Parental Rights

Virginia: Call Now to Further Parental Rights Amendment

Fri, 11 Aug 2023 13:18:00 GMT

I need your help today to advance the Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in Congress. Could you take a moment to call or even line up a visit with your congressman to urge his or her support?

The Parental Rights Amendment is currently introduced in Congress by Debbie Lesko (AZ) as House Joint Resolution 38 ( H.J. Res. 38 ). Because of the stark partisan divisions in Congress, we don’t necessarily expect the Amendment to pass this session. But that doesn’t mean we can’t further the discussion and better pave the way for its future passage.

And to do that, we need your congressman’s support.

You see, Governor Glenn Younkin’s election in 2021 on the issue of parental rights has sent a strong political message: the issue of parental rights resonates with Virginia voters.

The Parental Rights Foundation is a non-partisan organization; we’re not endorsing one party over another. I’m simply acknowledging the political reality that parental rights has especially resonated with voters in Virginia—and it’s one your member of Congress will recognize, as well.

That’s why I’m asking you to reach out and ask your U.S. Representative to sign onto H.J.Res. 38 as a cosponsor.

The plan is simple: the more cosponsors the Amendment gets, the easier it is to gain more. And once we get enough, we can ask for a subcommittee hearing on the resolution, which will further the discussion on constitutional parental rights. And that will help pave the way for future passage.

The challenge is that, with only eight current cosponsors, it’s not so easy to gain more. That’s why the political reality I mentioned above is so important: of all the members of Congress who could sign on, your Virginia representative should be among those most ready to do so.

What’s more, Congress is on recess throughout the month of August to allow your congressman to be right there in your district.

Take Action Today!

So here’s the action item, and there are two options:

Option 1 : Please take a moment right now to call your congressman’s district office (see numbers below) and ask that your congressman sign on as a cosponsor of H.J.Res. 38, the Parental Rights Amendment. Explain that our goal is to get enough cosponsors for a subcommittee hearing so that we can further the discussion of parental rights, and remind them that if Glenn Younkin’s election tells us anything, it is that Virginia legislators can safely back parental rights.

Be polite and courteous when you call and ask if they could send you an email response to your request.

Option 2: Because your lawmaker is in the district office, you can stop in and see them! Call the district office first to make an appointment (numbers below).

Then, try to take a friend or two with you. A large group can seem overwhelming or even threatening, but a group of two or three is enough to communicate that you are not alone in your interest in this cause.

Dress professionally and be sure to arrive on time, or even a couple of minutes early.

When you are there, simply make the same ask outlined in Option 1 above: that you want them to cosponsor H.J.Res. 38, that our goal is to gain enough cosponsors for a hearing to further the discussion of parental rights, and that Glenn Younkin’s election makes it clear that this is a safe and even a strong issue for legislators in Virginia to support.

You can also print out a couple of copies of this one-pager (front and back) to take with you and leave with them.

Be polite and courteous and ask them if they could email you a response when they’ve made their decision.

Virginia Congressmen:

District 1: Rob Wittman Tappahannock (804) 443-0668

Glen Allen (804) 401-4120

Yorktown (757) 527-6270

District 2: Jen Kiggans Virginia Beach (757) 364-7650

Onley (757) 666-6020

Suffolk (757) 942-6050

District 5: Bob Good Lynchburg (434) 791-2596

District 9: Morgan Griffith Abingdon (276) 525-1405

Christiansburg (540) 381-5671

If you’re not sure which district you are in, click here and enter your zip code.

Thank you for taking the time to stand with us to promote parental rights in Congress!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
President

Urgent: Time Running Out on Alabama Parental Rights Bill

Tue, 13 Jun 2023 12:38:00 GMT

Alabama’s fundamental parental rights bill, House Bill 6 , is running out of time and we need your help immediately.

H.B. 6, championed by Rep. Kenneth Paschal , received bipartisan support in the House, where it passed by a vote of 87-8 (plus 7 not voting and 3 abstained) on May 24, and again in the Senate, where it passed unanimously on May 31. Now it needs only the signature of Governor Kay Ivey to become law.

After months of debates and amendments in the legislature, this should be the easy part. Instead, we are hours away from the governor’s “pocket veto,” which will go into effect if the bill is not signed this week. (The “pocket veto” means that any bill not signed by this Friday is essentially vetoed, even without a specific veto action.)

This excellent bill, which establishes that parental rights are fundamental and that they may not be burdened by the state except under strict judicial scrutiny, deserves a better destiny than the pocket veto. It deserves to be signed into Alabama law!

And that’s where you come in.

Please take a moment right now, before you close this email, to call the governor’s office and urge her to sign H.B. 6 relating to fundamental parental rights.

You will need to call her office at (334) 242-7100 and leave a message asking her to stand with Alabama’s families by signing H.B. 6 into law immediately.

Your message should be in your own words, clearly mention H.B. 6, and express appreciation for her commitment to doing what is right for Alabama’s families. You might say something like the following:

Thank you for working to do what is right for Alabama’s families. Right now, would you please stand with us by signing H.B. 6 into law immediately? This bill will preserve and protect the proper level of respect for parental rights in our state. Thank you.

Once you have called, please forward this email to any friends and family you have in Alabama and encourage them to make a call, as well.

Together we can protect children by empowering parents through this excellent addition to Alabama’s laws.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Parental Rights Amendment to Louisiana Constitution to be voted on TOMORROW!

Mon, 15 May 2023 13:16:00 GMT

We are excited to let you know that the Louisiana House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on H.B. 152 , a proposed parental rights amendment to the Louisiana Constitution, tomorrow (Tuesday) when they come into session at 1 PM.

This powerful amendment, introduced by State Representative Beryl Amedee , will enshrine parental rights into the Louisiana Constitution for generations to come.

Please call and email your Louisiana state representative and ask him or her to stand with families and support H.B. 152. Your message can be as simple as the following:

“Please stand with families in Louisiana and vote for H.B. 152 to protect parental rights in the text of the Louisiana Constitution. This powerful amendment will protect parental rights in Louisiana for generations to come.”

While the U.S. Supreme Court has protected parental rights as fundamental for the past 100 years (you can read our recent amicus curiae brief to the First Circuit Court of Appeals laying out this history), it is imperative that we put this language into the Louisiana Constitution to make sure that future courts do not weaken parental rights. You can find more helpful resources about why this language is so important here .

I was privileged to testify in support of H.B. 152 on Monday, May 8, when it was heard in committee, and we were thrilled when it was unanimously voted out of Committee. You can also read the written testimony submitted by one of our board members, Professor William Wagner. (Feel free to include a link to this testimony when you email your representative.)

Then, please forward this email to a couple of friends and family in Louisiana and ask them to also contact their representatives and ask them to support H.B. 152. Together, we can protect families in Louisiana for generations to come!

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

Amendment Update: Congress Is Back!

Wed, 19 Apr 2023 15:03:00 GMT

Three weeks ago, we took our board members and volunteer state leaders into DC to educate members of Congress on the importance of protecting parental rights with the Parental Rights Amendment to the US Constitution, which US Representative Debbie Lesko (AZ-08) recently reintroduced as House Joint Resolution 38 ( H.J. Res. 38 ).

Since then, Congress has been away on recess, but now they have returned to DC!

And that means it’s time to call or email your US Representative and urge him or her to sign on as a cosponsor of the Parental Rights Amendment.

Hopefully, many of those we visited have already decided to sign on; they just need a timely reminder to do so, now that their recess is behind them.

Still other lawmakers need to be persuaded—and your contact could be just the ticket.

You can find your lawmaker’s contact information at www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative or by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

Your message to Congress should be in your own words, but it can be as simple as the following:

The Parental Rights Amendment, which would provide that “the liberty of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children is a fundamental right” and that this right is to be protected in the courts by strict judicial scrutiny, was introduced in the US House of Representatives in March. Adding to the seven cosponsors the resolution has now will increase the chances of securing a House subcommittee hearing, which will advance the discussion of these rights, raise the Amendment’s profile in Congress, and help us to get additional support.

You can read more about the Amendment at ParentalRights.org .

Once you’ve called or emailed, please share this email with friends and family who might also make a call. Together we can amplify our voice in support of the vital parent-child relationship upon which our society is built.

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents through the Parental Rights Amendment!

I am a constituent, and I’m calling to urge my congressman/congresswoman to cosponsor H.J. Res. 38, the Parental Rights Amendment. The primary role of parents in the upbringing of their children must be protected from the erosion of increasing government overreach. This Amendment will enshrine in the Constitution the very standard of parental rights protection that the Supreme Court has held for the last century, so that these rights will be secured for the next century and beyond. To sign on, simply reach out to Annie Clark in Debbie Lesko’s office. Thank you.

Parental Rights Foundation President Will Estrada to Speak in Miami on Saturday

Thu, 13 Apr 2023 17:42:00 GMT

Parental Rights Foundation president Will Estrada is speaking at the 2 ^nd Hispanic Homeschool Conference in Miami on Saturday, April 15. While this event is particularly directed toward Spanish-speaking families who are homeschooling or considering homeschooling, all are welcome.

The conference will be held at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Miami Airport, 711 NW 72nd Ave, Miami, FL, 33126, from 9am to 8pm.

You can find out more about the conference and register to attend by visiting their webpage, https://transitioneducation.mykajabi.com/2da-conferencia

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Your Calls Made the Difference: Parental Rights Passes Committee!

Thu, 13 Apr 2023 17:20:00 GMT

We’re excited to let you know that yesterday, April 12, the Alabama House Judiciary Committee favorably reported House Bill 6 ( H.B. 6 ), The Parental Rights Protection Act! This powerful bill, introduced by Representative Kenneth Paschal , will make Alabama the 16 ^th state in the nation to protect parental rights as fundamental in state code. Constitutional law professor and Parental Rights Foundation board member William Wagner submitted written testimony in support of H.B. 6 to the House Judiciary Committee. You can read Professor Wagner’s written testimony here.

Now the battle to protect children by empowering parents moves to the full Alabama House. H.B. 6 could come up for a vote on the House floor as early as Tuesday, April 18.

Please call and email your Alabama state representative and ask him or her to stand with Alabama families and support H.B. 6. You can find contact information for your Alabama state representative by typing in your address here .

Your message can be as simple as the following:

As one of your constituents, I respectfully ask you to stand with Alabama families and vote in support of H.B. 6, the Parental Rights Protection Act. This bill will codify existing Supreme Court precedent and preserve Alabama’s families from unnecessary and harmful state overreach. This bill reflects the fundamental truth that the best way to protect children is by empowering parents. Thank you.

If you email your Alabama state representative, you can also include a link to a video we produced about the importance of bills like H.B. 6, and a link to William Wagner’s written testimony here .

Then, please do one more thing: forward this email to 2 or 3 (or more!) friends and family in Alabama and encourage them to make their voices heard in support of protecting parental rights in Alabama. Together, we can make Alabama the 16th state in the nation to preserve this fundamental right!

For liberty,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation

Action Needed: Call Now to Advance Alabama Parental Rights Bill

Mon, 10 Apr 2023 13:50:00 GMT

House Bill 6 (HB6), the Parental Rights Protection Act, was pre-filed on January 20, 2023, by Representative Kenneth Paschal and 3 cosponsors. It has been placed on the House Judiciary Committee calendar for Wednesday, April 12, at 1:30 p.m. in Room 200.

HB6 seeks to protect parental rights as a fundamental right in state code and to shield Alabama families from governmental overreach. You can read the bill here .

HB6 will codify existing precedent of the U.S. Supreme Court and the Alabama Supreme Court.

Please take a moment today to contact as many of these committee members as you can and urge them to vote “Yes” on HB6. If one of these is your representative, be sure to contact them and let them know you live in their district.

Communicate to them that you deeply appreciate their commitment to doing what is right in Montgomery, and always be courteous in your communications.

Your message should be in your own words, but can be as simple as this:

I want to thank you for your commitment to doing what is right in Montgomery. And I urge you to vote “Yes” on HB 6, the Parental Rights Protection Act. This bill will codify existing Supreme Court precedent and preserve Alabama’s families from unnecessary and harmful state overreach. Thank you.

Below are the House Judiciary Committee Members:

Please take just a few minutes to call or email these members before 9am Wednesday.

Thank you for taking a moment to support parental rights in Alabama. Together, we can make a difference to protect children by empowering parents as you make your voice heard in Montgomery.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive director

Parental Rights Passes Iowa Senate, On to the House

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 18:05:00 GMT

Great news! SF 496 passed the Iowa Senate yesterday on a vote of 34-16! Your calls made the difference!

This bill, which will protect fundamental parental rights and require strict judicial scrutiny whenever these rights are infringed, was transmitted to the Iowa House last night, where it will go through a subcommittee and committee on its way to a floor vote as early as next week. (The amendment we asked you to champion with us yesterday passed and is now part of the total bill, so no further mention of the amendment is needed.)

Please take a moment today to contact your Iowa representative and urge him or her to support SF 496 when it comes before them for a vote. If your representative is on the Education Committee, you’ll want to ask him or her to vote in favor both in committee and on the floor.

Your message, either via phone or email, should be in your own words, and can be as simple as the following:

“As an Iowa voter, I respectfully ask you to support SF 496, An Act Relating to Children and Students. The vital role of a parent in the life of a child must be protected. Today is the day for Iowa’s legislative code to catch up with a hundred years of U.S. Supreme Court precedent and our Iowa court precedent to protect these rights with the respect they deserve. Fifteen states have already passed similar laws to establish parental rights as fundamental, and Iowa should join them.”

Then, once you’ve contacted your representative, we want to celebrate this win in the Iowa Senate, which has literally been years in the making.

In particular, we’d ask you to take a moment today to send a friendly email (no phone call is necessary) thanking Sen. Ken Rozenboom for his hard work on SB 496 .

Senator Rozenboom did a tremendous job of understanding the need for fundamental parental rights and strict scrutiny protection, and he put forth an amazing effort to shepherd this bill through the Senate.

Your message to Senator Rozenboom can be super simple, even just one sentence starting with “Thank you…!” His email address is ken.rozenboom@legis.iowa.gov .

If your own senator voted “yes” on SF 496, you may want to take a moment to send him or her an email of thanks, as well. You can find the vote results in the image accompanying this email and your senator’s contact information here .

Thank you for taking a moment today to make your voice heard in the House and your appreciation known in the Senate. Together we will see parental rights protected in Iowa code in the very near future!

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation

Urgent: Iowa Senate Votes TODAY on Parental Rights

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 15:15:00 GMT

SF 496 , An Act Relating to Children and Students, is scheduled for a floor vote in the Iowa Senate TODAY, Wednesday, March 22.

This powerful bill, with amendment number S-3097 , will establish parental rights as fundamental in Iowa code, as well as provide parents and children with additional protections from government encroachment.

Please contact your Iowa state senator and urge him or her to vote “Yes” today on SF 496, An Act Relating to Children and Students, with Amendment S-3097 .

Your message can be as simple as the following:

“As an Iowa voter, I respectfully ask you to support SF 496, An Act Relating to Children and Students, as amended by Amendment number S-3097 . The vital role of a parent in the life of a child must be protected. Today is the day for Iowa’s legislative code to catch up with a hundred years of U.S. Supreme Court precedent and our Iowa court precedent to protect these rights with the respect they deserve. Fifteen states have already passed similar laws to establish parental rights as fundamental, and Iowa should join them.”

To find out why fundamental parental rights laws are so important, you can watch this short video from our organization.

There has been a lot of back-and-forth on this language this year. We must stand together if we are going to see it pass. Please email your senator, and then forward this email to as many friends and family in Iowa as you can.

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President

ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation

Urgent: New Hampshire House Voting on Parental Rights Bill TODAY

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 12:31:00 GMT

H.B. 10, the Parents’ Bill of Rights , is scheduled for a floor vote in the New Hampshire House of Representatives TODAY, Wednesday, March 22.

This powerful bill will establish parental rights as fundamental in New Hampshire, as well as provide parents and children with additional protections from government encroachment.

Please contact your New Hampshire state representative and urge him or her to vote “Yes” today on H.B. 10, the Parents’ Bill of Rights, as amended by the Packard Amendment .

Your message can be as simple as the following:

“As a New Hampshire voter, I respectfully ask you to support H.B. 10, the Parents’ Bill of Rights, as amended by the Packard Amendment. The vital role of a parent in the life of a child must be protected. Today is the day for New Hampshire law to catch up with a hundred years of U.S. Supreme Court precedent and protect these rights with the respect they deserve. 15 states have already passed similar laws to establish parental rights as fundamental, and New Hampshire should be the 16 ^th state to do so.”

To find out why H.B. 10 is so important, you can watch this short video from our organization.

You may remember that a bill very similar to H.B. 10 was narrowly defeated last year in the New Hampshire legislature. We must work together to ensure that does not happen again this year. Please email your representative, and then forward this email to as many friends and family in New Hampshire as you can.

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President

ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation

OK Parental Rights Coordinator Testifies for DOE Rules Change

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 17:24:00 GMT

On March 17, 2023, the Oklahoma State Department of Education held an open forum to allow public comment on proposed rule changes that would expand parents’ rights to be notified regarding sex education materials, including gender identity or sexual orientation, and that would strengthen language against encouraging minors to hide information from their parents. These rules also assign penalties to schools and school officials who violate these provisions of the Oklahoma Parents’ Bill of Rights.

The proposed rule changes would specifically assign penalties when schools expose children to pornographic content and when schools hide information about a child and/or encourage the child to hide information from a parent.

Tracey Montgomery, Oklahoma State Coordinator for ParentalRights.org, spoke on behalf of the rule changes. (See Fox25’s coverage of the event here .) Her testimony was as follows:

“My name is Tracey Montgomery, and I am the Oklahoma State Coordinator for Parental Rights.Org. I wrote the Parents’ Bill of Rights in Oklahoma. My husband and I traveled the state for over 4 years, bringing awareness and educating parents on their fundamental rights. I spent 3 years lobbying the legislature until the Parent’s Bill of Rights was passed by an overwhelming majority of both Democrats and Republicans. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle understood that loving parents are best equipped to direct the upbringing and education of their children.

The courts have also understood that parents act in the best interest of their children. The Supreme Court’s precedent of upholding parent rights as fundamental goes all the way back to the early 1920s. They understand that parents’ rights do not stop at the school door.

Parents have the moral and legal obligations to decide what is best for their child in all areas of life, and parents have to live with the consequences of those decisions. If a parent allows their child to be exposed to something harmful then the parent and the child are the ones that must live with the consequences of that decision. If the school allows a child to be exposed to something that is harmful or later proves to be harmful, who is it that lives with the consequences? The parent and the child are the ones who live with the consequences, NOT THE SCHOOL.

Parents cannot protect their child, nor can they help their child reach their full potential if they don’t have all of the information on their child, or if they don’t know all that [their child is] being exposed to or taught. I support this rule change because it gives parents the tools to be able to protect their child and reach their full potential.

Children have the same fundamental rights as you and I, but parents hold those rights in trust and exercise them for their children. If I attend a class in college and they show or discuss sexual content or pornography, I have the ability to get up and walk out, to choose not to see the content. Our children, however, do not have that same ability in school unless parents exercise it for them.

Parents are willing to work with schools, but we are not willing to surrender our God-given authority or rights to the school.

I support these rule changes and I represent a multitude of parents across the state who support these rule changes also.”

We are grateful for Tracey and her leadership on this issue, and grateful for each of you who reached out and testified in person or through email to make your voices heard!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

UPDATED: You’re Invited: Two Virginia Events Focused on Parental Rights and Education

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 17:09:00 GMT

We want to invite you to consider attending two exciting events this spring in the Commonwealth of Virginia that will provide you with resources and encouragement on how you can join in the fight to protect children by empowering parents.

First, our president Will Estrada is one of the featured speakers at the Second Annual Virginia Education Summit. This all-day conference will be held on Saturday, March 25, in Glen Allen , and hosted by our friends at Middle Resolution. You’ll hear from Will, Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, and other experts on education policy and parental rights. You can purchase tickets by clicking here .

Second, in Loudoun County, our friends at Moms for Liberty are hosting a free event with Fight for Schools founder Ian Prior to talk about his new book on parental rights. You can join us on Thursday, April 20, 7:00 PM at Cascades Overlook Event Center, 21453 Epicerie Plaza, Suite 200, Sterling, Virginia. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT WAS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR MARCH BUT HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED TO THIS NEW DATE.

We’ve had a lot of victories in Virginia over the past couple years, but we also have a lot of work ahead of us. These two events will help provide resources, encouragement, and training for you to engage in the work ahead.

Very truly yours,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

P.S. Even though the Virginia legislature has adjourned, our work is not complete. We recently sent a letter to Governor Glenn Youngkin asking him to sign into law S.B. 1367 to protect reasonable parenting decisions. Read our letter here.

Urgent Calls Needed Today to Move Parental Rights Bill out of Committee

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 13:03:00 GMT

House Bill 6 (HB6), known as the Parental Rights Protection Act, was filed January 20, 2023, by State Rep. Kenneth Paschal and 3 co-sponsors to further fortify parental rights in Alabama, and to shield Alabamians from government overreach regarding parental rights.

HB6 was placed in the House Judiciary Committee.

We need your help. Please call and email the House Judiciary Committee chairman, Representative Jim Hill, and ask him to place HB6 on the House Judiciary Committee calendar for Wednesday, March 22, 2023.

You can reach Chairman Hill by contacting the Clerk of the House Judiciary Committee, Brandy Allen Rogers. Her contact information is (334) 261-0494 and brandy.allen@alhouse.gov .

Below is an example of an email or phone call message.

“Mrs. Brandy Allen Rogers, my name is _____, and I’m emailing/calling to respectfully request that Chairman Jim Hill place House Bill 6 on the House Judiciary Committee calendar for Wednesday, March 22 ^nd . I ask that HB6 be voted out of committee. This bill will protect parental rights in Alabama.

Thank you for taking a moment to stand up for parental rights. Together, we will make a difference and let our voices and concerns be heard in Montgomery.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation

You’re Invited: Two Virginia Events Focused on Parental Rights and Education

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 15:34:00 GMT

Virginia that will provide you with resources and encouragement on how you can join in the fight to protect children by empowering parents.

Second, our friends at Moms for Liberty are hosting a free event in Loudoun County with Fight for Schools founder Ian Prior to talk about his new book on parental rights. This gathering will be Tuesday, March 28, at 7:00 PM at Cascades Overlook Event Center, 21453 Epicerie Plaza, Suite 200, Sterling, Virginia.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Urgent: MD Parental Rights Bill Heading to Committee

Fri, 10 Mar 2023 14:05:00 GMT

Maryland SB566 , Family Law—Fundamental Parental Rights, is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee this Wednesday, March 15, at 1:00pm. Parental Rights Foundation president Will Estrada plans to be on hand to testify, but we also need your help.

This bill guarantees that “[a] parent has the fundamental right to direct the upbringing, education, care, and welfare of the parent’s child ” and that “[t]he State or a political subdivision of the state may not infringe [these rights] unless the State or political subdivision demonstrates…that the…infringement is (1) necessary to achieve a compelling government interest; (2) narrowly tailored to achieve the compelling government interests; and (3) the least restrictive means to achieve the compelling government interest.”

This is a terrific bill that will require state actors to treat parental rights as the fundamental constitutional rights that they are, as recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court in a consistent string of cases dating back 100 years to Meyer v. Nebraska (1923).

HB666, the companion bill to SB566, was heard in the House Judiciary Committee on February 22 and is still awaiting further action by that committee.

Today, we are asking you to contact your Maryland Senator and urge support of SB566 in the Senate . If they are on the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, ask them to vote “Yes” on the bill in committee. If not, ask them to vote for the bill when it comes to the Senate floor.

Your message, which should be in your own words, can be as simple as this:

I am calling to ask my senator to support SB566, Fundamental Parental Rights. The vital role of a parent in the life of a child must be protected. It’s time for Maryland law to catch up with a hundred years of U.S. Supreme Court precedent and protect these rights with the respect they deserve. If my senator is on the Committee on Judicial Proceedings, I ask him or her to support SB566 at Wednesday’s hearing and to vote it out of committee.

