienable rights" of Americans enumerated in the Declaration of Independence but they are finding it increasingly difficult to rule in favor of parental rights when it is not explicitly included in the language of the Constitution. The dwindling support for parental rights found on the federal level has opened the door to a growing, blatant disregard of parental rights within the lower courts of our nation. Parental rights violations are on the increase across the country, as courts exchange parental involvement for government control in the lives of America's children. The right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children is hanging by a thread.

     The precarious state of parental rights within our nation is reason enough for serious concern. But another storm is rapidly advancing. International law that seeks to empower the government to intrude upon the child-parent relationship is becoming an increasing threat. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), a seemingly harmless treaty with dangerous implications for American families, is approaching possible ratification by the United States. If this treaty is made binding upon our country, the government would have the power to intervene in any child's life to advance its definition of "the best interests of the child." The scenarios that could occur — and are occurring — as a result of this dangerous notion are both manifold and frightening. Under the UNCRC, instead of following due process, government agencies would have the power to override your parental choices at their whim because they determine what is in "the best interest of the child."

     There is only one solution to this situation: a constitutional amendment that places current Supreme Court doctrine protecting parental rights into the explicit language of the U.S. Constitution. This amendment will shelter the child-parent relationship from the coming storm, ensuring that parents have the right to direct the upbringing and education of their children. Every parent should be concerned about the protection and preservation of their rights. No government, regardless of how well-intentioned it might be, can replace the love and nurture of a parent in the life of a child. Parents care, not because their children are "wards" for whom they are responsible. Parents are willing to brave danger and sacrifice, hardship and heartache to ensure the best for their kids. ParentalRights.org brings together everyone who agrees that the vital role of parents in the lives of children should not be undermined by government action or policy.