An In-depth Look at Article 16 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
During our e-mail series on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, a constant theme has been the recurring intervention of government power in the relationship between children and their parents. Broad discretion for the state is particularly prevalent in the Convention’s “freedom” provisions, which guarantee choices to children when it comes to expression, information, religion, and association.
Perhaps the most troubling of these “freedom” provisions is article 16, which stipulates that “no child shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his or her privacy, family, home or correspondence.” More so than any other section of the Convention, article 16 invokes the power of the government in ways previously unseen and untested in America’s legal and political history.
Paradigm Shift
The key to understanding article 16 is found in its absolute language: no child is to have his or her right to privacy violated. According to American law professor Cynthia Price Cohen, article 16 “uses the strongest obligatory language in the human rights lexicon to protect the child’s privacy rights.” Read the rest of this entry »
An In-depth Look at Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Last week, we looked at how Article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child gives the government authority to intervene in the decisions of parents simply by appealing to the child’s “best interests.” This week, we continue our in-depth analysis of the CRC by examining Article 12, which says: “States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child.” Read the rest of this entry »
An In-depth Look at Article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Last week, we began our series on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) by looking at the Convention’s central focus on the “best interests of the child,” which allows the government to substitute its will for that of the parents. This principle is significant as we turn our attention to one of the first rights that the CRC grants to children: the right to remain in their family. Read the rest of this entry »
In addition to speaking with Dr. James Dobson yesterday, I was also able to share with Tim Wildmon of the American Family Association about parental rights. During this twelve-minute interview, Tim and I discuss the growing specter of international law, the dangers that international treaties like the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child will pose, and how conservative justices are looking for an explicit provision in the Constitution before defending parental rights.
Click here to listen to the interview. The discussion of parental rights and international law begins about three-and-a-half minutes into the program.
It’s usually looked upon as a positive means of holding countries accountable to protect children. But the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is so much more than that.
When the UNCRC was brought up for ratification in 1995, the core group of Senators in opposition concluded that this treaty marked a significant departure from the originally constituted relationship between state and child. They found, in fact, that it was literally incompatible with the right of parents to raise their children as well as a wholesale giveaway of U.S. sovereignty.
But why?
Widespread concerns about the UNCRC stem from the treaty’s repeated emphasis on one key principle used to guide all decisions affecting children: consideration of the “best interests of the child.” This principle underlies all of the rights found in the Convention. Read the rest of this entry »
ParentalRights.org is pleased to announce a special informational rally on Saturday, March 1 to hear Michael P. Farris, J.D. speak on the important topic of eroding parental rights in the U.S. This issue affects EVERY PARENT IN AMERICA.
For years, the Supreme Court has recognized that parents have a fundamental right to raise their children as they see fit, but that support is being steadily undermined by judges across the country who are denying the vital role of parents in the lives of their children and instead, are inserting the government into a “parental” role in the lives of America’s children. Please do not miss this special opportunity to hear Farris’s SOLUTION, which he describes as “the battle of the century for every parent in America.” Read the rest of this entry »
ParentalRights.org Executive Director Rich Shipe joined the Don Kroah Show on WAVA 105.1 in Washington DC last night for a discussion on the crucial need for the Parental Rights Amendment. Listen to the broadcast here (go to Wednesday January 16, 2008 — Hour 1, Minute 11:00).
The following article by ParentalRights.org board member Michael Smith originally appeared in the Washington Times on January 14, 2008. It can be read at the Washington Times website here.
All good parents are committed to seeking the best for their children, and in the crucial days of the presidential nominating process, many of us are turning our eyes to the years ahead.
What will the future look like for our children?
Though candidates and voters may have different perspectives on the specifics of achieving a positive future, one thing remains certain: Children need their parents.
The overwhelming majority know that parental involvement in the lives of children makes a key difference when it comes to their healthy development, education and positive life choices. In particular, home-school families know firsthand the impact of strong parental involvement in the lives of children.
Few dispute the vital role of parents in raising the next generation, but, regrettably, few recognize that the fundamental role of parents is under direct attack. Read the rest of this entry »
Playwright Julie Pascal’s recent article decrying the teaching of religion to children offers a revealing glimpse into some of the dangerous potential found within the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Referring to teaching religion to children as a form of child abuse, author Julie Pascal cites the Convention’s wording on the importance of “respect for the views of the child.”
The UNCRC has been challenged because of it’s reliance on government definitions of the “best interest of the child” — rather than observance and respect for a parent’s concept of what is right for their child.
Read more about some of the dangers of the UNCRC.
Keeping with the child-privacy-from-the-parents theme… In New Zealand a 16 year-old girl ran away from home and the parents are trying to find her. The police know where she is but they can’t tell the parents because of “privacy rights of children.”
Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ had this to say in a press release, “Politicians, with the support of the UN, Children’s Commissioner and Youth Law Project to name a few, have sought to increase children’s rights without considering the vital role of parents, and ways of strengthening families rather than splitting them.”
What we are seeing in New Zealand, the UK, and other parts of the world is heading our way. The question is, will we stop it? Will we stand up and fortify the rights of parents for the good of children?
Everyone, (ok, almost everyone) agrees that children need their parents. Let’s make a stand together. Please consider (after signing the petition) contributing to ParentalRights.org so we can further spread the message and then telling your friends about the campaign.