If you email your lawmaker, you might include this link to our video explaining why this legislation is so important: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cqRWQa6e28

We also invite as many as are able to attend the hearing in person Wednesday, March 15, at 1:00 pm in the East Miller Senate Building, Room 2, Annapolis . Our own Will Estrada will be present to testify in favor of the bill.

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents through common sense legislation like SB566 in the Maryland legislature.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Urgent Calls as New Hampshire Parental Rights Bill is Scheduled for Hearing

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 14:53:00 GMT

H.B. 10, the Parents’ Bill of Rights , will have a hearing in the New Hampshire House Children and Family Law Committee tomorrow, Tuesday, March 7, at 1:15 PM, in the Legislative Office Building (LOB), Rooms 206-208.

This powerful bill will establish parental rights as fundamental in New Hampshire, as well as provide parents and children with additional protections from government encroachment.

Please contact the legislators on the Children and Family Law Committee by clicking this link , and then clicking “Email All Committee Members.”

Your message can be as simple as the following:

“As a New Hampshire voter, I respectfully ask you to support H.B. 10, the Parents’ Bill of Rights. The vital role of a parent in the life of a child must be protected. It’s time for New Hampshire law to catch up with a hundred years of U.S. Supreme Court precedent and protect these rights with the respect they deserve. 15 states have already passed similar laws to establish parental rights as fundamental, and New Hampshire should be the 16 ^th state to do so.”

In addition, you may want to include in your email the link to a letter we sent to the sponsors of H.B. 10 explaining why the Parents’ Bill of Rights is so important.

If you are able to go to Concord to testify in support of H.B. 10 in person, that would also be extremely powerful.

To find out why H.B. 10 is so important, you can watch this short video from our organization.

You may remember that a bill very similar to H.B. 10 was narrowly defeated last year in the New Hampshire legislature. We must work together to ensure that does not happen again this year. Please email the Committee members, and then please forward this email to as many friends and family in New Hampshire as you can.

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President

ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation

Texas Considers State Parental Rights Amendment

Tue, 21 Feb 2023 18:37:00 GMT

We are excited to let you know that Texas Representative James Frank has introduced House Joint Resolution 58 (HJR 58) proposing a Parental Rights Amendment to the Texas Constitution.

If the resolution passes, the amendment will be proposed to the voters and subject to their approval at the November 7, 2023, election.

The amendment would take existing United States Supreme Court precedent and place it in the black-and-white text of the Texas Constitution, where it cannot be altered by the shifting attitudes of the courts. While Texas already protects parental rights in state code ( Texas Family Code § 151.003 ), protecting parental rights in the Texas Constitution will make this even more secure.

Below is the text of the proposed constitutional amendment in its entirety. (The bill includes other language in addition to this, which addresses how the amendment is to be proposed, voted on, and so forth.)

Proposed Amendment Text

Sec. 36, FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF PARENTS TO RAISE CHILDREN. (a) The liberty of a parent to direct the upbringing of a parent’s child is a fundamental right. This right includes the right to direct the care, custody, control, education, moral and religious training, and medical care of the child.

(b) The state or a political subdivision of this state shall not interfere with the rights of a parent described by subsection (a) unless the interference is:

(1) essential to further a compelling governmental interest; and

(2) narrowly tailored to accomplish that compelling governmental interest.

Take Action Now

Please take a moment now to contact your state lawmakers and urge them to protect your family by voting in favor of HJR 58 proposing a Parental Rights Amendment to the Texas Constitution. Your message should be in your own words, but can follow the example below:

I am a constituent, and I am urging my [representative/senator] to protect my family by supporting HJR 58, the Parental Rights Amendment. This amendment would take existing commonsense court protections for parental rights and put them in the black-and-white of the Texas Constitution. This will protect our rights from shifting court ideologies and preserve our families for generations. My family means the world to me, so I hope we can count on my lawmaker’s support of this vital bill.

Once you have made contact yourself, could you also forward this email to family and friends who are as concerned for their families as you are?

Thank you for making your voice heard to protect parental rights in the Lone Star State!

Sincerely yours,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation

Nebraska: Urge Your Senator to Support LB42 for Reasonable Childhood Independence

Mon, 20 Feb 2023 13:29:00 GMT

Senator Ben Hansen’s (District 16) bill, L.B. 42 , that protects innocent families from being caught up in child neglect investigations, has been schedule for a hearing in the Judiciary Committee this Wednesday , February 22 .

This commonsense language unanimously passed the Colorado legislature last year and was signed into law, and the same language is poised to become law (again unanimously) in the Commonwealth of Virginia this year.

Please contact your senator and ask him or her to cosponsor and vote in support of L.B. 42 . You can call or email your senator (or both!) with a message as simple as the following:

“Please support L.B. 42. At a time when it seems that government is encroaching more and more on loving parents and their ability to care for and raise their children, L.B. 42 provides freedom to parents to let their children grow and thrive, freeing Nebraska’s Division of Children and Family Services to focus attention on children who are truly in danger of abuse or neglect.”

If you decide to email your senator, feel free to link to the letter of support that we sent to the sponsor of L.B. 42.

To read more on the background and importance of this type of bill, please visit parentalrightsfoundation.org/reasonable-independence-model .

L.B. 42 enjoys broad bipartisan support from advocacy groups across the political spectrum , including ParentalRights.org, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) (whose model bill Nebraska’s legislation mirrors), Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), Americans for Prosperity (AFP), Nebraska Appleseed, 50Can, Let Grow, and several Nebraska-based child advocacy groups.

Thank you for standing with us for parental rights and freedom.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org & Parental Rights Foundation

Action Alert: Please Ask You Virginia Delegate to Support Reasonable Childhood Independence Bill

Wed, 15 Feb 2023 14:28:00 GMT

We’re excited to let you know that S.B. 1367 , a bipartisan bill introduced by Senators Jill Vogel and Jennifer Boysko to protect innocent and loving Virginia families from being caught up in child neglect investigations, has unanimously passed the Virginia Senate and has unanimously passed a key House of Delegates committee!

S.B. 1367 amends Virginia law to clarify that a loving and caring parent who allows his or her child to engage in “independent activities” will not be considered to have neglected the child.

S.B. 1367 enjoys broad bipartisan support from advocacy groups across the political spectrum, including ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) (whose model bill Virginia’s legislation mirrors), Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), Let Grow, Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC), Independent Women’s Forum, and more.

Last month, our president, Will Estrada, joined with parents and advocates from across the political spectrum in testifying in support of S.B. 1367 when it was pending before the Virginia Senate.

On Monday, S.B. 1367 faced a critical vote in the House of Delegates’ Courts of Justice subcommittee. Will Estrada again joined with other advocates in testifying in support, and it successfully passed out of subcommittee in a unanimous vote. You can watch Will’s testimony and the committee vote here . (S.B. 1367 is discussed from timestamp 2:32:47 to 2:54:33.) S.B. 1367 is now pending before the full Courts of Justice committee. If it passes there, it goes to the full House of Delegates, and then to Governor Glenn Youngkin to be signed into law.

Please contact your Virginia delegate and ask him or her to support S.B. 1367. You can call or email (or both!) your Delegate with a message as simple as the following:

“Please support S.B. 1367 to provide children with reasonable independence. At a time when it seems that government is encroaching more and more on loving parents and their ability to care for and raise their children, S.B. 1367 provides freedom to parents to let their children grow and thrive, freeing Virginia’s Department of Social Services to focus attention on children who are truly in danger of abuse or neglect. This bill passed unanimously out of the Virginia Senate and the House of Delegates subcommittee and should become law in Virginia.”

If you decide to email your Virginia Delegate, please link to the letter that we sent to the Senators Jill Vogel and Jennifer Boysko in support of S.B. 1367.

And to read more of our background on the importance of these types of bills, please visit our webpage here: https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/reasonable-independence-model/

Thank you for standing with us for parental rights and freedom.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Parental Rights Foundation & ParentalRights.org

Calls Needed NOW to Protect Innocent Families from Being Placed on Central Registry

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 13:31:00 GMT

We are pleased to support a bipartisan bill, HB 23-1160 , that has been sponsored by Representative Gabe Evans and Representative Elisabeth Epps , which will establish due process protections before an innocent parent is placed on Colorado’s central registry of abuse and neglect. HB 23-1160 will greatly improve the likelihood that all Colorado families receive due process in CPS investigations. HB 23-1160 is based on the Parental Rights Foundation’s model legislation on this subject.

HB 23-1160 will be heard and voted on by the Public & Behavioral Health & Human Services Committee on Tuesday, February 14, at 1:30 PM.

Please email and call the Colorado Representatives who are on the Public & Behavioral Health & Human Services Committee, and urge them to vote “yes” on HB 23-1160, to ensure that Colorado families receive due process protections during CPS investigations, and that they have the opportunity for notice and a hearing before being placed on a registry that could cost them their job, or even their children.

Representative Dafna Michaelson Jenet, 303-866-2945, dafna.michaelson.jenet.house@coleg.gov
Representative Judy Amabile, 303-866-2578, judy.amabile.house@coleg.gov
Representative Brandi Bradley, 303-866-2935, brandi.bradley.house@coleg.gov
Representative Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, 303-866-2954, serena.gonzales-gutierrez.house@coleg.gov
Representative Richard Holtorf, 303-866-2398, richard.holtorf.house@coleg.gov
Representative Tammy Story, 303-866-2582, tammy.story.house@coleg.gov
Representative Mary Young, 303-866-2929, mary.young.house@coleg.gov
Representative Mary Bradfield, 303-866-2946, mary.bradfield.house@coleg.gov
Representative Regina English, 303-866-3069, regina.english.house@coleg.gov
Representative Eliza Hamrick, 303-866-3706, eliza.hamrick.house@coleg.gov
Representative Iman Jodeh, 303-866-2919, iman.jodeh.house@coleg.gov

Thank you for standing with us to protect innocent families and children during CPS investigations.

Very truly yours,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org and Parental Rights Foundation

Calls Needed to Advance Parental Rights Bill in West Virginia

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 13:19:00 GMT

On January 27, WV Delegate Jim Butler introduced HB3118 , Creating the Parents’ Bill of Rights. The bill provides that “[t]he liberty of a parent to direct the upbringing, education, and care, including medical care, of the parent’s child is a fundamental right.” It also requires the government to “demonstrate[e] that the governmental interest as applied to the parent and the child is of the highest order and long recognized in the history and traditions of this state, is narrowly tailored, and is not otherwise served by a less restrictive means.”

This is a terrific bill that will require that parental rights be treated as the fundamental constitutional rights that they are, as recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court in a consistent string of cases dating back 100 years to Meyer v. Nebraska (1923).

On February 10, HB 3118 passed the House Committee on Senior, Children, and Family Issues and was then assigned to the Judiciary Committee, where we are hearing it may face opposition.

Today, we are asking you to contact your member of the West Virginia House of Delegates and ask them to support HB3118 . If they are on the House Judiciary Committee, ask them to call for a hearing and to vote the bill out of committee. If not, ask them to vote for the bill when it comes to the House floor.

Your message, which should be in your own words, can be as simple as this:

I am calling to ask my delegate to support HB3118 Creating a Parents’ Bill of Rights. The vital role of a parent in the life of a child must be protected. It’s time for West Virginia law to catch up with a hundred years of U.S. Supreme Court precedent and protect these rights with the respect they deserve. (If my delegate is on the Judiciary Committee, I ask him or her to call for a hearing on HB3118 and to vote it out of committee.)

Please also email the House Judiciary Chairman, Del. Moore Capito , and vice-chairman, Del. Tom Fast , and ask them to schedule HB 3118 for a hearing. These men control the committee’s schedule, and they need to hear from you!

If you email your lawmaker, you might include this link to our video explaining why this legislation is so important: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cqRWQa6e28

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents through common sense legislation like HB3118 in the West Virginia House.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada
President

Calls Needed to Advance Parental Rights Bill in Indiana

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 18:13:00 GMT

On January 17, Representative Dale DeVon introduced HB1407 , an act to amend the Indiana Code concerning family law and juvenile law. The bill guarantees “the right of a parent to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health of the parent’s child ” and prohibits the state or any agency or subdivision of the state from infringing on these rights “without demonstrating that the infringement: (1) is required by a compelling governmental interest of the highest order as long recognized in the history and traditions of the state of Indiana; and (2) as applied to the parent and the child, is narrowly tailored and not otherwise served by a less restrictive means.”

I’m excited to announce that HB1407 passed the House Committee on Family, Children, and Human Affairs this morning by a vote of 9 to 4.

Now, we are asking you to contact your member of the Indiana House of Representatives and ask them to support HB1407 when it comes up for a vote on the House floor.

Your message, which should be in your own words, can be as simple as this:

I am calling to ask my representative to support HB1407 Relating to Parental Rights. The vital role of a parent in the life of a child must be protected. It’s time for Indiana law to catch up with a hundred years of U.S. Supreme Court precedent and protect these rights with the respect they deserve. Please support HB1407 when it comes to the House floor for a vote.

If you email your lawmaker, you might include this link to our video explaining why this legislation is so important: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cqRWQa6e28

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents through common sense legislation like HB1407 in the Indiana House.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada
President

Calls Needed to Advance Parental Rights Bill in Indiana

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 21:07:00 GMT

On January 17, Representative Dale DeVon introduced HB1407 , an act to amend the Indiana Code concerning family law and juvenile law. The bill guarantees “the right of a parent to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health of the parent’s child” and prohibits the state or any agency or subdivision of the state from infringing on these rights “without demonstrating that the infringement: (1) is required by a compelling governmental interest of the highest order as long recognized in the history and traditions of the state of Indiana; and (2) as applied to the parent and the child, is narrowly tailored and not otherwise served by a less restrictive means.”

The day it was introduced, HB1407 was referred to the House Committee on Family, Children, and Human Affairs.

Today, we are asking you to contact your member of the Indiana House of Representatives and ask them to support HB1407 . If they are on the House Committee on Family, Children, and Human Affairs, ask them to support the bill when it comes up for a hearing. And whether they are or not, ask them to vote for the bill when it comes to the House floor.

Your message, which should be in your own words, can be as simple as this:

If you email your lawmaker, you might include this link to our video explaining why this legislation is so important: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cqRWQa6e28

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents through common sense legislation like HB1407 in the Indiana House.

Sincerely,
Will Estrada
President

Calls Needed to Advance Parental Rights Bill in North Dakota

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 18:53:00 GMT

On January 16, six North Dakota state representatives and five state senators introduced House Bill 1403 “relating to prohibiting governmental entities from interfering with parental rights.” The bill guarantees the “fundamental right of a parent to direct the upbringing, education, health care and mental health of the parent’s child” and prohibits any government entity from interfering with these rights “unless the governmental entity demonstrates [that] the interference furthers a compelling governmental interest and is narrowly tailored and is the least restrictive means available to further the compelling governmental interest.”

On January 30, HB1403 was referred to the House Human Services Committee.

Today, we are asking you to contact your member of the North Dakota House of Representatives and ask them to support HB1403 . If they are on the Human Services Committee, ask them to call for a hearing and to vote the bill out of committee. If not, ask them to vote for the bill when it comes to the House floor.

Your message, which should be in your own words, can be as simple as this:

I am calling to ask my representative to support HB1403 Relating to Parental Rights. The vital role of a parent in the life of a child must be protected. It’s time for North Dakota law to catch up with a hundred years of U.S. Supreme Court precedent and protect these rights with the respect they deserve. (If my representative is on the Human Services Committee, I ask him or her to call for a hearing on HB1403 and to vote it out of committee.)

If you email your lawmaker, you might include this link to our video explaining why this legislation is so important: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cqRWQa6e28

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents through common sense legislation like HB1403 in the North Dakota House.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada
President

Calls Needed to Advance Parental Rights Amendment in Minnesota

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 18:46:00 GMT

On January 23, Representatives Ron Kresha and Josh Heintzeman introduced HF682 to propose an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution protecting parental rights in their child’s education. The bill guarantees “the liberty of a parent to direct the education of their child [as] a fundamental right to choose, as an alternative to public education, a private, religious, or home school, and the right to make reasonable choices within a public school for their child.”

This is a terrific resolution that will establish parental rights in education as fundamental rights in the Minnesota Constitution, just as they have been recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court in a consistent string of cases dating back 100 years to Meyer v. Nebraska (1923).

The day it was introduced, HF682 was referred to the House Committee on Education Policy.

Today, we are asking you to contact your member of the Minnesota House of Representatives and ask them to support HF682 . If they are on the House Education Policy Committee, ask them to call for a hearing and to vote the resolution out of committee. If not, ask them to vote for the resolution when it comes to the House floor.

Your message, which should be in your own words, can be as simple as this:

I am calling to ask my representative to support HF682 proposing an amendment to protect parental rights. The vital role of a parent in the life of a child must be protected. It’s time for the Minnesota Constitution to catch up with a hundred years of U.S. Supreme Court precedent and protect these rights with the respect they deserve. (If my representative is on the House Committee on Education Policy, I ask him or her to call for a hearing on HF682 and to vote it out of committee.)

If you email your lawmaker, you might include this link to our video explaining why fundamental parental rights are so important: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cqRWQa6e28

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents through constitutional efforts like HF362 in the Minnesota House.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada
President

Calls Needed to Advance Parental Rights Bill in Hawai’i

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 18:21:00 GMT

On January 25, Representatives Pierick, Garcia, and Matsumoto introduced HB1393 , an act Relating to Parental Rights. The bill guarantees the right of parents “to direct the upbringing, education, care, and welfare of the parent’s child” and prohibits the state or any agency or subdivision of the state from enacting “any rule, regulation, or law that infringes upon [these rights] “without demonstrating that the rule, regulation, or law is narrowly tailored to address a compelling governmental interest using the least restrictive means necessary.”

On January 30, HB1393 was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs (JHA).

Today, we are asking you to contact your member of the Hawaiian House of Representatives and ask them to support HB1393 . If they are on the JHA Committee, ask them to call for a hearing and to vote the bill out of committee. If not, ask them to vote for the bill when it comes to the House floor.

Your message, which should be in your own words, can be as simple as this:

I am calling to ask my representative to support HB1393 Relating to Parental Rights. The vital role of a parent in the life of a child must be protected. It’s time for Hawaiian law to catch up with a hundred years of U.S. Supreme Court precedent and protect these rights with the respect they deserve. (If my representative is on the JLA Committee, I ask him or her to call for a hearing on HB1393 and to vote it out of committee.)

If you email your lawmaker, you might include this link to our video explaining why this legislation is so important: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cqRWQa6e28

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents through common sense legislation like HB1393 in the Hawaiian House.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada
President

Maryland SB 378 Threatens Children, Parental Rights

Fri, 03 Feb 2023 13:56:00 GMT

We need your help today to halt a dangerous bill that threatens the health of children and the fundamental right of parents to make decisions for them.

Maryland Senate Bill 387 , introduced by Senator Kagan and assigned to the Finance Committee, would essentially do away with any age of consent for vaccination, depending solely on the opinion of a health care provider.

Ostensibly, the bill lowers the age of vaccination consent to 14 years, which is bad enough. Allowing a 14-year-old to consent without a parent’s knowledge, input, or support will open the door for peer pressure and coercion, rather than wisdom, caution, and knowledge of one’s family medical history, to drive children’s health decisions.

But, the bill also provides that “a minor under the age of 14 years… has the capacity to consent to vaccination if…in the opinion of the health care provider, the minor is of sufficient intelligence to understand and appreciate the need for, nature of, and the significant risks and consequences of the vaccination; and the minor is able to give informed consent” (emphasis added).

Apparently, Senator Kagan is not familiar with Booth and Mazer, et al, v Bowser , the case we argued (and won) last year that threw out DC’s Minor Consent for Vaccinations Act Amendment of 2020 which tried to do this very same thing. The court sided with our clients because DC’s statute violated federal law and the fundamental rights of parents.

This Maryland bill makes the very same fatal mistakes and must therefore be voted down.

Take Action Now

Please take a moment today to contact your Maryland state senator and urge them to vote “No” to SB 378, that violates federal law and constitutional parental rights. You can find your lawmaker’s contact information here .

Your message can be as simple as the following, preferably in your own words:

SB 378 is a bad idea for children. It would violate federal laws designed to protect children from coercion, and it would violate a parent’s constitutionally protected right to make decisions with and for their child for the child’s best interests. Cutting parents out of a minor’s healthcare is always a bad decision, and in this case we already know the law cannot survive a court challenge. Please protect our children by voting “no” on this terribly unwise legislation.

Regardless of where one stands on vaccines, removing parents from major decisions in a child’s life is certain to have negative consequences. The Supreme Court of the United States has upheld the vital role that parents play in making these decisions which children, by virtue of simply being children, are not yet ready to make.

S.B. 378 treats children as adults. A minor child may not know his or her medical history. A minor child may consent to an immunization, and then suffer an adverse reaction, and a parent who does not know that the child was immunized may miss warning signs and be unable to get the child to the hospital in time. A parent who does not know that their child received an immunization at school may have their family pediatrician administer the same immunization, resulting in potential harm due to multiple and unnecessary doses.

Thank you for standing with us to protect all Maryland children by halting this very dangerous bill.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada
President

Urgent Action Needed to Save Parents’ Bill of Rights in Mississippi!

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 18:04:00 GMT

We need your calls and emails TODAY to ensure that H.B. 1489, The Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act , does not die in committee.

This is a powerful bill that codifies in Mississippi law that parental rights are fundamental. In addition, it provides a host of strong protections to parents of Mississippi children, particularly those who are enrolled in public schools. If H.B. 1489 becomes law, Mississippi will be the 16 ^th state in the nation to protect parental rights as fundamental.

Unfortunately, powerful special interests are trying to kill this bill. If H.B. 1489 does not go through the committee process TODAY, January 31, it will die.

Please call and email your Mississippi State Representative right now and respectfully, but firmly, ask him or her to support H.B. 1489. Your message can be as simple as the following:

“I ask that you support H.B. 1489 and make sure that it does not die in committee today. This critical and timely bill will enshrine into Mississippi law that parental rights are a fundamental right, as the U.S. Supreme Court has held for the past 100 years. 15 states have already done this – it is time for Mississippi to become the 16th state to protect parental rights as fundamental in state law. Additionally, H.B. 1489 will protect parents and children in Mississippi’s public schools, allowing parents to make critical decisions regarding their own children. As parental rights are under attack, please stand with Mississippi parents and kids and support H.B. 1489, the Parents’ Bill of Rights.”

Thank you for standing with us to protect parental rights in Mississippi!

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President

ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation

Urgent Action Needed: Bill to Reform Montana CPS Investigations before Montana Senate TODAY

Mon, 30 Jan 2023 14:39:00 GMT

We need your help TODAY to pass SB 181 , a good bill to require notice of parental legal rights in child and family services cases. SB 181 has been introduced by Senator Dennis Lenz , and will provide numerous Constitutional due process protections to families when Montana Department of Child and Family Services investigators are conducting an investigation regarding abuse or neglect allegations.

SB 181 is based on our model bill . It passed out of the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Safety Committee on January 26, by a vote of 8-1.

“SB 181 is scheduled for a vote on the Montana Senate floor today, around 1 PM.” (Please note that schedules and timing can always change).

Please call or email your Montana State Senator RIGHT NOW using this Find My Legislator tool .

Your message can be as simple as the following:

“I urge you to support SB 181, which will add several due process protections into Montana law to protect the rights of innocent parents and caregivers when faced with a Child and Family Services investigation regarding alleged abuse or neglect, including notifying the family of their legal and constitutional rights during an investigation. These protections are required by the US and Montana Constitutions, and will serve to protect innocent families, while still allowing Child and Family Services investigators and law enforcement to protect children who are truly at risk of abuse or neglect.”

If you decide to send an email to your state legislator, you can include a link to an amicus curiae (“friend of the Court”) brief we submitted in a federal lawsuit several years ago that documents the harm that innocent families and children face when going through a child abuse or neglect investigation . SB 181 will provide needed protections in these types of investigations in order to protect innocent families. You can read our brief here: https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/doe-v-woodard/

Then, please forward this email to two or three friends, and ask them to also contact their Montana State Senator. Together, we CAN bring reform to the child welfare system in Montana.

Very truly yours,

Will Estrada

President, Parental Rights Foundation and ParentalRights.org

Urgent Action Needed: Bill to Reform Montana CPS Investigations to be heard TODAY

Mon, 23 Jan 2023 13:22:00 GMT

We need your help today to pass SB 181 , a good bill to require notice of parental legal rights in child and family services cases. SB 181 has been introduced by Senator Dennis Lenz , and will provide numerous Constitutional due process protections to families when Montana Department of Child and Family Services investigators are conducting an investigation regarding abuse or neglect investigations.

SB 181 is based on our model bill .

SB 181 has been scheduled for a hearing today at 3:00 PM in Room 317 of the Montana Senate, before the Senate Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Safety.

There are several ways that you can help pass this bill. You can visit the Montana Capitol in Helena and testify briefly in support. Or you can call or email your Montana State Senator using this Find My Legislator tool .

Your message can be as simple as the following:

“I urge you to support SB 181, which will add several due process protections into Montana law to protect the rights of innocent parents and caregivers when faced with a Child and Family Services investigation regarding alleged abuse or neglect. These will include notifying the family of their legal and constitutional rights during an investigation. These protections are required by the US and Montana Constitutions, and will serve to protect innocent families, while still allowing Child and Family Services investigators and law enforcement to protect children who are truly at risk of abuse or neglect.”

If you decide to send an email to your state legislator, you can include an Amicus Curiae (“friend of the Court”) brief we submitted in a federal lawsuit several years ago, which documents the harm that innocent families and children face when going through a child abuse or neglect investigation. SB 181 will provide needed protections in these types of investigations in order to protect innocent families. You can read our brief here: https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/doe-v-woodard/

Very truly yours,

Will Estrada

President, Parental Rights Foundation and ParentalRights.org

Coming January 26 to Vero Beach: An Evening with Parental Rights Florida

Thu, 19 Jan 2023 19:54:00 GMT

It’s one night only , and you’re invited!

Parental Rights Florida and the Parental Rights Foundation are hosting “An Evening with Parental Rights Florida” next Thursday, January 26, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Kings Baptist Church, 3235 58 ^th Avenue in Vero Beach.

Parental Rights Foundation president Will Estrada will be the keynote speaker for the event, which will highlight the state of parental rights in Florida, the state of parental rights nationwide, and how the path forward involves parents taking action!

There will also be a Q&A period to get your questions answered!

Will Estrada is an attorney with 14 years’ experience at the Home School Legal Defense Association and four years as a career federal servant at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Office for Civil Rights’ Conscience and Religious Freedom Division. These experiences combine to give him a unique and powerful perspective on the role of parents in protecting children, and the proper role of government in protecting parental rights.

Patti Sullivan, Florida State Coordinator for the Parental Rights Foundation and the driving force behind Parental Rights Florida, coordinated with then-Florida Representative Eric Grall (now a Florida senator) to champion Florida’s Parents’ Bill of Rights, which was passed in 2020 and signed into law by Gov. DeSantis.

Come meet both of these dynamic leaders and learn how you can plug into parental rights efforts to protect children in the Sunshine State!

Critical Parental Rights Legislation Introduced In South Carolina Legislature!

Wed, 18 Jan 2023 14:21:00 GMT

We are excited to let you know that three powerful bills have been introduced in the South Carolina legislature. All of these bills will protect parental rights in South Carolina and will make South Carolina the 16 ^th state in the nation to enshrine in state law that parental rights are fundamental!

H. 3197 , The Parental Bill of Rights, has been introduced in the South Carolina House, and has been cosponsored by Representatives Burns, McCravy, Leber, Chumley, Taylor, Pace, Kilmartin, Haddon, Beach, Harris, Hartnett, and Magnuson.

H. 3485 , The Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act, has been introduced in the South Carolina House, and has been cosponsored by Representatives Magnuson, May, A.M. Morgan, Burns, Chumley, B.J. Cox, Cromer, Haddon, S. Jones, Kilmartin, Long, McCabe, T.A. Morgan, O’Neal, Oremus, Pace, Trantham, White, M.M. Smith, Willis, McCravy, T. Moore, Nutt, Thayer, Yow, Gilliam, Pope, Leber, Lawson, Harris, and Beach.

And S. 234 , the companion bill to H. 3197, The Parental Bill of Rights, has been introduced in the South Carolina Senate, and has been cosponsored by Senators Loftis and Adams.

All three of these bills protect parental rights as a fundamental right in South Carolina law. In addition, these three bills will also do the following:

provide curriculum transparency to parents of children in South Carolina public schools,
allow parents to protect their children’s privacy in public schools,
allow parents to opt their children out of certain public-school classes, and
provide a host of additional protections for families in South Carolina.

Please call or email (or both!) your State Representative and State Senator , and ask him or her to support H. 3485, H. 3197, and S. 234.

Your message can be as simple as:

“Please support H. 3485, H. 3197, and S. 234, to protect parental rights as fundamental in South Carolina law. These critical and timely bills will enshrine into South Carolina law that parental rights are a fundamental right, as the U.S. Supreme Court has held for the past 100 years. Fifteen states have already done this – it is time for South Carolina to become the 16th state to protect parental rights as fundamental in state law. Additionally, these three bills will protect parents and children in South Carolina’s public schools, allowing parents to make critical decisions regarding their own children.”

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by preserving parental rights in South Carolina!

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President

ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation

Action Alert: Please Ask Your Virginia Senator to Support Reasonable Childhood Independence Bill

Wed, 18 Jan 2023 13:27:00 GMT

We’re excited to let you know that S.B. 1367 , a bipartisan bill introduced by Senators Jill Vogel and Jennifer Boysko, has been introduced in the Virginia General Assembly! S.B. 1367 will protect innocent and loving Virginia families from being caught up in child neglect investigations.

S.B. 1367 amends Virginia law to clarify that a loving and caring parent who allows his or her child to engage in “independent activities” will not be considered to have neglected the child.

Please contact your state senator and ask him or her to support S.B. 1367. You can call or email (or both!) your senator with a message as simple as the following:

If you decide to email your state senator, feel free to link to the letter that we sent to the Senators Jill Vogel and Jennifer Boysko in support of S.B. 1367.

And to read more of our background on the importance of these types of bills, please visit our webpage here: https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/reasonable-independence-model/

Thank you for standing with us for parental rights and freedom.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President

Parental Rights Foundation and ParentalRights.org

Parental Rights Bill Introduced in Alabama

Thu, 12 Jan 2023 21:12:00 GMT

I first heard from Kenneth Paschal in March of 2011, when he was the Birmingham chapter president of the Alabama Family Rights Association. He was trying to persuade state lawmakers to pass parental rights legislation, and we were happy to lend our support to his efforts.

Today, Kenneth Paschal is himself the state lawmaker, and he is still laser-focused on parental rights, as shown in a recent press release that his office sent out.

“Representative Paschal is championing the kind of solid parental rights protection we’d love to see passed in every state,” declared Parental Rights Foundation president Will Estrada. “I fully support House Bill 6 and urge the state lawmakers there to make this the reality in Alabama.”

The following is that press release from Rep. Kenneth Paschal of Alabama:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 12, 2023
Contact: Kenneth Paschal (205)626-9458

STATE REP. KENNETH PASCHAL PRE-FILES LEGISLATION TO PROTECT PARENTAL RIGHTS AS “FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS”

State Rep. Kenneth Paschal (R – Pelham) announced on Thursday he has pre-filed a pro-family bill that would add Alabama to the growing list of 15 states which have opted to preserve and protect parental rights as “fundamental rights” under statute.

Paschal’s legislation ensures that Alabama recognizes parental rights as “fundamental rights,” which cannot be taken away unless there is a “compelling reason” to do so, rather than “ordinary rights,” which allow parental decisions to be overridden by state government more easily.

“As a God-fearing man and father, I stand in unity with parents across Alabama who believe that it is our fundamental right to raise our children without fear of unwarranted government intrusion and interference,” Paschal said. “Rather than creating additional rights, this bill simply preserves the rights already afforded to parents, who will be able to rest easy knowing that they won’t wake up one morning to find that the government is trying to erode their decision-making power in raising their children.”

Former NFL most valuable player and University of Alabama standout running back Shaun Alexander, who serves as vice president of the Parental Rights Foundation , said Paschal’s measure is a much-needed step in shielding parental rights from being weakened and, in some cases, revoked by intrusive government edict. Alexander’s statement read:

“I strongly support Rep. Paschal’s legislation that would enshrine in Alabama’s state code that the rights of parents are fundamental. While courts have long recognized these rights, it is time for the Alabama legislature to fully protect them by statute.

“One of life’s greatest honors is raising a child, which is a challenging task, a rewarding task, and, truth be told, a task that is key for the future of our great country. Few people will ever lead, provide, and protect a child like their parents.

“We must create the law that gives parents the authority to do that for their children. We must protect the family and the fundamental right to parent at the highest degree in the law. As a husband and father, I’m proud and honored to support this bill and urge that it be passed by the Alabama legislature and signed into law.”

(End Press Release) —

I encourage you to keep an eye on Rep. Paschal’s bill, HB 6, and contact your own state representative and ask them to support it when it comes before them for a vote. And be on the lookout for future alerts in case we need to urgently press lawmakers to push this bill through in Alabama.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

We Need YOUR Help in Connecticut!

Thu, 12 Jan 2023 18:43:00 GMT

We need your help in Connecticut to pass a bill to protect innocent families from unnecessary and traumatic CPS investigations. We’ve worked with our allies across the political spectrum to pass “reasonable independence” laws in states around the nation, including Colorado, Texas, Utah, and Oklahoma. You can see our model bill here: https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/reasonable-independence-model/

We are looking for either parents or professionals who live or work in Bridgeport specifically. If you or someone you know in Bridgeport supports the effort to give Connecticut kids more independence, can you or they please email a note to our president, Will Estrada, at will@parentalrights.org ? He will then respond with more details about how you can help in this advocacy effort.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Action Alert: Call or Email to Support Reasonable Childhood Independence Bill

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 14:17:00 GMT

We’re excited to let you know that Senator Ben Hansen (District 16) has introduced L.B. 42 , a bill that protects innocent families from being caught up in child neglect investigations.

L.B. 42 was introduced January 5 and will be scheduled for a Judiciary Committee hearing, so we need your help. Please contact your senator and ask him or her to cosponsor and vote in support of L.B. 42. You can call or email your senator (or both!) with a message as simple as the following:

If you decide to email your senator, feel free to link to the letter of support that we sent to the sponsor of L.B. 42.

For background, L.B. 42 amends Nebraska law to clarify that a parent who allows his or her child to engage in “independent activities” will not be considered to have neglected the child, unless there is evidence of obvious danger that any reasonable parent would not – and should not — ignore. L.B. 42 enjoys broad bipartisan support from advocacy groups across the political spectrum, including ParentalRights.org, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) (whose model bill Nebraska’s legislation mirrors), Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), Americans for Prosperity (AFP), Nebraska Appleseed, 50Can, Let Grow, and several Nebraska-based child advocacy groups.

Thank you for standing with us for parental rights and freedom.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org

Parental Rights are Advancing in Pennsylvania!

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 19:03:00 GMT

We have been busy in Pennsylvania this year. With a lot of momentum behind us and a lot of opportunities ahead of us, we need your support to continue our vital efforts in your Commonwealth.

First, we worked with allies from across the political spectrum to oppose House Bill 1737 , which would have allowed Child Welfare Services to ask a judge to force a drug test on any parent who was so much as accused of child neglect. No level of evidence, no probable cause would be necessary. A simple, anonymous phone call with an accusation would be enough to haul a family before a judge , threatening the sanctity of their home and the privacy of their children.

To defeat this bill, we worked with partners as diverse as the Women’s Law Project , ACLU of Pennsylvania , the Home School Legal Defense Association, and Community Legal Services of Philadelphia to oppose its passage. So far, families in Pennsylvania remain safe from this level of intrusive overreach . You can read our letter of opposition here .

And we didn’t just play defense. We went on offense. We were proud to work with Senators Doug Mastriano, Kristin Phillips-Hill, Judy Ward, and Michele Brooks to draft and introduce Senate Bill 996, the Parental Rights Protection Act. We worked behind the scenes with Senate leadership to ensure that S.B. 996 was a priority, and when S.B. 996 had a committee hearing on October 18, Parental Rights Foundation President Will Estrada testified in support of the bill. You can read his testimony here and watch the full hearing here (Will was the very last speaker to testify, at the very end of the hearing).

We were thrilled when the Senate State Government Committee passed S.B. 996 out of committee on Monday, October 24, by a 6–4 vote. We want to thank Senators Cris Dush, Daniel Laughlin, Doug Mastriano, Kristin Phillips-Hill, Patrick Stefano, and David Argall for standing with parents and voting “yes” on S.B. 996.

Although there will not be time to pass S.B. 996 out of the Pennsylvania Senate before the end of the session, this critical committee vote shows that the Pennsylvania Senate leadership stands with parents to ensure that the traditional, primary role of parents in the upbringing, education, and care of their children is protected in Pennsylvania law going into next year’s legislative session.

Parental rights are winning in the Keystone State. But all of these projects take time, hard work, and financial resources.

Would you be willing to stand with us and visit ParentalRightsFoundation.org/donate to make your best donation to invest in these continuing efforts? All donations are tax-deductible, and they will ensure that we are able to fight nationally and in Pennsylvania to protect parental rights.

You know that those who want to control your children will not stop coming after you , your child’s greatest defense. And that is why we will not stop standing with you to defend your family.

So please take a moment today to support our efforts as you are able.

Thank you as always for standing with us and for your children.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Urgent: Vote on PA SB 996 Coming Monday!

Fri, 21 Oct 2022 20:25:00 GMT

We just received word that Pennsylvania Senate Bill 996 , the Parental Rights Protection Act, will be up for a vote in the Senate State Government Committee on Monday morning , October 24.

This doesn’t leave a lot of time to contact your senator on that committee and urge him or her to vote in favor of the bill to protect families like yours and mine.

Based on the model found at the Parental Rights Foundation website, SB 996 will preserve the liberty of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children as a fundamental right . Further, it will enshrine that right in state law where it belongs—not just in state court precedent.

The rights guaranteed by SB 996 are those already preserved under the United States Constitution as recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court for nearly a hundred years. But enshrining these rights in Pennsylvania law will further protect them for families in the Keystone State.

This is the bill in favor of which Will Estrada testified at a committee hearing just last week, which you may have seen in our social media post.

Call to Action

Please take a moment right now to see if your senator is on the committee listed here .

Then, if they are, urge them to vote in favor of SB 996 on Monday. Be sure to mention that you are a constituent. As a voter in their district, you have a voice that carries extra weight!

If your senator is not on the committee , contact them anyway and urge them to support the bill when it is reported out of committee for a full Senate vote.

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents through good legislation in Pennsylvania!

Parental Rights Amendment Introduced in Congress

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 16:45:00 GMT

I am excited to announce the introduction of the Parental Rights Amendment to the US Constitution in Congress! In addition to our work across the nation to defend families and parental rights through litigation, state legislation, and other advocacy, we are pulling the Amendment off the back burner and ramping up a new effort in Congress led by Representative Debbie Lesko, a Congresswoman and mom of three from Arizona. I’m including our press release below, and after that a call to action.

Parental Rights Amendment Introduced in Congress

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE // October 18, 2022 // Washington, DC – Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) today introduced in the US House of Representatives an amendment to the United States Constitution. The Amendment would enshrine the traditional liberty of parents to direct a child’s upbringing, education, and care as a fundamental right.

Lesko, who heads the Protect Kids Caucus in the House, believes protecting this traditional role of parents is key to keeping children healthy and safe. “Parental rights are under attack across our nation,” Lesko says. “I am pleased to have the support of ParentalRights.org in introducing this crucial amendment to the US Constitution to enshrine parents’ fundamental right to have a say in their children’s education, and I will continue to advocate for protecting children and empowering parents in Congress.”

Will Estrada, the president of ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation, declared, “The Supreme Court has recognized parental rights for a century, but parental rights are just too important to be left to Supreme Court precedent alone. This Amendment will enshrine these traditional rights in the black-and-white of the Constitution, preserving that parental role for generations to come. We are honored to work with Rep. Lesko to protect children by making this Amendment a reality.”

“The Supreme Court in 1923 said ‘the child is not the mere creature of the State,’ but many of today’s bureaucrats have lost sight of that,” says Jim Mason, chairman of the board for the Parental Rights Foundation and ParentalRights.org. “This Amendment will permanently codify that precedent and restore a proper respect for the vital parent-child bond in America.”

The House joint resolution to introduce the Amendment will receive a bill number in the next couple of days. It marks the eighth straight Congress in which the Amendment has been introduced.

Media inquiries can be directed to Media@parentalrights.org.

Call to Action

Right now, you can promote the Parental Rights Amendment in Congress by encouraging your own US representative to sign on as a cosponsor to the resolution. Here’s how you can help:

1. Once it’s available, check the current list of cosponsors at Congress.gov to see if your representative is already a cosponsor. If not, proceed to step 2. (The list won’t be available for a few days. Until it is, you may assume your lawmaker is not on it and proceed to step 2.)

2. Find your representative’s contact information here .

3. Email or call your representative’s office. Tell their staff that you are a constituent and that you are urging your member of Congress to contact Bobby Bravo in Rep. Debbie Lesko’s office to sign on as a cosponsor of the Parental Rights Amendment. (We’ll provide the bill number here as soon as we have it, too—that will help.)

Your message can simply be something like this:

I live in Rep. _____’s district, and I value the role of parents in the life of a child. I’m calling to urge my representative to contact Bobby Bravo in Rep. Debbie Lesko’s office and sign on as a cosponsor of the Parental Rights Amendment. Parents, not the government, have the fundamental right to decide what is best for their child. Please sign on to cosponsor this vital safeguard for my children and for America’s families.

Thank you for standing with us to promote the Parental Rights Amendment and empowering parents for the protection of their children!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

And that’s it!

Calls Needed as Key Committee Considers Fundamental Parental Rights Bill Next Tuesday!

Thu, 13 Oct 2022 19:13:00 GMT

We’re excited to announce that S.B. 996 , the Parental Rights Protection Act, will receive a committee hearing in the Senate State Government Committee on Tuesday, October 18, at 10:30 a.m.!

S.B. 996 was introduced earlier this year by Pennsylvania Senators Doug Mastriano, Kristin Phillips-Hill, Judy Ward, and Michele Brooks. S.B. 996 will protect parental rights in Pennsylvania law, strengthening the right of parents to direct the education, upbringing, and care of their children. And it will allow Pennsylvania to join the fifteen other states in the nation that already have a similar law on their books.

Please contact the senators on the State Government Committee and urge them to support S.B. 996. You can find the names and contact information of the 11 senators on this committee here: https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/cteeInfo/Index.cfm?CteeBody=S&Code=41

Your message can be as simple as the following:

ParentalRights.org President Will Estrada has been asked to testify in favor of S.B. 996 at the hearing on Tuesday. If you wish to attend the committee hearing, it will be held in the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg in Hearing Room 1 of the North Office Building.

You can also watch the livestream on the Committee’s webpage at https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/cteeInfo/Index.cfm?CteeBody=S&Code=41

Thank you for standing with us in the battle to protect our children by empowering parents!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director
ParentalRights.org

Please support S.B. 996 to enshrine into Pennsylvania law that parental rights are a fundamental right. This common-sense bill will take the U.S. Supreme Court’s precedent from the last 100 years and put it into the text of Pennsylvania law, thereby protecting the constitutional rights of all Pennsylvania families.

Our Incredible Parent Volunteers

Wed, 31 Aug 2022 15:49:00 GMT

I’m just going to put this out there: our volunteers are some of the greatest human beings on the planet!

A couple of weeks ago, ParentalRights.org president Will Estrada and I found ourselves in the same place as a few of our state coordinators and got to sit down with them. We talked ( in person! ) about our legislative efforts of the past year and how we’d like to proceed in 2023. We also discussed next steps in introducing the Parental Rights Amendment to the US Constitution in Congress.

As exciting as that conversation was, though, what really struck me was just how blessed we are to get to work with such amazing people for the cause of parental rights.

Parental Rights Champions

I’m talking about champions like Paulette Brack of Michigan, who first started working with nonprofits (and with our founding president, Michael Farris) in the 1980s—well before ParentalRights.org was founded in 2007!

Or Barb Heki of Iowa, who has been leading the charge in her state for more than 10 years, and who is right now in the middle of negotiating with lawmakers the best way to bring a fundamental parental rights law to the Hawkeye State in 2023.

Or Jim and Patti Sullivan, who successfully steered a Parent’s Bill of Rights through Florida’s legislature in 2021 and yet are just getting started. (You can hear Patti talk about her experience in this episode of our EPPiC Broadcast podcast.)

In fact, getting to sit down with them was so encouraging, we’ve begun serious talks about hosting a training event for state leaders, hopefully in the coming months. It has been several years since our last one, and it’s time to “get the band back together.”

But in all this, there is still something missing—and it might just be you .

An Invitation

The reason that ParentalRights.org has been able to do so much good through the years is because of our passionate ParentalRights.org volunteers who do so much of the on-the-ground work to defend families, empower parents, and protect children. It is reader-supporters just like you who one day rise to the call and decide to see what they can do to bring parental rights protection to their state.

With the rise of many volunteer parent grassroots groups in the past two years, we have more organizations to partner with than ever before. And that creates opportunities for ParentalRights.org volunteers to coordinate with these partners and with lawmakers to make great strides for parental rights, wherever you happen to live.

So here’s my invitation to you today: If you would be interested in pursuing parental rights efforts in your state (especially toward passing state legislation to protect families), send an email to Michael@parentalrights.org and put “2022 Volunteer” in the subject line. If your state already has a coordinator, I will connect you with them. And if not, we can talk about whether you might be the right person for that role.

(One word of caution: If you are in the middle of a family crisis right now, I will urge you to focus on your family and get that resolved first. We don’t want to take your energy away from that; it wouldn’t be the best thing for you, your family, or the organization.)

There is something Paulette, Barb, Patti, and Jim all have in common: there was once a time when they had never done anything like this before. Just like you. But then they stepped up and volunteered. I honestly can’t imagine where ParentalRights.org would be today without them.

So, carefully consider if you’d like to join us, and send me an email to let me know. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

And if you don’t have the time to volunteer, perhaps you have the financial ability to help support our parent volunteers. You can contribute to ParentalRights.org and our efforts to pass legislation. Or, make a tax-deductible donation to the Parental Rights Foundation to fund efforts like our in-person volunteer training event coming in the next few months.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Great Job, Massachusetts!

Wed, 10 Aug 2022 13:26:00 GMT

Great job! With your help, Senate Amendment 3030 ( S. 3030 ) to House Bill 5034 went down to defeat when the session ended August 2 with neither the amendment nor the bill being adopted.

We alerted you to S. 3030 in the last week of July because it would strip parents with religious convictions of the right to exempt their children from vaccines on the basis of those beliefs.

With the end of the session August 2, that measure will have to start all over again in 2023—and if it does, we will keep you posted and continue to stand against it.

We firmly believe that fit and loving parents, in consultation with their child’s pediatrician (where appropriate), are the most qualified to make decisions regarding their children’s health—not the “one-size-fits-all” lawmakers in Boston.

Thank you for making your voice heard and standing for parents in your state!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Teachers Unions Are Wrong: Parental Rights Are NOT ‘Anti-Education’!

Wed, 03 Aug 2022 13:35:00 GMT

With a nod to the country classic, “The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia,” now we are celebrating the day they came back on!

On April 28, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed into law House Bill 1178, the Parents’ Bill of Rights, preserving the fundamental liberty of parents to direct their child’s education and care , and shining a light on what goes on in the public schools. This bill is based on our model legislation, and we were proud to support it.

With the stroke of the governor’s pen, Georgia became the 15th state to preserve these rights in statutory law. (A majority of states recognize these rights in their courts but have not yet codified them in the legal code.)

Georgia’s new Parents’ Bill of Rights now fills at least two vital needs in Georgia law: First, it preserves “a fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing and care of their minor children.” While courts across the country differ on the level of respect they afford to parental rights, their respect for fundamental rights is uniformly very high, demanding “strict scrutiny protection”: the strongest possible level of judicial review. So, this codifying of parental rights as fundamental leaves no room for ambiguity on the level of protection they are to receive in Georgia courts.

Second, it provides that “important information relating to a minor child should not be withheld, either inadvertently or purposefully, from his or her parent, including information relating to the minor child’s education.”

While the quote above comes from the General Assembly’s “findings” and is not necessarily legally binding in itself, it is a good summary of what is laid out in detail (and in very legally binding fashion) throughout the rest of the law.

As you may imagine, national teacher unions and special interest groups fought this bill, calling it “anti-education.” But the only thing the law does is permit parents to see and know what their child is learning, what records are being kept on their child, and how their child is doing in school. If that is “anti-education,” they have a strange definition of “education.”

The law also reflects and preserves the freedom of parents, already constitutionally protected, to enroll their child in public, private (religious or secular), or homeschool programs.

In the words of Governor Kemp during the signing ceremony , “Making sure parents have the ultimate say in their child’s education should not be controversial.”

But for special interest groups, it is. And the controversy arises on one point: they want parents kept in the dark about what their child is learning in the public schools.

And that’s exactly why we celebrate the lights going on in Georgia.

Last year, the fight was in Florida (where we also won!). And as that struggle wound down, Florida state Representative Erin Grall had this to say about similar parental rights legislation:

“Based upon the opposition to this bill, it is clear that liberties have been taken for too long with regard to accessing our children. The fact that any entity is concerned that their ‘right’ to access our children is being infringed upon makes the case for this legislation.”

Representative Grall was right in 2021, and, sadly, her point is even more clearly true today.

In New Hampshire, for example, this very year, another Parents’ Bill of Rights failed over this very issue. Nationwide teacher unions and special interest groups lobbied the legislature there because they opposed the idea that parents should know what is going on in their child’s life at school. They penned a letter warning lawmakers that providing information to parents about their own children in public schools would put children at risk. And, unfortunately, just a few too many of the lawmakers bought it.

The loss this year in New Hampshire is countered by the big win for parents in Georgia. Parents and responsive lawmakers want to preserve parental rights because they understand that children are safer and experience better outcomes when parents are “in the loop” and are an active part of their child’s education.

But it won’t be an easy battle. Now more than ever, your continued support of our work is so vitally important.

It is only with your partnership that we were able to push through to success in Florida in 2021 and to see this huge victory in Georgia earlier this year. And it is only with your continued investment that we will overcome the opposition in states like New Hampshire and Iowa, where similar measures have failed to cross the finish line (so far).

Now, there is more help on the way, too. A recent survey, just released by the Parental Rights Foundation, shows that support for parental rights remains high throughout the country. Which should tell New Hampshire lawmakers that they just made a big mistake.

I’ll unpack that survey more for you in a future letter.

But for today, the take-away is this: states would do well to follow the lead of Georgia in protecting parental rights , and not the lead of New Hampshire. When 83 percent of the public support an issue (as our Parental Rights Foundation survey found), it shouldn’t really matter what the teacher unions or special interests say—not for a lawmaker who wants to keep his or her seat.

We are on the winning team! But we still have so much work to do.

Lawmakers from New Hampshire to Iowa to California need to know the results of this survey. And they need good models to follow, like the one we shared at the American Legislative Exchange Council, which served as the basis for Georgia’s new law, to help them support families. They need us to show them how the law can protect children by empowering parents. And to get the word to them and to lobby legislators to stand with parents, we need your support.

So that you, too, can know just what I’m talking about, I will provide you with that model right here in this letter:

Section 1. The liberty interest of a parent in the nurture, education, care, custody, and control of the parent’s child is a fundamental right recognized by the United States Constitution and the Constitution of the State of ____________.

Section 2. No agency or officer of this state nor any agency or officer of any subdivision of this state shall infringe fundamental parental rights except as provided by law narrowly tailored to meet a compelling governmental interest by the least restrictive means.

It’s not complicated. Parents know what is best for their children. And they know that in order to act on that knowledge, they need their rights as parents to be protected. Because any infringement of those rights could one day lead to harm for their precious child.

You know that, too.

It’s why you have stood with us through the years, to pass laws in states like Oklahoma years ago and Georgia today. Together, we will bring good, solid laws to states like New Hampshire and Iowa—and the 33 other states that still need them—tomorrow, as well.

That’s why I am asking you to invest with us again today, to continue these efforts until every state has legal protection for parents, for the sake of our children.

Can I count on you today to make your very best investment of $10, $25, or even $125 to continue our vital state-level work?

I know many state legislatures are just winding down, and it may seem we have time before we gear up for 2023. But I can tell you we have already been contacted by lawmakers who saw the battles we have faced this year and are eager to get a jump on legislation for next year.

The time to fight this battle is right now , before the other side gets any stronger, and while such an overwhelming majority of Americans are still on our side.

So, please take a moment today to make your best investment in this worthy cause, to protect all children by protecting their parents’ rights.

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org

Urgent: Action Needed to Protect Religious and Medical Vaccine Exemptions in Massachusetts

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 13:19:00 GMT

Urgent action is needed to protect religious and medical vaccine exemptions in Massachusetts. An amendment has been snuck into an economic development bill that would severely curtail the ability of a family’s trusted pediatrician to issue medical exemptions and would allow public and private schools to ignore a family’s religious exemption.

This amendment could be passed within the next few days. It is urgent that you contact your Massachusetts state legislators and urge them to remove the “Community Immunity Act” from Senate Amendment S.3030 to House Bill H.5034 —lines 2943-3036 of Senate Amendment S.3030.

You can reach your Massachusetts state senator and representative here . For your convenience, we are partnering with the Massachusetts Family Institute and Health Choice 4 Action-MA, who graciously allowed us to link to their online action alert here .

We believe that decisions related to childhood vaccines should be up to parents, not government bureaucrats. And we believe that any legislation that makes it harder for parents to exercise their fundamental right as parents and choose to delay vaccines or exempt their children from vaccine mandates should be rejected. That is why we are opposing this amendment.

Thank you for standing with us to defend parental rights.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org

Major Update on S.B. 866, Vaccine Consent for Minors

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 13:08:00 GMT

We have been updating you about a bill that threatens parental rights, Senate Bill 866 .

On June 16, due to the concerns raised by hundreds of thousands of California parents, grandparents, and concerned citizens like you, the California Assembly amended SB 866 to raise the age of children who can “consent” to vaccines without parental involvement from 12 to 15 .

This is a major development for three reasons. First, there is a significant difference in maturity between a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old. At the very least, this amendment takes 12-, 13-, and 14-year-olds “off the table.” Second, this is the first real sign that passage of the bill may not be guaranteed. Third, this shows that supporters of SB 866 realize after the Parental Rights Foundation’s recent win in federal court against a similar law in the District of Columbia that SB 866 is on shaky legal grounds.

Despite this amendment, one important problem remains: a 15-year-old is not an 18-year-old. A 15-year-old, while more mature than a 12-year-old, is still a child, both in the eyes of the law and in simple maturity.

And that’s why we ask that you continue to call your legislators and share your thoughts on SB 866 with them.

Take Action

You can call or email your Assemblyman and share your thoughts about the amended version of SB 866 with him or her. Because this bill can come for a vote literally at any moment, there is no time to delay!

Background and Talking Points

SB 866, Vaccine Consent for Minors, as amended, allows 15-year-olds to consent to vaccinations without a parent’s input, knowledge, or support. It will open the door for peer pressure and coercion, rather than wisdom, caution, and knowledge of one’s family medical history, to drive children’s health.

Introduced in the Senate by Senators Pan and Wiener, the bill has already passed the California Senate. If it passes the Assembly, it will go to Governor Newsom’s desk.

Regardless of where one stands on vaccines, removing parents from major decisions in a child’s life is certain to have negative consequences. The Supreme Court of the United States has upheld the vital role that parents play in making these decisions which children, by virtue of simply being children, are not yet ready to make.

S.B. 866 treats children as adults. A minor child may not know his or her medical history. A minor child may consent to an immunization, and then suffer an adverse reaction, and a parent who does not know that the child was immunized may miss warning signs and be unable to get the child to the hospital in time. A parent who does not know that their child received an immunization at school may have their family pediatrician administer the same immunization, resulting in potential harm due to multiple and unnecessary doses.

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents in California. We should be heartened by this recent amendment to SB 866 and redouble our efforts to protect children by preserving parental rights in California.

Here’s What We’re Up Against

Thu, 16 Jun 2022 16:07:00 GMT

As you read this email, parents in California are in the fight of their life to protect their children and to defend parental rights. You see, a dangerous bill, Senate Bill 866, may come up for a vote at any time in the California Assembly—its final hurdle in the legislature, as it already passed the California Senate.

S.B. 866, Vaccine Consent for Minors, would force California children as young as 12 to make major medical decisions without a parent’s input, knowledge, or support. It will open the door for peer pressure and coercion, rather than wisdom, caution, and knowledge of one’s family medical history, to drive children’s health.

If you live in California, you know the stakes, and have seen our action alerts and online advertising campaign against this bill. But if you live in one of the other 49 states (or a territory), I’d ask you to continue reading, because some of your own state’s elected officials likely share the philosophy behind this California bill.

At ParentalRights.org, we’re not against childhood immunizations. We have a simple, yet powerful, belief: you, the parent, who know and love your child the best, should make those decisions. Not me. Not elected officials. And certainly not unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats.

They’re Not Alone

California is not alone in trying to remove parents from the primary role of caring for their children. In 2020, the District of Columbia’s Council passed the Minor Consent to Vaccination Act Amendment of 2020, a bill that not only forced children as young as 11 to make decisions regarding vaccination without parental input, knowledge, or support, but also mandated that parents be kept in the dark. Our legal and charitable arm, the Parental Rights Foundation, filed suit against DC’s Minor Consent Act, and on March 18, 2022, a federal district court judge issued a preliminary injunction against the act. For the time being, parental rights have been preserved in the District of Columbia.

Opponents of parental rights would like nothing more than to try to pass similar legislation in your state and replicate the attacks we’re seeing in California and the District of Columbia . It’s only your dedication to your fundamental right as parents to raise your children that has kept this from already happening elsewhere.

In California, we are conducting a major campaign to try to stop S.B. 866. We (and numerous other allied organizations) are urging concerned parents to call their state elected officials. We’re spending money on digital advertising to try to reach more concerned parents. If the legislature ignores California parents and passes S.B. 866, we’ll urge California Governor Gavin Newsom to veto this bill. And if all levels of California’s elected officials ignore parents, their constituents, and our constitutional rights and make S.B. 866 law in California, we will file a federal lawsuit on behalf of parents, just as we did against the District of Columbia.

The Battle to Protect Children

All of this is expensive. We know that now is not a good time to ask for money, given the financial and economic hardships facing so many of us. We understand if you are unable to support us financially right now. Your family comes first.

But if you do have the ability to help us fight for parental rights in California and elsewhere, we ask for your support. We promise to use your money wisely and carefully. We believe that this fight against S.B. 866 is important enough. And that’s why we’re in this battle.

Laws removing parents from their children’s health care decisions, whether for vaccines or any other treatment, force children to make adult decisions, whether they’re ready or not (and most are not). Parents, not young children, should decide health care decisions, such as vaccine administration. A minor child may not know his or her medical history. A minor child may consent to an immunization, and then suffer an adverse reaction, and a parent who does not know that the child was immunized may miss warning signs and be unable to get the child to the hospital in time. Or a parent may not know that their child received an immunization at school, and have their family pediatrician administer the same immunization, resulting in potential harm due to multiple and unnecessary doses.

The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” And an attack on parental rights—whether by the DC Council or the California legislature—is a threat to our sacred right as parents.

Thank you for standing with us in this nationwide fight to protect our children by empowering parents.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org

The post Here’s What We’re Up Against appeared first on Parental Rights .

Senate Committee Postpones Vote on Fundamental Parental Rights Bill

Tue, 14 Jun 2022 13:06:00 GMT

We wanted to let you know that the Senate State Government Committee has postponed today’s 12:30 PM vote on S.B. 996 , the Parental Rights Protection Act.

While we are disappointed about this development, we are hopeful that this is just a temporary pause. We continue to talk with senators and their staff. We will let you know immediately as soon as S.B. 996 is scheduled for a vote.

We wanted to let you know immediately, as we had heard that many of you were planning on attending the vote today at the Pennsylvania Capitol.

During this pause, we encourage you to continue to call your Pennsylvania legislators and urge them to support S.B. 996 to strengthening the right of parents to direct the education, upbringing, and care of their children.

Background

Please contact your senator and urge him or her to support S.B. 996. You can find their contact information here .

Your message can be as simple as the following:

If you send an email to your Pennsylvania senator, you can also send them the link to our letter in support of S.B. 996, available here .

Thank you for standing with us in the battle to protect our children by empowering parents!

“Please vote in favor of S.B. 996 to enshrine into Pennsylvania law that parental rights are a fundamental right. This common-sense bill will take the U.S. Supreme Court’s precedent from the last 100 years and put it into the text of Pennsylvania law, thereby protecting the constitutional rights of all Pennsylvania families.”

Calls Needed as Key Committee Considers Fundamental Parental Rights Bill on Tuesday!

Mon, 13 Jun 2022 14:17:00 GMT

We’re excited to announce that S.B. 996 , the Parental Rights Protection Act, will receive a vote in the Senate State Government Committee on Tuesday, June 14, at 12:30 PM!

Please contact the senators on the State Government Committee and urge them to vote in favor of S.B. 996. You can find the names and contact information of the 11 senators on this committee here: https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/cteeInfo/Index.cfm?CteeBody=S&Code=41

Your message can be as simple as the following:

If you wish to attend the committee vote , it will be held in the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg in Hearing Room 1 of the North Office Building. You can also watch the livestream on the Committee’s webpage at https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/cteeInfo/Index.cfm?CteeBody=S&Code=41

Thank you for standing with us in the battle to protect our children by empowering parents!

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org

Urgent: Call California Assembly to Halt Bill That Endangers Children

Mon, 06 Jun 2022 17:49:00 GMT

A dangerous bill, Senate Bill 866 , may come up for a vote at any time in the California Assembly, its final hurdle in the legislature.

SB 866, Vaccine Consent for Minors, would force children as young as 12 to make major medical decisions without a parent’s input, knowledge, or support. It will open the door for peer pressure and coercion, rather than wisdom, caution, and knowledge of one’s family medical history, to drive children’s health.

Introduced in the Senate by Sens. Pan and Wiener, the bill has already passed that chamber, and then passed the Assembly Judiciary Committee on a 6-4 vote last week. If it passes the Assembly on this upcoming vote, it will go to the governor’s desk.

Regardless of where one stands on vaccines, removing parents from major decisions in a child’s life is certain to have negative consequences. The Supreme Court of the United States has already upheld the vital role that parents play in making these decisions for which children, by virtue of simply being children, are not yet ready to make.

But Senators Pan and Wiener are not concerned about that. Their bill is poised to ignore parents’ rights and children’s needs.

Take Action

Take a moment right now to call or email your Assemblyman and urge him or her to vote “No” on SB 866 . (Because this bill can come for a vote literally at any moment, there is no time to delay!)

Your message can be as simple as the following (but in your own words):

Explanation and Talking Points

S.B. 866 is another attack on parental rights. It treats children as adults, when their parents, not young children, should decide health care decisions, such as vaccine administration.

And it endangers children. A minor child may not know his or her medical history. A minor child may consent to an immunization, and then suffer an adverse reaction, and if the parent does not know that the child was immunized, may miss warning signs and be unable to get the child to the hospital in time. Or, a parent may not know that their child received an immunization at school, and have their family pediatrician administer the same immunization, resulting in potential harm due to multiple and unnecessary doses.

The Parental Rights Foundation recently won a preliminary injunction in federal district court against a similar law in the District of Columbia. We encourage you to read our story about our lawsuit , and to read the federal judge’s memorandum opinion . We believe this victory is more evidence that S.B. 866 should be rejected by the California legislature.

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents in California! We encourage you to forward this email to several of your friends. We can win this battle for our children and for parental rights if all of us parents stand together.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org

“Please vote “No” on S.B. 866, Vaccine Consent for Minors. This bill threatens parental rights and endangers children. Parents are a child’s greatest advocate and protection when it comes to making health care decisions, including immunizations. Children should not be forced to make irreversible medical decisions on their own.”

New Hampshire: One More Push Needed!

Mon, 23 May 2022 14:05:00 GMT

Last week, your calls made the difference . After the Committee of Conference initially killed H.B. 1431, the Parents’ Bill of Rights, the same committee reversed itself and approved the bill! This is unprecedented – and it is because you and so many parents like you stepped up and called your legislators and made your voices heard.

Now we need one more push. The New Hampshire House and Senate will hold a final vote this week on H.B. 1431, the Parents’ Bill of Rights.

Please call your New Hampshire Representative and New Hampshire State Senator and ask them, respectfully but firmly, to stand with moms and dads and children across the state by voting in favor of H.B. 1431, the Parents’ Bill of Rights.

Your message can be as simple as the following:

Then, please do one other thing: Please forward this email to as many of your friends and family members in New Hampshire as you can.

Large, national organizations with millions of dollars in revenue are pressuring your New Hampshire legislators and Governor Sununu to kill this bill, arguing that government employees in public schools know your child better than you do , and that they – not parents – should make the final decision of what goes on in the classroom with your own child. This is a fundamental battle over whether parents or government employees are in charge.

We cannot match these organizations’ money. But what we lack in funds, we can make up in standing together. Parents love their children, raise their children, spend sleepless nights concerned for their children, and must not then be cut out from some of the most important decisions concerning their children’s very identity and future. Please forward this email to your friends and family members in New Hampshire and ask them to also call their legislators with this message in support of H.B. 1431, the Parents’ Bill of Rights.

You can read our letter of support for H.B. 1431 here . Thank you for standing up to protect children by empowering parents!

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org

Please vote to support H.B. 1431, the Parents’ Bill of Rights. This bill will enshrine into New Hampshire law that parental rights are a fundamental right, as the U.S. Supreme Court has held for the past 100 years. Additionally, H.B. 1431 will protect children in New Hampshire’s public schools by allowing parents to know what is going on and make critical decisions with their own children in their local public school. Passage of this bill into law will make New Hampshire the 16th state in the nation to protect parental rights as a fundamental right in the state code. Children need their parents, and this bill will ensure that New Hampshire parents are able to support and care for their children, not be cut out of the loop.

Urgent: Calls needed THIS MORNING to save Parents’ Bill of Rights

Thu, 19 May 2022 13:08:00 GMT

Please call your NH Representative and NH State Senator this morning to save HB 1431 , the Parents’ Bill of Rights.

This excellent bill, which establishes the fundamental right of parents in New Hampshire state law, has already passed the New Hampshire House and Senate. However, disagreements over which version to send to the Governor are threatening passage . The conference committee is meeting at 9 am to find a path forward, and news reports stating the bill is dead are not accurate as of this moment.

ParentalRights.org supports both the House and Senate version. Either one will provide significant protections for parents and children in New Hampshire law , and either one will make New Hampshire the 16th state in the nation to protect parental rights as a fundamental right in state law.

Please call you legislators as soon as possible and tell them the following message:

Please, if you are seeing this in time, don’t hesitate to call now . So many of you fellow New Hampshire citizens will not see this email until it is too late—They are counting on you!

Thank you for standing up to protect children by empowering parents!

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President
ParentalRights.org

“I urge you to support the Parents’ Bill of Rights. Either the House or Senate version will significantly increase the protection of children and families in state law. Please work with your colleagues in the legislature to ensure that a final bill protecting parental rights is sent to the Governor’s desk.”

California Bill Test

Wed, 11 May 2022 17:23:00 GMT

We need your help to stop S.B. 866 , a bill that authorizes 12 year old children to consent to immunizations without their parents knowing about it or giving their consent . This bill has been introduced by California State Senators Scott Wiener and Richard Pan, coauthored by Senator Josh Newman, and coauthored in the California State Assembly by Buffy Wicks, Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Laura Friedman, Evan Low, Phil Ting, and Akilah Weber.

S.B. 866 is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow, Thursday, May 5. You can see more about this scheduled hearing here .

Please call or email (or both!) your California State Senator and ask him or her to oppose S.B. 866. Your message can be as simple as the following:

S.B. 866 is another attack on parental rights. It treats children as adults, when their parents, not young children, should decide health care decisions, such as vaccine administration. And it endangers children. A minor child may not know his or her medical history. A minor child may consent to an immunization, and then suffer an adverse reaction, and if the parent does not know that the child was immunized, may miss warning signs and be unable to get the child to the hospital in time. Or, a parent may not know that their child received an immunization at school, and have their family pediatrician administer the same immunization, resulting in potential harm due to multiple and unnecessary doses.

The Parental Rights Foundation recently won a preliminary injunction in federal district court against a similar law in the District of Columbia. We encourage you to read our story about our lawsuit , and to read the federal judge’s memorandum opinion . We believe this victory is more evidence that S.B. 866 should be rejected by the California legislature.

We encourage you to forward this email to several of your friends. We can win this battle for our children and for parental rights if all of us parents stand together.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President
ParentalRights.org

Please oppose S.B. 866, a bill which allows minors to consent to vaccinations. This bill threatens parental rights and endangers children. Parents are a child’s greatest advocate and protection when it comes to making health care decisions, including immunizations. Children should not be forced to make irreversible medical decisions on their own.

Georgia Sets an Example for the Whole Nation

Wed, 04 May 2022 14:35:00 GMT

I’ve got Georgia on my mind.

On April 28, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed into law House Bill 1178, the Parents’ Bill of Rights. [ParentalRights.org supported this bill with statewide grassroots efforts and this letter of support to lawmakers.]

This is a big deal. In addition to providing Georgia parents with strong legal protections to ensure that they are able to (1) know what their children are learning in public schools and (2) be involved in their children’s education, the Georgia Parents’ Bill of Rights boldly adds the following into Georgia state law:

“No state or local government entity, governing body, or any officer, employee, or agent thereof may infringe on the fundamental right of a parent to direct the upbringing and education of his or her minor child without demonstrating that such action is reasonable and necessary to achieve a compelling state interest and that such action is narrowly tailored and is not otherwise served by less restrictive means.”

Georgia is now the 15th state in the nation to protect parental rights as a fundamental right in state code.

“Fundamental rights” is the legal term in our nation for those God-given rights that are the most precious and that receive the strongest protections by our nation’s laws. And the language in the Georgia Parents’ Bill of Rights about “a compelling state interest” that is “narrowly tailored” and “not otherwise served by less restrictive means” is known in legal circles as “strict scrutiny.” This language ensures that any governmental action that could infringe on the fundamental right of a parent to direct the upbringing and education of his or her child will face “strict scrutiny.” This is a very high bar for the government. An example of government action that would meet this high legal bar is law enforcements’ removal of a child from a home for physical abuse by a caregiver.

The passage into law of the Georgia Parents’ Bill of Rights is significant for another reason: it is a major legislative win for parents who have been ignored by the education establishment. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down public schools in the spring of 2020 and pulled back the curtain on what children were learning (or not learning), we have seen deepening frustration from parents across the nation. And as parents were ignored by the education establishment, this frustration built. It helped propel Governor Glenn Youngkin to victory in Virginia in November 2021. It led to the ouster of three school board members in deep-blue San Francisco earlier this year. But legislative wins have been elusive.

That started to change when Florida, where ParentalRights.org already helped pass a law in 2021 enshrining “the fundamental rights of a parent to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health of his or her minor child,” built on that success this year by passing H.B. 1557, “Parental Rights in Education.” But even though this was a major win for Florida parents, Florida seemed to be an outlier in heeding the cries by parents who had been ignored by the education establishment. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers had recently vetoed a bill in Wisconsin that would have also enshrined parental rights as a fundamental right. The South Dakota Senate Judiciary Committee killed a fundamental parental rights bill , even though the bill had earlier passed the South Dakota House of Representatives by a bipartisan vote of 63–5. A fundamental parental rights bill was killed by a Colorado House Committee . Other bills championed by parents were stalled or weakened across the nation. That started to change when Florida, where ParentalRights.org already helped pass a law in 2021 enshrining “the fundamental rights of a parent to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health of his or her minor child,” built on that success this year by passing H.B. 1557, “Parental Rights in Education.” But even though this was a major win for Florida parents, Florida seemed to be an outlier in heeding the cries by parents who had been ignored by the education establishment. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers had recently vetoed a bill in Wisconsin that would have also enshrined parental rights as a fundamental right. The South Dakota Senate Judiciary Committee killed a fundamental parental rights bill , even though the bill had earlier passed the South Dakota House of Representatives by a bipartisan vote of 63–5. A fundamental parental rights bill was killed by a Colorado House Committee . Other bills championed by parents were stalled or weakened across the nation.

All of this has come despite the growing evidence that parental rights have wide bipartisan support. For example, a recent NPR/Marist poll showed that Independents, Latinos, and, significantly, households with children under the age of 18 are inclined to vote Republican in wide margins. I don’t think this is necessarily because these individuals now identify as Republicans. But I think it is the Glenn Youngkin effect again: parents are frustrated that their concerns relating to their own children’s education is being ignored. And at this juncture, it appears that only Republican candidates and elected officials are listening to them.

That is why Georgia’s successful passage into law of the Parents’ Bill of Rights was so significant. It shows that Florida is not an outlier. It shows that parents are winning, and that the tide may be turning .

After Georgia, we are watching New Hampshire. House Bill 1431, which creates a parental bill of rights, has already passed the New Hampshire House and recently passed the New Hampshire Senate . In Missouri, House Bill 1858, which provides curriculum transparency to parents of children in Missouri public schools, has also passed the Missouri House, and is poised to pass the Missouri Senate. Other curriculum transparency bills are moving across the nation.

Georgia shows us that elected officials are starting to listen to parents. It shows that parents are winning. And it should remind us, yet again, that parental rights are bipartisan . Elected officials across the political spectrum should sit up, take notice, and support the right of parents in the education of their precious children.

Thank you for standing with us and making victories like this one in Georgia possible!

Sincerely,

Will Estrada
President

Urgent Action Needed to Stop Dangerous California Bill

Wed, 04 May 2022 13:51:00 GMT

S.B. 866 is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow, Thursday, May 5. You can see more about this scheduled hearing here .

Please call or email (or both!) your California State Senator and ask him or her to oppose S.B. 866. Your message can be as simple as the following:

The Parental Rights Foundation recently won a preliminary injunction in federal district court against a similar law in the District of Columbia. We encourage you to read our story about our lawsuit , and to read the federal judge’s memorandum opinion . We believe this victory is more evidence that S.B. 866 should be rejected by the California legislature.

We encourage you to forward this email to several of your friends. We can win this battle for our children and for parental rights if all of us parents stand together.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President
ParentalRights.org

The post Urgent Action Needed to Stop Dangerous California Bill appeared first on Parental Rights .

“Please oppose S.B. 866, a bill which allows minors to consent to vaccinations. This bill threatens parental rights and endangers children. Parents are a child’s greatest advocate and protection when it comes to making health care decisions, including immunizations. Children should not be forced to make irreversible medical decisions on their own.”

Call NJ School Board to Delay Worrisome Standards

Tue, 03 May 2022 19:04:00 GMT

The 2020 New Jersey Learning Standards are currently scheduled to be implemented in September, 2022. However, the standards, especially in the area of Comprehensive Health and Physical Education, are very concerning to many parents. Even Governor Murphy has acknowledged the concerns being expressed by New Jersey parents.

Right now, parents are reaching out to the State Board of Education with their thoughts on what their children should learn in this critical subject in New Jersey public schools.

In light of this, we want to make you aware that this is happening and encourage you, if you wish, to weigh in with an email to the state school board by Wednesday, May 4.

With so much discussion over what children should be learning in public schools, it is vital that parents’ voices be heard. To ensure that every parent has a chance to be heard, we suggest urging the state school board to delay the implementation of the standards for another six months for public and parent review and input.

Please consider emailing the state school board at stateboardoffice@doe.nj.gov with a message such as the following. We encourage you to put it into your own words, so it comes from your heart:

Thank you for taking the time to make your voice heard. Together as concerned parents, we can make the schools better for our children.

Sincerely,

Victoria Jakelsky
NJ State Coordinator for ParentalRights.org
Email: NJParentalRights@outlook.com

Dear State School Board Member,

I am writing to urge you to delay implementation of the 2020 New Jersey Learning Standards, especially the Comprehensive Health and Physical Education standards, to review and amend the standards based on further public and parent review and input.

Even Governor Murphy has acknowledged the high level of concern. This must be addressed, and the material and mandates removed or mitigated to protect children, and to ensure that the views of families from across the political, religious, and cultural spectrums are respected.

Acting Commissioner of Education Angelica Allen-McMillan tried to explain that “the NJ [Department of Education] does not review, approve, or actively endorse instructional materials,” but this does not match the reality that the DOE website includes links to divisive curriculum materials, and that local schools are telling parents the curriculum choice is out of their control—that they have to teach the materials provided by the NJDOE.

During the June 2020 State School Board vote, four State School Board Members voted against the material in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education, stating that it was not appropriate. It only passed based on assurances that parents could opt their children out of objectionable content, or content that is not age appropriate. But such parental opt-out is not currently guaranteed.

Transparency AND parental notification and consent must be required. Respecting family values and parental rights is paramount.

Please respect the vital role of New Jersey parents in their children’s education by postponing the implementation date, gathering parental input, and amending the standards to honor the voices of all New Jersey parents.

Respectfully,

Winning Defense: Stopping Bad Bills across the Nation

Wed, 27 Apr 2022 14:57:00 GMT

We talk a lot about good bills that we’re working on across the nation: legislation like our Parents’ Bill of Rights and fundamental parental rights bills that will strengthen the right of parents to raise, educate, and care for their children.

But thanks to your support of ParentalRights.org, we also work aggressively to stop bad bills that would erode the rights that we hold dear.

Sometimes our work is overtly public, like the recent action alert we sent out nationwide, urging you to call your US Representative and two US Senators to oppose language that would create a federal database of college students and college graduates. (And now that Congress has returned from their Easter and Passover recess, we urge you to call your federal representatives again!)

But sometimes our work is behind the scenes. Just a few hours before I stopped to write you this update, I was on a lengthy Zoom meeting with my colleagues from HSLDA and MACHE , as well as others in the state of Minnesota, to try to stop a MN bill that would have allowed social workers to interview children at school, without telling their parents, if the social worker thought it necessary. This violates the US Constitution’s Fourth Amendment. But without our work behind the scenes, this could have easily passed. I’m pleased to tell you that the dangerous language was stripped out of the bill, and we’re monitoring it so that it is not put back in during the legislative process.

Another bill we defeated through behind-the-scenes work was a dangerous curriculum transparency bill in Ohio that inexplicably would have required private schools and homeschools to publish their curriculum. We’re all for curriculum transparency for public schools, which are funded through our taxpayer dollars. Parents should know what their children are being taught in public schools. But private schools and homeschools should be free from governmental mandates requiring them to disclose their curriculum. That’s a fight worth having.

And, we were able to defeat a dangerous grandparent visitation bill in West Virginia that would have stripped rights away from parents. I know firsthand the incredible blessing that grandparents can be in their children’s life. My wife recently lost her dad to a heart attack, and her mom to COVID-19. Their passing has left a hole in our family and in our kids’ lives that will not be filled on this side of eternity. I’m grateful to still have my mom and dad with us, and to see the love that they have for their grandkids, my two boys. But not all grandparents are like these, and we must never forget that state law must protect parental rights. I’m glad that the West Virginia legislature recognized its duty under the Constitutions of the state of West Virginia and of the United States, and that this bill has been stopped for this year.

These highlights are just a sampling of how ParentalRights.org protects your God-given right to raise your children by standing against dangerous legislation. Much of the credit must go to our dedicated volunteers and supporters in all 50 states who are the boots on the ground in our efforts. Without them—and you—I can say with confidence that we would not be celebrating these victories right now.

Gratefully yours,

Will Estrada

President
ParentalRights.org

Action Alert: Urge Your State Senator to Support Reasonable Childhood Independence Bill

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 14:31:00 GMT

We’re excited to let you know that S. 288 , a good bill introduced by Senators Wes Climer, Greg Hembree, and Josh Kimbrell, is moving in the South Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee! S. 288 will protect innocent families from being caught up in child neglect investigations.

S. 288 amends South Carolina law to clarify that a loving and caring parent who allows his or her child to engage in “independent activities” will not be considered to have neglected the child.

S. 288 enjoys broad bipartisan support from advocacy groups across the political spectrum, including ParentalRights.org, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) (whose model bill South Carolina’s legislation mirrors), Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), and Let Grow.

Please contact your state senator and ask him or her to support S. 288. You can call or email (or both!) your senator with a message as simple as the following:

If you decide to email your state senator, feel free to link to the letter that we sent to the sponsors of S. 288.

Thank you for standing with us for parental rights and freedom.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org

“Please support S. 288 to provide children with reasonable independence. At a time when it seems that government is encroaching more and more on loving parents and their ability to care for and raise their children, S. 288 provides freedom to parents to let their children grow and thrive, freeing South Carolina’s Department of Social Services to focus attention on children who are truly in danger of abuse or neglect.”

Call Now to Protect Parental Rights and Children in Missouri Public Schools

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 15:15:00 GMT

Calls are needed today to support H.B. 1858 , the Parents’ Bill of Rights , that has been working its way through the Missouri House of Representatives since it was prefiled on December 7, 2021. ParentalRights.org, and our allies at Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and Families for Home Education (FHE) have been working behind the scenes to strengthen the language. Thanks to the hard work of our friends at Families for Home Education, ParentalRights.org strongly supports the perfected version of the bill .

If passed into law, H.B. 1858, the Parents’ Bill of Rights, will do the following:

Reiterate in Missouri State Code that parents have the “right to enroll the parent’s minor child in a public school or, as an alternative to public education, a private school, including a religious school, a home education program, or other available options, as authorized by law.”
Give parents the right to know what their children are being taught in public schools;
Give parents the right to visit their children during the school day;
Protect the privacy and biometric data of children;
Require school board meetings regarding curriculum, school safety, and student issues to be held in public and allow for public comments;
Prohibit school districts from requiring parents to sign nondisclosure agreements before viewing public school curricula;
And provide numerous additional protections to parents and their children in public schools.

ParentalRights.org strongly supports this bill. It was placed on the Missouri House of Representatives’ Informal Third Reading Calendar on April 14 and could be voted on by the full House in the coming days.

Please call your Missouri State Representative today and urge him or her to support H.B. 1858. Your message can be as simple as the following:

“Please support H.B. 1858, the Parents’ Bill of Rights. This critical bill will protect children and families by strengthening parental rights. Additionally, it will allow parents of public school students to be involved in their children’s education, and will protect children’s personal information and data.”

Thank you for standing with us for parental rights!

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President
ParentalRights.org

If passed into law, H.B. 1858 will allow Missouri to join the growing number of states across the nation that ensure that parents are able to be involved in their children’s public schools and know what is being taught in the classroom.

Call Congress Now to Stop Creation of Massive Government Database

Wed, 13 Apr 2022 15:47:00 GMT

Congress is poised to eliminate a long-standing federal law that prohibits the creation of a national database of students, and then create a massive federal database of college students, college graduates, and every single new college graduate employed in the private and public sector.

Simply called “College Transparency,” this massive expansion of big government, supported by big-tech and big-data companies, was quietly inserted into the House-passed version of the America COMPETES Act, a bill that was originally introduced to help the United States compete with Communist China. The Senate wisely did not include this language when it passed its own version of the America COMPETES Act. The dueling versions of this bill will now be resolved by a conference committee.

The bill is ostensibly intended to help college-bound students determine if their favored college major is likely to provide them with a good return on investment. Supporters say the bill will accomplish this by tracking every college student, their field of study, their demographics, and then how much they make when they find a job after college graduation.

However, ParentalRights.org has long stood against mandatory data collection, tracking, and repositories of student data. Parents—not schools, bureaucrats, massive multi-national companies, or the federal government—should decide what information is collected about their children. This is why we worked with our allies in the education field over a decade ago to oppose state and federal K-12 student databases (and private databases like inBloom) when the Common Core State Standards Initiative was being fought across the nation.

And this is why we were proud to back Florida’s Parental Bill of Rights last year, which included strong parental protections on biometric data collection of K-12 students . After Florida’s bill passed, it became a model for Parental Bills of Rights all across the nation, and we have testified in favor of many of these bills across the states.

We must not see all of those victories lost by the creation of a new federal database that simply defeats all of our attempts to protect student privacy by collecting the data once students go to college and into careers after that.

ParentalRights.org sent a letter to members of the House and Senate Conference Committee on Tuesday, April 12, urging them to oppose “College Transparency.” We encourage you to read the letter to see just how dangerous this proposal is.

Then, please call your US representative and both of your US senators. You can find who represents you and their phone number by clicking here .

Here is a suggested message:

Thank you for standing with us to protect student privacy and to oppose national databases on student information. Parents and students, not the federal government, should decide what information they share.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada
President, ParentalRights.org

The post Call Congress Now to Stop Creation of Massive Government Database appeared first on Parental Rights .

Action Alert: Contact Critical Senate Committee Now in Support of Parental Rights

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 16:38:00 GMT

On Tuesday, the New Hampshire Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on two good bills, H.B. 1612 to protect families from false reports of child abuse and neglect, and H.B. 1431, the Parents’ Bill of Rights .

Attorney Mike Donnelly, senior counsel with Home School Legal Defense Association, attended the hearing on behalf of ParentalRights.org and presented powerful and compelling testimony to the committee in favor of both bills. You can watch the entire hearing here . Mike Donnelly testifies in favor of the Parents’ Bill of Rights (H.B. 1431) at 1:54:00, and in favor of H.B. 1612 starting at 2:49:44.

As the Senate Judiciary Committee considers whether to support these two bills, we ask that you email all the members of the committee and respectfully ask them to support these two bills. Importantly, we support Senator Bob Guida’s amendment to the Parents’ Bill of Rights (H.B. 1431) to restore protections for parental rights regarding medical decisions of their minor children. This good language was in the original bill introduced in the New Hampshire House but was taken out during final passage. Putting this language back into the Parents’ Bill of Rights will further strengthen family freedom when it comes to medical decisions.

You can email all the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee by visiting the Committee page here and clicking “Email Entire Committee.”

Here is a suggested email, but we encourage you to add in your own words, share personal anecdotes, and make changes so it comes from your heart:

You can read our letter of support for H.B. 1431 here , and our letter of support for H.B. 1612 here .

Thank you for protecting children by standing with us for freedom.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President
ParentalRights.org

Dear Members of the New Hampshire Senate Judiciary Committee:

I ask that you support H.B. 1612 and H.B. 1431. Both of these bills have already passed the New Hampshire House of Representatives, and both of these bills will protect children and families in New Hampshire.

H.B. 1612 will add in more accountability to the reporting of child abuse and neglect in New Hampshire. It will set in place safeguards to help protect innocent children and families from going through the trauma of an unnecessary governmental child abuse or neglect investigation by making it harder for bad actors to file false reports of abuse and neglect. Additionally, H.B. 1612 will create penalties for false reports of child abuse, further protecting innocent children and families. This bill will help to keep bad actors from weaponizing the system against innocent families.

H.B. 1431, the Parents’ Bill of Rights, will enshrine into New Hampshire law that parental rights are a fundamental right, as the U.S. Supreme Court has held for the past 100 years. Additionally, H.B. 1431 will protect parents and children in New Hampshire’s public schools by allowing parents to make critical decisions regarding their own children. Passage of this bill into law will make New Hampshire the 15th state in the nation to protect parental rights as a fundamental right in the state code. In addition to asking that you support H.B. 1431, I respectfully request that you accept Senator Bob Guida’s amendment to restore protections for parental rights when it comes to medical decisions for their minor children.

Urgent Calls Needed to Support Good Curriculum Transparency Bill in Delaware

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 15:31:00 GMT

We are excited to let you know that H.B. 326 , a bill to provide curriculum transparency to Delaware families who have children in public schools, will be heard in committee on Wednesday, April 6.

H.B. 326 has been introduced by primary sponsor Representative Charles Postles and by additional sponsors Senators Bryant Richardson and David Wilson. H.B. 326 is cosponsored by Representatives Ruth Briggs King, Richard Collins, Ronald Gray, Michael Ramone, Daniel Short, Jesse Vanderwende, and Lyndon Yearick, and by Senators Colin Bonini, Gerald Hocker, and Brian Pettyjohn.

H.B. 326 provides numerous curriculum transparency provisions to parents of students in Delaware public and charter schools , establishes strong provisions ensuring that parents can be involved in their children’s education in the public schools, and includes a provision stating “any citizen denied access to information as provided in this act may bring suit within 45 days of such denial.”

Passage of H.B. 326 into law will provide Delaware parents with strong protections of their right to direct the education of their children in Delaware public schools. Our friends at the Delaware Family Policy Council also support H.B. 326 and had this to say about the bill: “Parental involvement in their child’s education is non-negotiable. HB 326 would ensure that parents have full access to the policies, teachers, and curricula of their child’s public or charter school.”

The House Education Committee will hold a hearing on H.B. 326 on Wednesday, April 6, at 3:00 PM. You can find out more information, including how to testify in person, via phone, or provide written testimony via email, by visiting the Committee website here.

We encourage you to contact your Delaware Representative and Senator , as well as the members of the House Education Committee, in support of H.B. 326. You can find your legislator’s contact information here .

Your message in support of H.B. 326 can be as simple as the following:

Thank you for standing with us for parental rights in Delaware! Please consider forwarding this email to a couple of friends. Let’s stand together to protect children by empowering parents!

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org

I urge you to support H.B. 326 to provide Delaware parents with opportunities to be involved in their children’s education in public schools, and to provide them with information about what their children are being taught. This commonsense bill will help improve public education by engaging parents in their children’s public schools and will protect the fundamental right of parents to direct the education of their children.

Urgent Action Needed: NH Senate Committee to Hear 2 Critical Bills

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 19:49:00 GMT

We’re excited to let you know that two critical bills will be heard by the New Hampshire Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, April 5, at 1:45 PM, Room 100 of the State House. We encourage you to contact the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of these bills, and to come testify in person if you are able.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will hear H.B. 1612 , a bill that will begin to change New Hampshire’s child abuse and neglect reporting laws from anonymous to confidential. H.B. 1612 will also create penalties for someone who knowingly makes a false report of child abuse. H.B. 1612 previously passed the New Hampshire House of Representatives by a vote of 175-161.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will also hear H.B. 1431, the Parents’ Bill of Rights . This bill will enshrine into New Hampshire law that parental rights are a fundamental right , will strengthen New Hampshire’s curriculum transparency provisions for parents of children in New Hampshire public schools, and will provide additional protections for families in New Hampshire.

Home School Legal Defense Association attorney Michael Donnelly will be on hand on behalf of ParentalRights.org to testify in favor of both bills.

We encourage you to email all the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee by visiting the Committee page here and clicking “Email Entire Committee.” We also encourage you to consider coming to the State House in Concord on Tuesday , April 5, to testify in person in favor of these two bills.

Here is a suggested email, but we encourage you to add in your own words, share personal anecdotes, and make changes so it comes from your heart:

Thank you for standing with us for freedom.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President

ParentalRights.org

Dear Members of the New Hampshire Senate Judiciary Committee:

You can read our letter of support for H.B. 1431 here , and our letter of support for H.B. 1612 here .

2010 Zogby Poll

Wed, 30 Mar 2022 21:25:00 GMT

A Zogby poll in 2010 asked a survey of likely American voters: In general, parents have the constitutional right to make decisions for their children without government interference unless there is proof of abuse or neglect. Do you agree or disagree with this view of parental rights?

The overwhelming majority—93.6%—either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with this statement.

By party affiliation:

Democrat: 92.4%
Republican: 97.5%
Independent: 90.8%

By gender:

Male: 95.1%
Female: 92.3%

By race:

White: 93.1%
Hispanic: 95.5%
African-American: 96.6%
Asian: 91.8%
Other: 90.8%

By religion:

Catholic: 94.8%
Protestant: 94.1%
Jewish: 80.8%
Other/None: 92.6%

By income:

<$25K: 92.7%
$25K-$35K: 95.4%
$35K-$50K: 97.5%
$50K-$75K: 89.6%
$75K-$100K: 94.9%
$100K+: 93.4%

See the entire poll data here.

Work is underway to gain an updated understanding of the current American mindset. But these numbers, even if a little dated, paint a clear picture of a country that is not the least divided on what the proper role of parents should be in the lives of their children—and that government interference is generally not wanted or needed.

Regardless of religion, political party, ethnicity, or any other factor that this poll could identify, Americans are united on this : unless there is proof of abuse or neglect, parents, not government, have the right to make decisions for their children, have the right to make decisions for their children.

Anonymous Reporting to Child Abuse Hotlines

Wed, 30 Mar 2022 20:16:00 GMT

More than 40 of the 50 states allow anonymous calls to their child abuse hotlines. This opens the door for less-than-honest people to weaponize the child protection system against innocent families with whom they may have a beef—be it a contentious ex, a nosey neighbor, or a relative who simply thinks they know better than mom or dad.

Every year, roughly 83% of all child welfare investigations are closed as unfounded or unsubstantiated, and that number is even higher among cases that begin with an anonymous call. That’s a lot of resources being wasted chasing ghosts while children who are actually abused are being overlooked.

By replacing anonymous reporting with confidential reporting, we can save the lives of those children and save thousands of children in innocent families from the trauma of an unwarranted investigation.

Toward that end, we engage in grassroots efforts to promote bills similar to this model , presented by the Parental Rights Foundation and approved by the American Legislative Exchange Council.

Together we can protect children from unnecessary investigations and streamline the system to find and protect more children in need of services, as well.

Central Registers without Due Process

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 15:53:00 GMT

Federal law requires each state to maintain a “central registry of child abusers,” but the law does not provide any guidelines for how names are to be added to or kept off the list. As a result, most states fail to provide any sort of “due process” to keep the names of innocent parents off that list.

Every year, thousands of innocent parents across the country find themselves listed as “child abusers,” though they have never abused or neglected a child. This is because, in most states, a child services supervisor or even an investigator can put a name on the list with no trial, no hearing, no judgment against the parent, and no system of review.

As one might expect, roughly 75% of those who appeal this listing come out of the appellate hearing—their first hearing on the matter—with a ruling in their favor and their names are removed from the registry.

But what does it say about the accuracy of the registry if 75% of those who appeal never belonged on it in the first place?

These lists are used in background checks; having one’s name listed can be a death sentence to one’s career and livelihood. And that’s to say nothing of one’s dreams of fostering or adopting children or, in some cases, of being reunited with their own children.

In a nation founded on the principle of “innocent until proven guilty,” this lack of due process is an affront to our sense of justice—and it should be!

Thus, we work to pass legislation in the states, like this model presented by the Parental Rights Foundation and adopted by the American Legislative Exchange Council, to require due process before a name can be added to a child abuse register.

Registers can serve a purpose, but only if they are accurate and reliable. There is no benefit from hurting innocent families. Registries that indiscriminately undermine a parent’s career threaten innocent children (and their families) with poverty and additional hardships.

Together we can protect children by preserving innocent parents’ right to find and retain jobs in their chosen career fields.

Racial Discrimination in Child Welfare

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 15:52:00 GMT

Child abuse is a problem that can occur in any ethnic or economic demographic.

So why, nationally, do we see African-American children subjected to child welfare investigations at a rate 1.5 times their proportion in the general population? (African-American children make up about 14% of the total U.S. child population, but 21% of the maltreatment population.)

And why is this disproportionality even higher for Native American children?

Many, including a report of the Government Accountability Office, attribute this phenomenon to racial bias : the system is set up to expect and find abuse among minority families where other families might receive more latitude.

From a legal standpoint, the problem might be framed thus: if the System has enough free rein to apply racial bias in making decision that can adversely affect children, then the System has too much free rein . On the other hand, if the System must respect the proper role of innocent parents in the lives of their own children, even when investigators might disagree with a fit parent’s reasonable decisions, then there will be no room for racial bias to be a factor.

The solution: respect the rights of all fit parents , regardless of ethnicity or skin color (or any other factor).

To this end, we work at the grassroots level to pass laws that preserve and respect the right of fit parents to make the best decisions for their own children , including decisions that might grant their child a reasonable level of independence for their age.

Together we are protecting minority children by empowering all parents, including theirs. Because family unity is not a privilege for some; it’s a fundamental right for all.

Parents’ Efforts Around the Country Starting to Pay Off!

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 14:44:00 GMT

Across the nation, some state legislatures are starting to adjourn for the year. Others have reached cross-over day, where bills have to pass from one chamber to another or they’re dead for the year. Still other legislatures remain in full swing.

All this year, ordinary moms and dads like you, with your energy and passion, have been making your voices heard to our elected officials—and it’s exciting to see how it has paid off! While enacting laws (especially good laws!) can generally take years and multiple legislative sessions, we have seen some victories already this year.

Parental Rights Bills

First, numerous states have introduced bills to enshrine fundamental parental rights . While 14 states already have these laws on the books (WV, KS, MI, TX, UT, CO, AZ, NV, VA, OK, ID, WY, FL, and MT), numerous states are working toward joining them, or are taking steps to bolster existing laws protecting these rights. Many of these bills also include curriculum transparency provisions so that parents of children in public schools can know what their children are learning:

Colorado: While Colorado already has codified as public policy that parental rights are fundamental (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-22-107[1](a)[III]), a new bill has been introduced to make it even more clear and strengthen this existing law. House Bill 22-1236, The Parent’s Bill Of Rights, will give teeth to current law by stating: “The state, any political subdivision of the state, or any other governmental entity or institution shall not infringe upon the fundamental right of a parent to direct the upbringing, education, and health care of the parent’s minor child without demonstrating that the compelling governmental interest, as applied to the minor child involved, is of the highest order, is narrowly tailored, and cannot be accomplished in a less restrictive manner.” H.B. 22-1236 will be heard in committee on Wednesday, March 23, and Will Estrada is currently scheduled to testify in favor of the bill.
Florida: Last year, ParentalRights.org spearheaded the introduction and passage of one of the strongest parental rights bills in the nation. It was codified at Fla. Stat. § 1014.03 and has served as a model across the nation. This year, legislators introduced House Bill 1557, Parental Rights in Education , to provide additional protections to children in public schools. H.B. 1557 has passed the Florida legislature and is currently pending before Governor Ron DeSantis.
Georgia: House Bill 1178, the Parents’ Bill of Rights , recently passed the House on a 98–68 vote and is now pending in the Senate.
Hawaii: House Bill 2295, The Parental Bill of Rights , has been introduced and is pending in committee.
Kansas: While Kansas protected parental rights as a fundamental right in 1996 ( see Kan. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 38-141(2)(b) and Kan. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 60-5305(a)(1)), Senate Bill 496, The Parents’ Bill of Rights , would strengthen existing state law. The Senate Committee on Education has recommended that the bill be passed.
Michigan: While Michigan has protected parental rights as a fundamental right since 1996 (Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. § 380.10), a new bill, House Bill 5703 , would require text to be posted at school board meetings and in school district offices to remind elected officials of their duty to respect the rights of parents. H.B. 5703 has passed the Michigan House by a vote of 106–85 and is pending in the Senate Education Committee.
Minnesota: House File 3444, The Parent’s Bill of Rights, and a companion bill in the Senate, Senate File 3064 , have been introduced to protect parental rights as a fundamental right. Both bills are currently pending in committee.
Missouri: House Bill 1858 , the Parents’ Bill of Rights Act, has passed out of its first committee on a 15–6 vote, and is currently pending before a second committee.
New Hampshire: House Bill 1431, The Parents’ Bill of Rights , passed the New Hampshire House on March 15, 2022, on a 181–157 vote and is now pending in the Senate.
Pennsylvania: Senate Bill 996, The Parental Rights Protection Act , has been introduced and is pending in committee.
Rhode Island: House Bill 7138, The Parents Bill of Rights Act, was introduced, but was held in committee for further study.
South Dakota: House Bill 1246, to establish the fundamental right of a parent, was introduced in the House. Our president, Will Estrada, testified before the House Judiciary Committee, and the bill unanimously passed out of committee. It then passed the House on a 63–5 vote. However, despite such a strong showing in the House, the Senate Judiciary Committee unfortunately killed the bill for this session.
Wisconsin: Assembly Bill 963 , a parental rights bill, has passed both the Assembly (by a vote of 60–34) and Senate (by a vote of 19–12) and has been transmitted to Governor Tony Evers.

Other Positive Legislation

Second, ParentalRights.org works on legislation to protect innocent families from the trauma of unnecessary CPS investigations. In New Hampshire, House Bill 1612, which would replace anonymous reporting of child abuse and neglect with confidential reporting, passed the House on March 15 on a 175–161 vote and is pending in the Senate.

Third, ParentalRights.org works on legislation to clarify that reasonable parental decisions that help children gain reasonable independence should not be considered child neglect . We are working with numerous allied organizations in three states to advance these bills. In Colorado, House Bill 22-1090 has unanimously passed the Colorado legislature and is awaiting signature into law by Governor Jared Polis. In Nebraska, Legislative Bill 1000 already went through a legislative hearing in the Judiciary Committee and is pending a vote. And in South Carolina, Senate Bill 288 has been introduced and is pending in committee.

Halting Bad Legislation, Too

Fourth, ParentalRights.org works to oppose dangerous legislation. We are pleased to report that a dangerous grandparent visitation bill in West Virginia that would have stripped parental rights from the law has died in committee. While we recognize the incredible role that loving grandparents and great-grandparents play in their grandchildren’s lives, not every situation is ideal, and state law must respect the decisions of fit parents. And a dangerous curriculum transparency bill in Ohio that inexplicably requires private and homeschools to publish their curriculum has stalled and is going nowhere.

These victories are because moms, dads, grandparents, and other champions of parental rights across the nation have read our action alerts, picked up the phone, called your state legislators, or otherwise put in the time and effort to shape the laws of our nation. Together, we are hard at work in state legislatures across the nation to support these efforts, and the results have been incredible!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director
ParentalRights.org

Action Alert: Call to Support Colorado Parents’ Bill of Rights

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 18:38:00 GMT

We are excited to let you know that Colorado State Representative Tonya Van Beber has introduced H.B. 22-1236 , The Parent’s Bill of Rights, to protect children in Colorado!

Representative Van Beber was joined by the following cosponsors: State Senator Don Coram, and State Representatives Richard Holtorf, Stephanie Luck, Mike Lynch, Patrick Neville, Rod Pelton, Andres Pico, Kim Ransom, and Janice Rich.

While Colorado already has codified as public policy in the state that parental rights are fundamental (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-22-107(1)(a)(III), enacted in 2003), H.B. 22-1236 will give teeth to Colorado’s existing law by stating: “The state, any political subdivision of the state, or any other governmental entity or institution shall not infringe upon the fundamental right of a parent to direct the upbringing, education, and health care of the parent’s minor child without demonstrating that the compelling governmental interest, as applied to the minor child involved, is of the highest order, is narrowly tailored, and cannot be accomplished in a less restrictive manner.” In addition, the bill would also do the following:

Protect the parents’ right to “direct the upbringing, education, and health care” of their child;
Protect the parents’ right to “make health care decisions” for their child;
Allow parents to protect their children’s privacy in public schools, as well as opt their child out of school data collection or certain school classes; and
Provide a host of additional protections for families in Colorado.

H.B. 22-1236 has been scheduled to be heard before the Colorado House Health & Insurance Committee on Wednesday, March 23, at 1:30 PM.

Please call or email (or both!) your Colorado State Representative and ask him or her to support H.B. 22-1236.

Your message can be as simple as:

If you decide to email your State Representative, feel free to link to the letter of support that we sent to the sponsor and cosponsors of H.B. 22-1236.

Thank you for standing with us to protect parental rights.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org

“Please support H.B. 22-1236, the Parent’s Bill of Rights. This critical and timely bill will strengthen existing Colorado law that parental rights are a fundamental right, as the U.S. Supreme Court has held for the past 100 years. Additionally, H.B. 22-1236 will protect the right of parents to make critical decisions regarding the education, health care, and upbringing of their own children, and to protect their children’s privacy in Colorado’s public schools.”

Action Alert: Call your Minnesota State Legislators to Pass the Parents’ Bill of Rights

Fri, 11 Mar 2022 17:19:00 GMT

We are excited to let you know that Minnesota State Senators Andrew Matthews, Bruce Anderson, Paul Gazelka, Michelle Benson, and Mark Koran have introduced S.F. 3064 to protect parental rights in Minnesota! A companion bill, H.F. 3444 , has been introduced in the Minnesota House.

S.F. 3064 and H.F. 3444 will enshrine into Minnesota law that parental rights are a fundamental right. In addition, these bills would also do the following:

Protect children by preserving the right of parents to have “informed consent in making health care decisions for the minor child including the choice of health care team and the right to accept or decline biological, pharmaceutical, and supplemental interventions in coordination with the selected health care team;”
Protect the right of parents to direct the education and upbringing of the parents’ child;
Ensure that parents are able to protect their children’s privacy, including personally identifiable information and biometric data, in public schools; and
Provide a host of additional protections for families in Minnesota.

If S.F. 3064 or H.F. 3444 were to be enacted into law, Minnesota would join fourteen other states in the nation that already have similar laws protecting parental rights as a fundamental right.

Please call or email (or both!) your Minnesota State Senator and your Minnesota State Representative and ask them to support S.F. No. 3064 in the Senate and H.F. 3444 in the House. You can find your legislators here .

Your message can be as simple as:

“Please support S.F. No. 3064/H.F. 3444, the Parents’ Bill of Rights. These critical and timely bills will enshrine into Minnesota law that parental rights are a fundamental right, as the U.S. Supreme Court has held for the past 100 years. Additionally, S.F. No. 3064 and H.F. 3444 will protect children by preserving the right of parents to make critical decisions regarding the education, health care, and upbringing of their own children , and to protect their children’s privacy in Minnesota’s public schools.”

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by preserving parental rights.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org

Georgia House of Representatives Passes Parents’ Bill of Rights!

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 20:15:00 GMT

We are excited to let you know that H.B. 1178 , the Parents’ Bill of Rights, has passed the Georgia State House of Representatives! H.B. 1178 passed 98-68, and you can see how your legislator voted here .

If the Georgia State Senate passes H.B. 1178 and it is signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp, it will enshrine into Georgia law that parental rights are a fundamental right. H.B. 1178 would also do the following:

provide curriculum transparency to parents of children in Georgia public schools,
allow parents to protect their children’s privacy in public schools,
allow parents to opt their children out of certain public-school classes, and
provide a host of additional protections for families in Georgia.

If H.B. 1178 were enacted into law, Georgia would join fourteen other states in the nation that already have similar laws protecting children and families by recognizing parental rights as a fundamental right.

Please call or email (or both!) your Georgia State Senator and ask him or her to support H.B. 1178.

Your message can be as simple as:

“Please support H.B. 1178, the Parents’ Bill of Rights. This critical and timely bill will enshrine into Georgia law that parental rights are a fundamental right, as the U.S. Supreme Court has held for the past 100 years. Additionally, H.B. 1178 will protect parents and children in Georgia’s public schools, allowing parents to make critical decisions regarding their own children. ”

If you send an email to your Georgia State Senator, please feel free to link to the letter that we sent in support of H.B. 1178 .

Thank you for standing with us to protect parental rights.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President

ParentalRights.org

Urgent Action Needed to Protect Parental Rights in Iowa

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 16:26:00 GMT

We are excited to let you know about a good bill that is moving through the Iowa State Senate, S.F. 2335 . This bill will protect children by requiring documented consent by a parent or guardian before the immunization or vaccination of a minor.

This bill is important because we are fighting bills across the nation, and even a law recently passed by the District of Columbia , allowing minors to “consent” to vaccinations without their parents even knowing about it. Such bills force children to take on adult responsibilities by robbing them of their loving parents’ wisdom in major health care decisions , such as vaccine administration.

And they endanger children. A minor child may not know his or her medical history. A minor child could suffer an adverse reaction, and if the parent does not know that the child was immunized, they may miss warning signs and be unable to get the child to the hospital in time. Or, a parent may not know that their child received an immunization at school, and have their family pediatrician administer the same immunization, resulting in potential harm due to multiple and unnecessary doses.

S.F. 2335 will safeguard Iowa families against all of these dangers.

S.F. 2335 passed out of the Human Services Committee by an 8-5 vote on February 17 , and is currently pending on the Iowa State Senate Floor.

Please call or email (or both!) your Iowa State Senator and ask him or her to support S.F. 2335. Your message can be as simple as the following:

Thank you for standing with us to protect parental rights and the safety of our precious children.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org

“Please support S.F. 2335, a bill which requires parental consent before a minor receives a vaccination or immunizations. This bill protects parental rights and protects children. Parents are a child’s greatest advocate and protection when it comes to making health care decisions, including immunizations and vaccinations, for their own children.”

Action Alert: Two Critical Bills to Receive Vote in New Hampshire House Committee on March 1!

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 17:00:00 GMT

We’re excited to let you know that two important bills will be heard in executive session in the New Hampshire House of Representatives’ Children and Family Law Committee on Tuesday, March 1.

The Committee will vote on H.B. 1612 , a bill that will change New Hampshire’s child abuse and neglect reporting laws from anonymous to confidential. This critical bill will protect innocent children and families from going through the trauma of an unnecessary governmental investigation and will ensure that the Division of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) can focus on investigating true instances of child abuse and neglect. The bill will also create penalties for someone who knowingly makes a false report of child abuse.

The Committee will also vote on H.B. 1431 , the Parents’ Bill of Rights, which will

enshrine into New Hampshire law that parental rights are a fundamental right,
provide curriculum transparency to parents of children in New Hampshire public schools, and
provide additional protections for families in New Hampshire.

We encourage you to email all the members of the House Children and Family Law Committee by sending an email to CFL@leg.state.nh.us

Here is a suggested email, but we encourage you to add in your own words, share personal anecdotes, and make changes so it comes from your heart:

Dear Members of the New Hampshire House Children and Family Law Committee:

As one of your constituents, I ask that you support H.B. 1612 and H.B. 1431. Both of these bills will protect children and families in New Hampshire.

H.B. 1612 will change New Hampshire’s reporting of child abuse and neglect from anonymous to confidential. It will protect innocent children and families from going through the trauma of an unnecessary governmental child abuse or neglect investigation. Instead of pursuing false reports, New Hampshire’s Division for Children, Youth and Families will now be able to focus on investigating true instances of child abuse and neglect. Finally, H.B. 1612 will create penalties for false reports of child abuse, further protecting innocent children and families. This bill will keep bad actors from weaponizing the system against innocent families.

You can read our letter of support for H.B. 1431 here and our letter of support for H.B. 1612 here.

Thank you for standing with us for freedom.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President
ParentalRights.org

Video Celebrates 15 Years of ParentalRights.org

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 17:14:00 GMT

This month, we are celebrating 15 years of ParentalRights.org. Today we are proud to release a 3-minute video commemorating the event.

You can find the video on YouTube here .

We invite you to take just 3 minutes to watch the video and share it with your family and friends. The more people who watch it, the further it climbs in YouTube’s algorithm, leading to even more people seeing it and joining our effort to protect children by empowering parents.

We have a lot to celebrate over these 15 years, as the video quickly explains. So, help yourself to some good news and spread the cheer with this quick video celebration.

We are also commemorating this milestone with four special episodes of the EPPiC Broadcast podcast. Episode three, featuring state volunteer coordinators, is out now!

PRO President Appears on Family Policy Podcast

ParentalRights.org (and Parental Rights Foundation) president Will Estrada was recently the featured guest on “Family Policy Matters,” the podcast of the North Carolina Family Policy Council.

“We are seeing parents from across the political spectrum advance the notion that they should be in charge of their children’s education, upbringing, and care,” says Estrada . Click here to read more about Will’s guest stint and to listen to the episode, “The Fight for Parental Rights.”

Urgent Action Alert to Stop Dangerous California Bill

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 15:25:00 GMT

We need your help to stop S.B. 866 , a bill that authorizes 12-year-old children to consent to immunizations without their parents knowing about it or giving their consent. This bill has been introduced by California State Senators Scott Wiener and Richard Pan, coauthored by Senator Josh Newman, and coauthored in the California State Assembly by Buffy Wicks, Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Laura Friedman, Evan Low, Phil Ting, and Akilah Weber.

S.B. 866 is another attack on our families. It forces children to take on adult responsibilities by robbing them of their loving parents’ wisdom in major health care decisions, such as vaccine administration.

And it endangers children. A minor child may not know his or her medical history. A minor child could suffer an adverse reaction, and if the parent does not know that the child was immunized, they may miss warning signs and be unable to get the child to the hospital in time. Or, a parent may not know that their child received an immunization at school, and have their family pediatrician administer the same immunization, resulting in potential harm due to multiple and unnecessary doses.

Please call or email (or both!) your California State Senator and ask him or her to oppo se S.B. 866. Your message can be as simple as the following:

We encourage you to forward this email to several of your friends. We can win this battle for parental rights if all of us as parents stand together. The Parental Rights Foundation is litigating in federal court a similar law recently passed in the District of Columbia, and you can read our arguments against that law here .

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org

Action Alert: Contact your South Dakota State Senator to Support Parental Rights!

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 14:52:00 GMT

Thanks to YOUR phone calls and emails, last week the South Dakota State House of Representatives passed South Dakota State Representative Sue Peterson’s parental rights bill, H.B. 1246, by an overwhelming vote of 63-5!

H.B. 1246 is now pending before the South Dakota State Senate Judiciary Committee , and a vote could come as early as Thursday, February 24.

Please email your South Dakota State Senator as soon as possible today and ask him or her to support H.B. 1246.

Your message can be as simple as:

When you email your State Senator, please feel free to link to the letter that we sent in support of H.B. 1246.

We strongly support this bill. If H.B. 1246 were to be passed into law, it would enshrine into South Dakota law that parental rights are a fundamental right. This is the exact type of legislation that is ParentalRights.org’s top priority to pass into law.

If H.B. 1246 were to be enacted into law, South Dakota would join fourteen other states in the nation that already have similar laws protecting parental rights as a fundamental right.

Thank you for standing with us to protect parental rights.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org

“Please support H.B. 1246, An Act to establish the fundamental right of a parent. This critical and timely bill passed the South Dakota House of Representatives by an overwhelming vote of 63-5 and will enshrine into South Dakota law that parental rights are a fundamental right, as the U.S. Supreme Court has held for the past 100 years. H.B. 1246 will protect parents and children in South Dakota, allowing parents to make critical decisions regarding their own children.”

Action Alert: Submit Public Comments to Support Reasonable Childhood Independence Bill

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 14:33:00 GMT

We’re excited to let you know that Senators Ben Hansen (R – District 16), Justin Wayne (D – District 13), and Terrell McKinney (D – District 11) have introduced L.B. 1000 , a bill that protects innocent families from being caught up in child neglect investigations.

L.B. 1000 has been scheduled for a Judiciary Committee hearing on March 3, and we need your help. Please visit https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=46901 and click on the text box that says “Submit Comments Online for LB1000.” We encourage you to do this and share any stories you may have of personal issues you have had with reasonable parenting decisions being treated as neglect, reasonable parenting decisions you have been too scared to do based on a fear that someone would hotline you for neglect, or any other reason for why you support this bill.

For background, L.B. 1000 amends Nebraska law to clarify that a parent who allows his or her child to engage in “independent activities” will not be considered to have neglected the child , unless there is evidence of obvious danger that any reasonable parent would not – and should not — ignore. L.B. 1000 enjoys broad bipartisan support from advocacy groups across the political spectrum, including ParentalRights.org, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) (whose model bill Nebraska’s legislation mirrors), Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), Americans for Prosperity (AFP), Nebraska Appleseed, 50Can, Let Grow, and several Nebraska-based child advocacy groups.

At a time when it seems that government is encroaching more and more on loving parents and their ability to care for and raise their children, L.B. 1000 protects the freedom of parents to let their children grow and thrive , freeing Nebraska’s Division of Children and Family Services to focus attention on children who are truly in danger of abuse or neglect.

You can see the letter of support that we sent to the sponsors of L.B. 1000 here .

Thank you for standing with us for parental rights and freedom.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada
President, ParentalRights.org

Wins for Parents Across the Country

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 22:29:00 GMT

On Tuesday night, parents in San Francisco stunned the nation when they recalled three of their school board members in a landslide. This election result in San Francisco vindicated our argument just a few weeks ago that parental rights are bipartisan .

While ParentalRights.org was not involved in the San Francisco recall, we are proud of our supporters and parents in San Francisco who sent this strong message that our public schools should be focused on providing the best education for our children. And we have had some significant victories ourselves, as well!

First, in South Dakota, our president, Will Estrada, testified last week in favor of House Bill 1246, to protect parental rights as a fundamental right. You can listen to the sponsor of the bill, Representative Sue Peterson, and Will Estrada testify in favor of the bill here , starting at 3:30. The bill passed the House Judiciary Committee unanimously, and on Tuesday passed the South Dakota House of Representatives in overwhelming fashion, 63-5! It now goes to the South Dakota Senate for consideration. We will be working with the sponsor and our friends in the South Dakota Senate to pass it there and send it to South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem for her signature.

Passage of H.B. 1246 into law will make South Dakota the 15th state in the nation to protect parental rights as a fundamental right in state code.

Second, Will Estrada testified this week before New Hampshire’s House Children and Family Law Committee in favor of House Bill 1612 , a bill that will change reporting of child abuse and neglect from anonymous to confidential. In addition to Will, Representative James Spillane and numerous New Hampshire parents also testified in favor of the bill. You can read more about the importance of this bill here and listen to our podcast discussing this issue, airing on March 1.

Third, we are working with a coalition of Colorado organizations from across the political spectrum to support House Bill 22-1090 , “Reasonable Independence for Children.” This bill will protect innocent families by changing Colorado’s neglect laws to specify that certain parental decisions are not neglect. H.B. 22-1090 unanimously passed out of committee on February 11 and is currently pending on the House floor. Thank you to all of our Colorado supporters who contacted your representatives in support of this important bill!

These victories are just the beginning. It’s because of you and your support that we are able to fight alongside parents all across the nation. Stay tuned for more exciting updates as this “Year of the Parent” legislative season continues!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Action Alert: Call Now to Protect Families and Children from Unnecessary Investigations!

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 14:54:00 GMT

We’re excited to let you know that a bipartisan coalition of New Hampshire representatives have introduced H.B. 1612 , a bill that will change New Hampshire’s child abuse and neglect reporting laws from anonymous to confidential. This critical bill will protect innocent children and families from going through the trauma of an unnecessary governmental investigation and will ensure that DCYF can focus on investigating true instances of child abuse and neglect. The bill will also create penalties for someone who knowingly makes a false report of child abuse.

H.B. 1612 will be heard before the New Hampshire State House of Representatives Children and Family Law Committee tomorrow, February 15, at 10:30 AM. Our President, Will Estrada, is flying to Concord to testify in favor of the bill.

Please contact your New Hampshire representative and ask him or her to support H.B. 1612. You can call or email (or both!) your representative with a message as simple as the following:

If you decide to email your representative, feel free to link to the letter that we sent to one of the sponsors of H.B. 1612.

We are grateful for H.B. 1612’s sponsors, Representatives James Spillane, Terry Roy, Alan Bershtein, Alicia Lekas, Ellen Read, and Senator Kevin Avard, for introducing this critical piece of legislation. This legislation is based on a model bill that the Parental Rights Foundation shepherded through the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) a few years ago.

Thank you for standing with us for freedom.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director, ParentalRights.org

“Please cosponsor and vote for H.B. 1612. This critical and bipartisan bill will protect innocent children and families from going through the trauma of an unnecessary governmental child abuse or neglect investigation. Instead of pursuing false reports, New Hampshire’s Division for Children, Youth and Families will now be able to focus on investigating true instances of child abuse and neglect. Finally, H.B. 1612 will create penalties for false reports of child abuse, further protecting innocent children and families.”

Call Now to Protect Parental Rights and Children in Missouri Public Schools

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 14:46:00 GMT

Calls are needed today to support H.B. 1858 , a Parents’ Bill of Rights that has been introduced in the Missouri House of Representatives. H.B. 1858 is scheduled for a committee hearing in the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee this Tuesday, February 15, at 8 AM.

If passed into law, H.B. 1858, the Parents’ Bill of Rights, will do the following:

Give parents the right to know what their children are being taught in public schools;
Give parents the right to visit their children during the school day;
Protect the privacy and biometric data of children;
Require school board meetings regarding curriculum, school safety, and student issues to be held in public and allow for public comments;
Prohibit school districts from requiring parents to sign nondisclosure agreements before viewing public school curricula;
And provide additional protections to parents and their children in public schools.

ParentalRights.org strongly supports this bill. Please call your Missouri State Representative today and urge him or her to support H.B. 1858. Your message can be as simple as the following:

Thank you for standing with us for parental rights!

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org

“Please support H.B. 1858, the Parents’ Bill of Rights. This critical bill will allow parents of public school students to be involved in their children’s education, and will protect children’s personal information and data.”

Action Alert: Call your Georgia State Legislators to Enact Parents’ Bill of Rights

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 16:18:00 GMT

We are excited to let you know that not one, but two parental rights bills have been introduced in the Georgia State House of Representatives!

H.B. 1158 and H.B. 1178 would both enshrine into Georgia law that parental rights are a fundamental right. Either bill would also do the following:

provide curriculum transparency to parents of children in Georgia public schools,
allow parents to protect their children’s privacy in public schools,
allow parents to opt their children out of certain public-school classes, and
provide a host of additional protections for families in Georgia.

While both bills protect parental rights as fundamental, H.B. 1158 is the stronger bill, because it specifically authorizes parents to direct the “health care” of their minor children. It also includes allows parents to exempt their minor children from immunizations.

If either H.B. 1158 or H.B. 1178 were to be enacted into law, Georgia would join fourteen other states in the nation that already have similar laws protecting parental rights as a fundamental right.

Please call or email (or both!) your Georgia State Representative , and ask him or her to support H.B. 1158 and H.B. 1178.

Your message can be as simple as:

“Please support H.B. 1158 and H.B. 1178, the Parents’ Bill of Rights. These two critical and timely bills will enshrine into Georgia law that parental rights are a fundamental right, as the U.S. Supreme Court has held for the past 100 years. Additionally, H.B. 1158 and H.B. 1178 will protect parents and children in Georgia’s public schools, allowing parents to make critical decisions regarding their own children.”

If you send an email to your Georgia legislators, please feel free to link to the letter that we sent in support of H.B. 1158 and the letter that we sent in support of H.B. 1178.

Thank you for standing with us to protect parental rights.

Action Alert: Call your Hawaii State Representatives to Enact Parents’ Bill of Rights

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 15:53:00 GMT

We are excited to let you know that Hawaii Representative Gene Ward has introduced H.B. 2295 to enact a Parents’ Bill of Rights.

We strongly support this bill. If H.B. 2295 were to be passed into law, it would:

enshrine into Hawaii law that parental rights are a fundamental right,
provide curriculum transparency to parents of children in Hawaii public schools,
allow parents to protect their children’s privacy in public schools,
allow parents to opt their children out of certain public-school classes, and
provide a host of additional protections for families in Hawaii.

If H.B. 2295 were to be enacted into law, Hawaii would join fourteen other states in the nation that already have similar laws protecting parental rights as a fundamental right.

Please call or email (or both!) your Hawaii State Representative and ask him or her to support H.B. 2295.

Your message can be as simple as:

“Please support H.B. 2295, the Parents’ Bill of Rights. This critical and timely bill will enshrine into Hawaii law that parental rights are a fundamental right, as the U.S. Supreme Court has held for the past 100 years. And H.B. 2295 will protect parents and children in Hawaii’s public schools, allowing parents to make critical decisions regarding their own children.”

If you send an email to your Hawaii State Representative, please feel free to link to the letter that we sent in support of H.B. 2295 .

Thank you for standing with us to protect parental rights.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org

Action Alert: Call your South Dakota State Representative to Support Parental Rights!

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 14:49:00 GMT

We are excited to let you know that South Dakota State Rep. Sue Peterson has introduced HB 1246 , an act to establish the fundamental rights of a parent!

We strongly support this bill. If HB 1246 were to be passed into law, it would enshrine into South Dakota law that parental rights are a fundamental right. This exact type of legislation is ParentalRights.org’s top priority.

Please call or email your South Dakota Representative as soon as possible and ask him or her to support HB 1246. This bill will be heard on the House Floor on Monday, February 14.

Your message can be as simple as:

When you send an email to your Representatives, please feel free to link to the letter that we sent in support of HB 1246.

Thank you for standing with us to protect parental rights.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada
President, ParentalRights.org

“Please support HB 1246, An Act to establish the fundamental right of a parent. This critical and timely bill will enshrine into South Dakota law that parental rights are a fundamental right, as the U.S. Supreme Court has held for the past 100 years. HB 1246 will protect parents and children in South Dakota, allowing parents to make critical decisions regarding their own children.”

Action Alert: Call your Rhode Island State Representative to Enact Parents’ Bill of Rights

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 17:35:00 GMT

We are excited to let you know that Rhode Island State Representative Patricia Morgan has introduced H. 7138 , to bill to Enact a Parents’ Bill of Rights.

We strongly support this bill. If H. 7138 were to be passed into law, it would:

enshrine into Rhode Island law that parental rights are a fundamental right,
provide curriculum transparency to parents of children in Rhode Island public schools,
allow parents to protect their children’s privacy in public schools,
allow parents to opt their children out of certain public-school classes, and
provide a host of additional protections for families in Rhode Island.

If H. 7138 were to be enacted into law, Rhode Island would join twelve other states in the nation that already have similar laws protecting parental rights as a fundamental right.

Please call or email (or both!) your Rhode Island State Representative and ask him or her to support H. 7138.

Your message can be as simple as:

“Please support H. 7138, the Parents’ Bill of Rights. This critical and timely bill will enshrine into Rhode Island law that parental rights are a fundamental right, as the U.S. Supreme Court has held for the past 100 years. And H. 7138 will protect parents and children in Rhode Island’s public schools, allowing parents to make critical decisions regarding their own children.”

If you send an email to your Rhode Island State Representative, please feel free to link to the letter that we sent in support of H. 7138.

Thank you for standing with us to protect parental rights.

Action Alert: Call your New Hampshire State Legislators to Enact Parents’ Bill of Rights

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 15:18:00 GMT

We are excited to let you know that a coalition of New Hampshire State Representatives and one New Hampshire State Senator has introduced H.B. 1431, the Parents’ Bill of Rights !

We strongly support this bill. If H.B. 1431 were to be passed into law, it would:

enshrine into New Hampshire law that parental rights are a fundamental right,
provide curriculum transparency to parents of children in New Hampshire public schools,
allow parents to protect their children’s privacy in public schools,
allow parents to opt their children out of certain public-school classes, and
provide a host of additional protections for families in New Hampshire.

If H.B. 1431 were to be enacted into law, New Hampshire would join fourteen other states in the nation that already have similar laws protecting parental rights as a fundamental right.

Please call or email (or both!) your New Hampshire State Representative and State Senator , and ask them to support H.B. 1431.

Your message can be as simple as:

“Please support H.B. 1431, the Parents’ Bill of Rights. This critical and timely bill will enshrine into New Hampshire law that parental rights are a fundamental right, as the U.S. Supreme Court has held for the past 100 years. And H.B. 1431 will protect parents and children in New Hampshire’s public schools, allowing parents to make critical decisions regarding their own children.”

If you send an email to your New Hampshire legislators, please feel free to link to the letter that we sent in support of H.B. 1431 .

Thank you for standing with us to protect parental rights.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org

Should the U.S. “Make Raising Your Own Children Illegal?”

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 15:19:00 GMT

“If California is ever going to achieve true equity, the state must require parents to give away their children . … My solution— making raising your own children illegal —is simple…”

So said Joe Matthews, a columnist for the Ventura County Star, in an opinion piece published on January 13, 2022. His opinion piece was republished a few days later in the San Francisco Chronicle, amplifying this extreme position. (Read my response to his shocking article here .)

Today’s threats to parental rights aren’t coming from the United Nations, since treaties require a two-thirds vote in the Senate to be ratified (although we must always be vigilant to dangerous international treaties that would replace our nation’s history of parental rights as a fundamental right with the nebulous “best interests of the child” standard).

Today’s threats to parental rights also aren’t necessarily coming from the courts (although the Parental Rights Foundation and our allies are vigorously fighting in state and federal courts to protect parental rights).

No, many of today’s threats to parental rights are coming from academics trying to reshape our cultural worldview around their own distorted vision of the family. And through their attempts to reshape our nation’s cultural worldview, they hope to—in time—reshape the legal and political landscape in a way that forever destroys parental rights.

These academics include Professor James Dwyer from William and Mary University, who famously said parental rights are given by the government, conferred through a birth certificate . And, of course, what government gives, government can take away—or even withhold in the first place.

There’s also Elizabeth Bartholet of Harvard University, who opined that homeschooling (and most private schools) should be illegal so that all children receive the same brand of education, the inculcation of one uniform worldview. (That would, of course, be the worldview held by Bartholet herself, and Dwyer, and—apparently—Joe Matthews, as well.)

Seizing the Moment

Clearly, our work is cut out for us. This is no time to rest. Rather, we have decided to seize the moment and work across the nation to introduce and pass state fundamental parental rights statutes.

In December of last year, I flew out to San Diego for the annual conference for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). We’ve been working with ALEC and the state legislators and outside groups there to get this language approved as a model bill:

The language in Section 1 comes straight from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Troxel v Granville , 530 U.S. 57, 65 (2000): “ The liberty interest at issue in this case— the interest of parents in the care, custody, and control of their children —is perhaps the oldest of the fundamental liberty interests recognized by this Court” (bolding added). In that Troxel decision, the Supreme Court cites a long line of seminal cases, including Meyer v. Nebraska (1923), Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925), and Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972), that have consistently recognized parental rights as fundamental rights. And now we’re working to enshrine this judicial precedent in state legislation across the nation to provide an extra level of protection to the fundamental right of loving parents—not bureaucrats or academics—to direct the nurture, education, care, custody, and control of their children.

I’m pleased to tell you this model parental rights bill was accepted unanimously. And then the real work began.

Working with our state parental rights coordinators and state legislators, we started introducing the model parental rights bill in state legislatures in the past few weeks. We followed the model that we used in Florida last year, when Florida passed their incredibly strong state parents’ bill of rights.

Permit me a moment to highlight three states where these efforts are already underway.

First, our model parental rights bill has been introduced in Pennsylvania . On January 4, Senators Doug Mastriano, Kristin Phillips-Hill, Judy Ward, and Michele Brooks introduced the parental rights statute, S.B. 996 , following our model legislation. We’re working with them and with parents from across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to get the bill scheduled for a committee hearing and a vote. This is our year to see it passed into law.

Our model parental rights statute has also been introduced in South Dakota . H.B. 1246 was introduced by Representatives Sue Peterson, Aaron Aylward, and Carl Perry, and Senator Jessica Castleberry on January 27, 2022. It is being heard in the House Judiciary Committee today, February 9, and our president, Will Estrada, is presenting testimony in that hearing to support this bill that protects fundamental parental rights.

Finally, our model parental rights statute has been introduced in New Hampshire . On January 5, H.B. 1431 was introduced by Representatives Paul Terry, Jeffrey Greeson, John Potucek, Richard Littlefield, Gregg Hough, Mark Alliegro, Aidan Ankarberg, Dawn Johnson, Norman Silber, and Melissa Blasek, and Senator Bob Giuda. Not only does it protect parental rights, but New Hampshire’s H.B. 1431 also includes strong curriculum transparency provisions, in addition to protecting the fundamental right of parents.

But these are not all; the list goes on and on.

Historic Opportunity for Parental Rights

We are seeing a level of interest in parental rights issues that is unparalleled in our 15-year history. Last year, we were successful in passing the Florida Parents’ Bill of Rights. But this year, we’re looking at multiple states passing parental rights legislation. And that presents a powerful opportunity!

But the reason we are able to rise to this challenge and seize the moment as the only nationwide organization solely devoted to advancing, defending, and protecting the rights of parents, is because of your partnership and generosity.

Will you stand with us at this critical moment for parental rights? Will you stand with the moms and dads who spent last year speaking out at school board meetings, and who are now working to advance this promising, pro-family, and pro-freedom legislation?

We have a crucial need to increase our staff to support moms and dads in all 50 states. But we can only grow through your support.

Will you take a moment today to send your best gift of $25, $60, or even $100 to expand our reach into additional states with the family-protecting security of a fundamental parental rights statute?

Your partnership will make all the difference in this vital effort nationwide.

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by defending the rights of parents in every possible state!

Sincerely,

William A. Estrada, Esq.

President
ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation

PS: In addition to our focus on state parental rights bills, we’re also working to reform state CPS laws to protect innocent parents and children, insert due process in child abuse and neglect investigations, advance curriculum transparency bills so parents know what is being taught in their public schools, and reintroduce our federal Parental Rights Amendment to the US Constitution. In addition to our legislative work, we have our ongoing litigation in state and federal courts to protect parental rights. And we’ve been publishing op-eds in news outlets around the country to advocate for parental rights in the public square. We’ll have more updates about all of this work in future letters!

Section 1. The liberty interest of a parent in the nurture, education, care, custody, and control of the parent’s child is a fundamental right recognized by the United States Constitution and the Constitution of the State of ___________.

15 Years of Protecting Parental Rights—Together!

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 17:11:00 GMT

The month of February marks the 15-year anniversary of ParentalRights.org. Because of you and your generosity—with financial support, grassroots action, volunteering, calling or emailing your state and federal legislators, and more—we as an organization can celebrate 15 years of protecting children by empowering parents.

It’s been a team effort, and we’re just getting started.

Over the month of February, we’ll be marking the milestone. But the best way we can mark our 15th anniversary is by doing even more to fight for and defend the right of loving parents to raise, educate, and nurture their children.

And that’s what we’ve been doing. January has been one of our busiest months ever.

At the federal level, we worked with US Senator James Lankford (OK) on a resolution that he released for National School Choice Week . We applaud Senator Lankford for his leadership for school choice and parental rights in education.

We are working with state legislators in four states that introduced fundamental parental rights bills based on our model : Missouri , New Hampshire , Pennsylvania , and South Dakota . (We’re about to add Rhode Island and Hawaii to this list!) If these states were to pass their fundamental parental rights bills, it would bring to eighteen the number of states across the nation that protect parental rights as a fundamental right in state law!

We sent letters of support to state legislators in three states that introduced legislation to protect parents from facing child neglect investigations simply for allowing their children to have reasonable independence : Colorado , Nebraska , and South Carolina . We’re joined in this effort by organizations across the political spectrum, including Lenore Skenazy’s fantastic organization, Let Grow .

We sent a letter of support to state legislators in New Hampshire who introduced legislation to change reporting of abuse or neglect from anonymous to confidential , to protect innocent families from unnecessary and potentially traumatic government investigations.

We are working with the ACLU of Pennsylvania to oppose a dangerous bill that will threaten Pennsylvania parents with involuntary drug or alcohol testing in the course of certain abuse or neglect investigations.

We are opposing a dangerous bill in West Virginia that removes current protections for parents from state law in the context of grandparent-visitation controversies.

We stood up for the right of private educational institutions to be free of government mandates by sending a letter to a legislator in Ohio who introduced a curriculum transparency bill that would have applied to private and homeschools. And our Parental Rights Foundation joined with a coalition of organizations from across the political spectrum in urging the State of Texas to rescind guidelines that make it harder for families to have support during abuse or neglect investigations.

At the same time, we’re stepping up our efforts to defend parental rights in the public square. We were able to publish op-eds responding to attacks on parental rights in The Daily Signal and in TownHall .

Yes, we’re excited about our 15th anniversary. But the stakes are just too high to rest on our laurels. We’re just getting started. And from the bottom of my heart, thank you for standing with us as we work to protect children by empowering parents.

Sincerely yours,

Will Estrada
President, ParentalRights.org

Join us in Harrisburg on Tuesday, February 8 to support new Fundamental Parental Rights Bill!

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 15:28:00 GMT

We’re excited to announce that Pennsylvania Senators Doug Mastriano, Kristin Phillips-Hill, Judy Ward, and Michele Brooks have introduced S.B. 996 to protect parental rights. S.B. 996 will protect parental rights in Pennsylvania law, strengthening the right of parents to direct the education, upbringing, and care of their children. And it will allow Pennsylvania to join the twelve other states in the nation that already have a similar law on their books.

Our new President, Will Estrada, and one of our Board Members, Vickie Suarez, are joining families from across Pennsylvania on Tuesday, February 8, at the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg, and will speak about parental rights and the importance of S.B. 996. We encourage you to attend, hear from Will Estrada and Vickie Suarez and other speakers on parental rights issues in Pennsylvania, and then visit your elected officials in person to urge them to support S.B. 996. You can click here to see a schedule of events on Tuesday, February 8.

If you cannot make it to the Pennsylvania Capitol on Tuesday, you can still help! Please contact your Pennsylvania senator and ask him or her to support S.B. 996 to enshrine into Pennsylvania law that parental rights are a fundamental right. If you send your senator an email using the online contact form, feel free to link to our letter we sent in support of S.B. 996. Your message can be as simple as:

“Please support S.B. 996 to enshrine into Pennsylvania law that parental rights are a fundamental right. This common-sense bill will take the U.S. Supreme Court’s precedent from the last 100 years and put it into the text of Pennsylvania law, thereby protecting the constitutional rights of Pennsylvania families.”

Thank you for standing with us to fight for parental rights. We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, February 8!

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

ParentalRights.org

Action Alert: Ask Your State Legislators to Support Reasonable Childhood Independence Bill

Fri, 28 Jan 2022 19:58:00 GMT

We’re excited to let you know that a bipartisan coalition, Representatives Mary Young and Kim Ransom, and Senators Janet Buckner and Jim Smallwood, have introduced H.B. 22-1090 , a bill that protects innocent families from being caught up in child neglect investigations.

H.B. 22-1090 amends Colorado law to clarify that a loving and caring parent who allows his or her child to engage in “independent activities” will not be considered to have neglected the child.

H.B. 22-1090 enjoys broad bipartisan support from advocacy groups across the political spectrum, including ParentalRights.org, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) (whose model bill Colorado’s legislation mirrors), Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), Let Grow, Elephant Circle, and several Colorado-based child and family advocacy groups.

Please contact both your senator and representative and ask them to support H.B. 22-1090. You can call or email (or both!) your senator and representative with a message as simple as the following:

“Please support H.B. 22-1090 to provide children with reasonable independence. At a time when it seems that government is encroaching more and more on loving parents and their ability to care for and raise their children, H.B. 22-1090 provides freedom to parents to let their children grow and thrive, freeing the Colorado Department of Human Services’ Division of Child Welfare to focus attention on children who are truly in danger of abuse or neglect.”

If you decide to email your representative and senator, feel free to link to the letter that we sent to the sponsors of H.B. 22-1090.

Thank you for standing with us for parental rights and freedom.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada
President, ParentalRights.org

Action Alert: Ask Your State Senator to Support Reasonable Childhood Independence Bill

Fri, 28 Jan 2022 19:43:00 GMT

We’re excited to let you know that Senators Wes Climer and Greg Hembree have introduced S. 288 , a bill that protects innocent families from being caught up in child neglect investigations.

Please contact your state senator and ask him or her to support S. 288. You can call or email (or both!) your senator with a message as simple as the following:

Thank you for standing with us for parental rights and freedom.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada
President, ParentalRights.org

If you decide to email your state senator, feel free to link to the letter that we sent to the sponsors of S. 288.

Action Alert: Please Ask Your State Senator to Support Reasonable Childhood Independence Bill

Thu, 27 Jan 2022 20:43:00 GMT

We’re excited to let you know that Senators Ben Hansen (District 16), Justin Wayne (District 13), and Terrell McKinney (District 11) have introduced L.B. 1000 , a bill that protects innocent families from being caught up in child neglect investigations .

L.B. 1000 amends Nebraska law to clarify that a parent who allows his or her child to engage in “independent activities” will not be considered to have neglected the child , unless there is evidence of obvious danger that any reasonable parent would not – and should not — ignore.

L.B. 1000 enjoys broad bipartisan support from advocacy groups across the political spectrum, including ParentalRights.org, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) (whose model bill Nebraska’s legislation mirrors), Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), Americans for Prosperity (AFP), Nebraska Appleseed, 50Can, and several Nebraska-based child advocacy groups.

Please contact your senator and ask him or her to cosponsor L.B. 1000, and vote in support of it. You can call or email (or both!) your senator with a message as simple as the following:

“Please support L.B. 1000. At a time when it seems that government is encroaching more and more on loving parents and their ability to care for and raise their children, L.B. 1000 provides freedom to parents to let their children grow and thrive, freeing Nebraska’s Division of Children and Family Services to focus attention on children who are truly in danger of abuse or neglect.”

If you decide to email your senator, feel free to link to the letter that we sent to the sponsors of L.B. 1000.

Thank you for standing with us for parental rights and freedom.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org

Action Alert: Ask Your State Representative to Support H.B. 1612

Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:56:00 GMT

We’re excited to let you know that a bipartisan coalition of New Hampshire representatives has introduced H.B. 1612 , a bill that will change New Hampshire’s child abuse and neglect reporting laws from anonymous to confidential. This critical bill will protect innocent children and families from going through the trauma of an unnecessary governmental investigation and will ensure that DCYF can focus on investigating true instances of child abuse and neglect .

The bill will also create penalties for someone who knowingly makes a false report of child abuse or neglect.

(The bill also requires that a guardian ad litem be appointed when a child is in court pursuant to a Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) petition and the child’s parents are involved in divorce proceedings, but ParentalRights.org does not have a position on this aspect of the bill.)

Please contact your New Hampshire representative and New Hampshire senator and ask them to cosponsor and vote for H.B. 1612. You can call or email (or both!) your representative and your senator with a message as simple as the following:

“Please cosponsor and vote for H.B. 1612. This critical and bipartisan bill will protect innocent children and families from going through the trauma of an unnecessary governmental child abuse or neglect investigation. Instead of pursuing false reports, New Hampshire’s Division for Children, Youth and Families will now be able to focus on investigating true instances of child abuse and neglect. Finally, H.B. 1612 will create penalties for false reports of child abuse and neglect, further protecting innocent children and families.”

If you decide to email your representative, feel free to link to the letter that we sent to the sponsors of H.B. 1612.

We are grateful for H.B. 1612’s sponsors, Representatives James Spillane, Terry Roy, Alan Bershtein, Alicia Lekas, Ellen Read, and Senator Kevin Avard, for introducing this critical piece of legislation. This legislation is based on a model bill that the Parental Rights Foundation shepherded through the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) a few years ago.

Thank you for standing with us for freedom.

Sincerely,

William Estrada
President

Urgent: Action Needed to Halt Dangerous WV Bill

Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:11:00 GMT

Four West Virginia state delegates have introduced a grandparent visitation bill, H.B. 3099 , that violates U.S. Supreme Court precedent and threatens the fundamental right of parents to make decisions for their children. While I know first-hand the incredible blessing that grandparents play in my children’s lives, it must be parents, not courts, that decide who should be involved in a child’s life.

This dangerous bill may be up for a reading in the House as early as tomorrow, January 28, so the time to act is now .

We urge you to contact your West Virginia State Delegate and ask him or her to oppose this dangerous bill. You can read the letter that we sent to the sponsors of H.B. 3099 here , and if you decide to email your delegate, please feel free to link to our letter.

Your message can be as simple as the following:

Thank you for standing with us for freedom and parental rights.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

“Please oppose H.B. 3099. This dangerous bill will change current law to remove a requirement that a court consider the fundamental right of parents to raise their children before granting grandparent visitation rights over a loving parent’s objection. Parents, not courts, should make the decision of who is involved in a child’s life. West Virginia law already balances grandparent visitation with parental rights, so there is no need for this bill.”

You’re Invited! Virginia Parental Rights Rally February 2

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 21:55:00 GMT

The Virginia Family Foundation will be hosting a Parental Rights Advocacy Day on Wednesday, February 2, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Virginia Capitol.

According to their announcement of the event, “You will have the chance to stand up for parental rights, meet with your elected officials, receive recognition on the floor of the House of Delegates, and get up-to-the-minute information from The Family Foundation’s policy team on the status of key legislation affecting your parental rights!”

You can find out more about the event and register at https://www.familyfoundation.org/lobby .

Together, we can champion legislation that will:

Ensure parents have a say in their children’s curricula
Modify Transgender Model Policies so ALL kids are protected
Remove obscene materials from schools
Prohibit any faculty training or curriculum that promotes racism
Give parents more educational choice through charter schools and expanding the Education Improvement Scholarships Tax Credit program
Affirm parents’ rights to make medical decisions that are best for their children.

Please consider coming out to Richmond on February 2 to participate in this important rally for parental rights!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Support Parental Rights Legislation in Colorado

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 17:01:00 GMT

Our friends at LetGrow are preparing to introduce new parental rights legislation this year in Colorado, and they’re inviting concerned parents to join them in an online information session this coming Monday, January 24, at 5pm via Zoom.

Please click to register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZUvUKimnRpq_KSL9RNy_4A or http://bit.ly/kidsindependence .

At least two potential bill sponsors plan to attend the call, as well.

We fully support the efforts of LetGrow and their model legislation to protect parents from being caught up in a neglect investigation simply because some busybody doesn’t approve of their parenting decisions. We have worked with LetGrow in other states, as well, and are proud of the legislation we have passed together.

Thank you for your interest in and support for parental rights in Colorado!

Action Alert: Please call your Pennsylvania State Senators NOW to oppose dangerous bill!

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 15:00:00 GMT

We need your help to stop a bad bill in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

H.B. 1737 will receive a vote in the Senate Aging & Youth Committee as early as tomorrow, Wednesday, January 19. It is a short bill giving Child Welfare Services (CWS) authority to seek a court order to compel parents to undergo drug and alcohol testing in certain abuse and neglect investigations. It sounds like a good bill. But in practice, it would be used by CWS case workers to pressure parents to submit to a drug or alcohol testing in any investigation meeting the requirements of the bill, even if it’s merely an anonymous and false allegation from an irate neighbor or grumpy relative. This bill increases the power of CWS at the expense of families and children and is unnecessary. CWS has plenty of power to investigate allegations of child abuse and neglect without this bill.

ParentalRights.org is partnering with organizations in Pennsylvania from across the political spectrum to defeat this bill. You can see our letter here , and the letter from the ACLU of Pennsylvania here .

Please contact your Pennsylvania senator (via either phone or the online contact form) and ask them to oppose H.B. 1737. If you send your senator an email using the online contact form, feel free to link to our letter and the ACLU of PA’s letter against H.B. 1737. Your message can be as simple as this:

“Please oppose H.B. 1737. It runs contrary to recent precedent from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, is not necessary to protect children, and will lead to more families being turned upside down.”

Thank you for standing with us in this fight.

Sincerely,

Will Estrada

President, ParentalRights.org

Parents Across the Nation Are on the March

Thu, 13 Jan 2022 14:44:00 GMT

Our team has been working nonstop with our volunteers across the nation in these first few days of 2022. Already, the hard work we all have been doing for the past months to advance parental rights is paying off!

Here’s a quick summary of where we are:

Fundamental Parental Rights Statute Introduced in Pennsylvania. We’re excited that our model statute has been introduced in Pennsylvania as S.B. 996 . The bill declares, “The liberty of a parent to direct the upbringing, education, care and welfare of the parent’s child is a fundamental right.” ParentalRights.org strongly supports this bill. If you live in Pennsylvania, please call your state senator and ask him or her to sign on as a cosponsor of S.B. 996.

Protecting Parental Rights in Missouri. State legislators in Missouri have introduced H.B. 1995 , a fundamental parental rights statute that protects parental rights and provides parents in public school with additional protections regarding their children. We are working with our friends at Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and Families for Home Education (FHE) in Missouri to tighten up some of the language in the bill. ParentalRights.org president Will Estrada sent a letter to the sponsor and also submitted formal written testimony to the legislature yesterday.

Curriculum Transparency Bills Introduced in Numerous States . ParentalRights.org generally supports bills that provide parents of children in public school with information about what their children are learning. ParentalRights.org has been monitoring numerous curriculum transparency bills that have been introduced across the nation.

In Ohio , a curriculum transparency bill was introduced that included homeschools and private schools. ParentalRights.org president Will Estrada and our friends at HSLDA met with the sponsors of the bill to explain how this was not acceptable , and we are grateful that the sponsors listened to our concerns.

In Indiana, several versions of curriculum transparency bills have been introduced, including S.B. 167 and H.B. 1040 . (Note that these bills also touch upon issues that are outside our focus.)

It’s exciting to see how the concern of parents over what their children are being taught in public schools is resulting in curriculum transparency bills being introduced in nearly every state. We are reviewing these critical bills and will have more updates and action alerts in the very near future.

Protecting innocent families in child abuse and neglect investigations. This remains one of our highest priorities. In Pennsylvania, we are working with a coalition from across the political spectrum to stop H.B. 1737 , a bill that would allow CPS to seek a court order to compel mandatory drug or alcohol testing of a parent, if just an allegation—even an anonymous allegation—is raised against a parent stating that impairment due to drug or alcohol use is a contributing cause of alleged abuse or neglect. This will expand the power of CPS officials in PA to upend families and is contrary to a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision on this very issue. ParentalRights.org president Will Estrada sent a letter to Pennsylvania senators, urging them to oppose the bill, joining with a wide array of other organizations—including the ACLU of Pennsylvania .

And we worked with a coalition of like-minded organizations to oppose a recent policy change in Texas that will make it harder for Texas parents to seek the support of “advocacy organizations, such as parent rights advocates and homeschool coalitions” when they are being investigated for alleged child abuse or neglect. (Yes, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services actually singled out parent-rights advocates and homeschoolers!) You can read the letter that the Parental Rights Foundation sent to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services here .

And we worked with a coalition of like-minded organizations to oppose a recent policy change in Texas that will make it harder for Texas parents to seek the support of “advocacy organizations, such as parent rights advocates and homeschool coalitions” when they are being investigated for alleged child abuse or neglect. (Yes, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services actually singled out parent-rights advocates and homeschoolers!) You can read the letter that the Parental Rights Foundation sent to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services here .

We encourage you to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates on what we are doing to protect children by empowering parents. And share this email with any family and friends you know who share your concern for parental rights!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

A Conversation with a ParentalRights.org Donor

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 17:01:00 GMT

Dear Parental Rights friends,

When I was in San Diego at the beginning of the month to present our model state parental rights statute at the American Legislative Exchange Council Summit, I also was able to get lunch with one of our donors, Steve.

Steve and his wife Cathy have been faithful and longtime donors to the cause of parental rights. They have seven children, two of whom were adopted from overseas. Like you , they know how critical protecting the fundamental right of parents is to their family, to their community, and ultimately, to our nation.

Steve and I hit it right off. We didn’t want our lunch to end. As we were heading back to the car, Steve asked me a question that was important enough that I wanted to share it with all of you, too. (I asked Steve to review this email, and he gave it his okay.)

Steve told me that he wanted to be able to go back to Cathy (she had been planning to join us but wasn’t able to at the last minute) and give her a list of the Parental Rights Foundation’s needs. He asked me what we needed by the end of the calendar year. I mentioned a few of our top needs right then and there, but I thought that Steve’s question is probably one you have, too.

As you know, ParentalRights.org and our charitable arm, the Parental Rights Foundation , are 100% dependent on you. The work that we’re doing in the media, in our 50 state legislatures, in the courts (both at the state and federal level), and in Congress, is only possible because of your generous donations. And we never lose sight of the fact that many of you are raising your children or grandchildren, paying for educational expenses, and have other demands on your hard-earned money. You have the deep gratitude of each and every person on staff at ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation.

As you consider your year-end giving, I’ll share with you the same list I shared with Steve, as well as some additional needs:

Our renewal dues are coming up at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). We use our membership there to meet with numerous state legislators, to build relationships with allied organizations, and to advance model state statutes (like our parental rights statute, and our two model state statutes to promote due process and protections in our child welfare laws). Those annual dues are $8,500.

Our litigation expenses are mounting. We are currently representing families in federal district court Washington, DC , and in state court in the Commonwealth of Virginia .

Those are some of our urgent needs. But beyond that, we have identified some of our long-term goals. If we could meet these funding goals sooner rather than later, we’d be better equipped to seize this historic moment for parental rights and achieve some long-lasting successes that will benefit parents across the nation:

We are discussing an advertising campaign that will provide information to policy makers at the local, state, and federal level when they are thinking about parental rights. This advertising campaign will be scalable, meaning if we only raise $10,000, we can put it in a small online media market that will be most effective. If we raise $100,000, we can go bigger. If we raise $1,000,000, we can do an aggressive, nationwide media campaign to advance and promote parental rights. Remember, many legislative staffers and other policy makers in our nation are not parents. Providing them with talking points and reminders about parental rights will go a long way toward advancing parental rights.

We are constantly approached by individuals who are looking for legal help in their cases against government overreach in the area of parental rights. We are unfortunately forced to turn away most of these potential cases due to limited bandwidth. We would like to hire another full-time attorney to enable us to take on more cases and increase our reach through amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs in cases regarding parental rights across the nation. To bring on a full-time skilled litigation attorney would cost between $100,000 and $150,000 a year.

If you would like to partner with us, you can make an end-of-year tax-deductible donation here . If you would like to make a major gift, please contact me directly at will@parentalrights.org .

Thank you for standing with us for parental rights.

Very truly yours,

William A. Estrada, Esq.

President, ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation

We need to hire a full-time legislative assistant who would help Michael Ramey (our Executive Director) coordinate the burgeoning number of state parental rights bills and support our volunteers who are on the ground across the nation.

Our donor and contacts database is state of the art, secure, and perfect for our organization. But it costs $1,400 a month to license and operate.

The Last Minutes of 2021

Thu, 09 Dec 2021 16:28:00 GMT

Between Christmas and New Year’s, life often seems to slow down as the peace of the holiday season lingers for just a little while longer.

It’s almost crazy to imagine that legislatures will be starting up their 2022 legislative sessions as early as this Monday! Fortunately, we are already poised to hit the ground running in several states.

If you were planning an end-of-year tax-deductible gift to the Parental Rights Foundation, let me remind you to get that in today.

And then, for just this one more week, catch your breath, enjoy time with family and friends, and get ready for our biggest year yet.

Happy New Year from the Parental Rights Foundation and ParentalRights.org.

Double Your Dollar Today Only

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 05:18:00 GMT

Today is #GivingTuesday, and it’s the one day you can double every dollar you give to ParentalRights.org or the Parental Rights Foundation.

That’s because generous supporters have agreed to match every dollar given, up to $45,000. That’s every dollar up to our $90,000 goal!

From school boards across the country to the gubernatorial election in Virginia on November 2, the parental rights movement has gained momentum like a freight train and parents WILL NOT be stopped in 2022.

Today is the day to build that momentum even more by doubling every dollar. You give $1, the movement gains $2.

So please take a moment right now to make your best possible gift to ParentalRights.org (not tax deductible, but can be used for political efforts like urging state senators to vote for a parental rights bill) or the Parental Rights Foundation (cannot be used for political efforts, but is a tax deductible gift). Whichever way you give, every dollar will be matched for parental rights!

Then, please urge your family and friends to get on board, too.

Together we can protect children by empowering parents into 2022 and beyond!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Are You On Board?

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 03:38:00 GMT

Tomorrow is #GivingTuesday, and your Parental Rights Foundation and ParentalRights.org are poised to make it our biggest day of giving ever!

This year, generous supporters have pledged to match up to $45,000 in gifts. That means that for every dollar given, ParentalRights.org or the Parental Rights Foundation will receive $2.

That’s why we’ve set our one-day goal this year at $90,000—to earn 100% of those matching gifts.

If we can do that, it will be our largest single day of revenues ever !

And that’s fuel for defending families like Scott and Jane in Virginia, who are prohibited by law from considering religion when hiring a babysitter to help them raise their daughter with special needs.

It will fuel efforts like the one in Florida that saw the passage of the Parents’ Bill of Rights in 2021.

It will fuel more model bills like the ones we have taken to the American Legislative Exchange Council to protect parental rights as fundamental, to outlaw anonymous reports to child abuse hotlines, and to provide due process before a parent’s name goes on a child abuse registry.

With your support, we can continue all these efforts and do so much more!

So, are you on board? Are you ready to give your best gift this #GivingTuesday?

Even more importantly, are you ready to spread the word to your friends and family so they’ll get on board and support parental rights?

Many Americans have awakened to this issue in recent months and are looking for a way to join this movement and make a real difference for their children and for the future.

We can make that difference. Will you let them know we’re here so they can get on board, too, and be a part of our shared success in defending families?

Thank you for reading. I look forward to seeing what we can do together to win for families this #GivingTuesday and beyond!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

PS:—Follow our progress online tomorrow at Facebook.com/parentalrights.org.

Giving Thanks

Mon, 22 Nov 2021 17:28:00 GMT

As we enter this holiday season, we at ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation have so much to be thankful for!

We are thankful for this year’s successes in protecting parental rights, like the new Parents’ Bill of Rights passed in Florida that went into effect on July 1. ParentalRights.org was in the forefront in passing this law, which will serve as a model for additional states in 2022.The new law was even the subject of a special session these last two weeks, as lawmakers worked to make it even stronger. We are especially thankful for Florida state coordinators Jim and Patti Sullivan, whose tireless work made this victory possible.

We are also thankful how your support has enabled us to file lawsuits to defend families against harmful laws in the courts of DC and Virginia . While these cases are ongoing, we are proud to stand with you in protecting the right of parents to make the best medical and religious decisions as they raise their children.

We are thankful and so excited for the wave of interest in parental rights issues that has come out of the Virginia gubernatorial elections earlier this month. This gives us momentum we can ride (and build!) into 2022 and beyond.

But most of all, we are thankful for you , because without your constant support, financial or otherwise , we simply would not be here to do any of this.

So thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, and may you have a warm and loving Thanksgiving this year!

–The Staff of ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation

#GivingTuesday

Giving Tuesday, the day set aside to “give back” by supporting the charity of your choice, is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. That’s November 30 this year, and it’s just one week away!

This year, supporters have generously agreed to match donations made to the Parental Rights Foundation or ParentalRights.org on that day, up to a match of $45,000. So we have set our goal to meet 100% of their match—a total of $90,000!

That means every dollar given will count as $2 toward our $90,000 goal.

But we can only reach it with your help. Please plan now both to give and to spread the word to your family and friends. “Parental rights” is a big issue throughout the country right now, and we are the only nationwide organization dedicated entirely to securing and protecting these rights.

So tell all your friends, and let’s prepare both our organization and our movement for the biggest year yet in 2022!

ParentalRights.org, Foundation Introduce New President

Wed, 17 Nov 2021 15:33:00 GMT

We are pleased to announce that on November 29, 2021, William A. Estrada, Esq., will be joining the Parental Rights Foundation (PRF) and ParentalRights.org as our first-ever full-time president.

ParentalRights.org founder Mike Farris served in a part-time capacity from 2006 until 2017, when he became president and CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom. Jim Mason succeeded him, also part-time, in addition to being Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) vice president. Jim will be joining the PRF board as chairman, and Michael Ramey will continue as executive director.

This is an exciting time of opportunity for the issue of parental rights, for our organization, and, most importantly, for every single one of you who cares so deeply about this issue. All across the country, parents and policy makers are becoming attuned to the issues we care about, especially in the area of education. Now is our moment to be on the leading edge of protecting children by empowering parents all across our nation.

President’s Bio

Will served as a legal assistant with HSLDA starting in 2004 while attending Oak Brook School of Law. After he passed the California bar, Will rose to be HSLDA’s director of federal relations. He left in 2018 to work at the US Department of Health and Human Services, where he became a career employee in the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division within the Office for Civil Rights. He is a member of the California Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, and the US Supreme Court bar.

While at HSLDA, Will worked hard to support key initiatives of our organization, such as reforming state child welfare laws and agencies across the country. Reforming that system has been a high priority for Parental Rights, and Will plans to address this issue head-on. While at HSLDA, Will also played a key role in defeating US ratification of a United Nations treaty that threatens parental rights.

Will plans to hit the ground running and will be introducing a model parental rights statute at the American Legislative Exchange Council on December 2. ALEC’s model bills can be adopted by state legislators all across the country.

Will and his wife Rachel live in Northern Virginia with their two sons, Dominic and Merrick. He is excited to be joining Parental Rights and working with Michael Ramey and the rest of the team, the board, and every single one of you who have been with us from the beginning to protect and advance parental rights. He can be reached at Will@ParentalRights.org.

NOLA Case Shows Need for Reforms

Wed, 10 Nov 2021 14:13:00 GMT

“The parents here did exactly what medical professionals ask a new parent to do: if you find something strange with your infant, report it.” So wrote New Orleans Juvenile Judge Mark Doherty in a recent case that nevertheless put two innocent young parents on the state’s child abuse registry.

Specifically, new mother Tess Strickland noticed a bruise on her newborn’s head that occurred simply from adjusting his head on a breastfeeding pillow. So she contacted the pediatrician and began noting any such concerning marks.

A blood test came back negative, but the concerned mother continued to monitor until the baby’s eight-week checkup. That’s when the pediatrician asked if there were still marks.

When Tess told her there were and shared what she had observed, the doctor’s response was horrifying. “She said she had to report us for child abuse,” the mother told local news station WDSU in this report .

Child Abuse System “A Sham”

The next day, DCFS came to the family home with two New Orleans detectives. A little later, after interviewing the parents separately, the detectives left, having found no abuse.

But DCFS plays by a different rulebook all their own.

They instructed the family to have the baby checked by a child abuse pediatrician, which the family did. And that doctor concluded, because there was “no known etiology,” that the bruising was caused by abuse.

“No known etiology” simply means they don’t know what caused the bruising. And since they can’t point to anything else, they conclude it must have been abuse. It is a diagnosis not based on the evidence, but literally based on the lack of any evidence.

The next day, based on this “diagnosis,” DCFS took the baby away.

Yet, only days before, an ER physician had named a reason for the bruising: capillary fragility, a condition that renders an infant prone to bruise too easily.

A week later, the couple were before the judge quoted at the beginning of this article, who ordered the child returned home. “There is no physical or testimonial evidence in this case against the parents,” he wrote in his opinion, adding, “This is a system which borders on a sham.”

Innocent—Yet on the List?

Unfortunately for this young family, though, their nightmare was not over. Instead, two months after their child was returned to them, they received a letter from DCFS notifying them that their names were being added to the state’s registry of child abusers.

It’s “like a nightmare that won’t end,” the father, Chris, told WDSU in their report.

But it is all too common.

Yes, even when the parents have been found “not guilty” of any criminal charges. Even when the family court judge orders the baby returned, declaring that the home is safe.

The system is deeply flawed, preventing most parents from getting any kind of legal due process until after their name has been added to the roll.

At least in Louisiana, it looks like their names are not added until their appeal is waived or concluded. Chris and Tess won their appeal, so their names never actually went on the list. But this is not the norm in every state. And the harm to families is real.

Attorney Andrew Brown of the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) is an ally of the Parental Rights Foundation, working together to bring reform in this area. Andrew was also quoted in the WDSU report : “When you separate a child from their family, you are guaranteed to cause trauma to that child , even if it’s just for a week.”

Addressing the Problem

That’s why we drafted a model bill to provide due process before a parent’s name goes on the list. It’s why we introduced that model to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in 2019 and secured their endorsement of it.

It’s why we supported the work of Brown’s TPPF to bring that model to fruition in Texas during the 2021 session. And it’s why we’re gearing up to introduce similar legislation in additional states in 2022.

If you know a lawmaker willing to champion such a bill, send them the model ( available online here ) as a starting point. Then email Michael@ParentalRights.org and let me know who you’ve reached out to (and, ideally, any response you receive).

You can also aid our effort with a donation to ParentalRights.org here. Partner with us to protect families and establish the right of due process in this otherwise “sham” of a process.

Together, we can protect parents like Tess and Chris from going on child abuse registries. Innocent parents have enough to worry about just raising their children; they don’t belong on abuse registries for doing nothing wrong.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Bill to Fund Pre-K Means More Government Influence

Wed, 03 Nov 2021 13:10:00 GMT

A bill currently before Congress is threatening to shift even more control over your children to government bureaucrats.

The current multi-trillion-dollar budget bill that President Biden named the “American Families Plan” includes a “universal pre-k” early education program that will give the government more influence over children as young as 3.

In the immediate, the plan provides billions of dollars in subsidies to government-approved pre-k programs for 3- and 4-year-olds. And while there’s nothing that says your local pre-k has to become “government approved,” most of them will do so for a slice of that money.

That’s why it’s there: Politicians are using our tax dollars to bribe the schools to become what the government wants them to be, whether or not it’s what the parents want or the children need.

The plan also provides subsidies for parents who put their children in a pre-k program —but, again, it has to be a government-approved program . This money won’t be available for parents whose beliefs compel them to put their children in a religious or other school that won’t jump through the right hoops.

And of course it won’t be available for families taking care of, teaching, and training their own children at home.

These are the immediate effects of the bill, which will lead to a greater influence by bureaucrats over the next generation, whether that includes your children or not.

Starting out, “government approved” may just require having an appropriate student-to-teacher ratio and the right number of fire exits. But ask parents in Loudoun County, Virginia, how far “government approved” can go.

Let me put it this way: government, whether state or national, has a tendency to start programs as experimental or “pilot” programs, then to make them universal (pre-k would be at this step now), then finally mandatory.

There is no guarantee that pre-k for 3-year-olds will become mandatory. That’s a provision that is not included in this bill . But this bill certainly paves the way for a mandate further down the line.

We oppose bills like this that will increase the role of government in your children’s lives. We believe that when it comes to your child, you know better than the bureaucrats.

That’s why we helped secure a Parents’ Bill of Rights in Florida this year (and another in Oklahoma a few years back). And it’s why we secured a parental rights bill in Virginia in 2013 that has been getting attention in that state’s gubernatorial race.

“A parent has a fundamental right to make decisions concerning the upbringing, education, and care of the parent’s child.” That’s the entire “meat” of the Virginia law. It is short, sweet, simple, and apparently still a point of much debate.

This is the ideological battleground: Are children better cared for by their parents, who know them best and can raise them in accordance with their family’s beliefs and values? Or are they better off under experts and professionals who have studied children, curricula, and the theories of early childhood education?

Although the leadership and platform of one particular political party seem to be aligned with this latter view—that bureaucrats and government experts know best—it is not simply a partisan issue.

We are allied with Independents, Republicans, and Democrats who soundly believe that families are vital building blocks of society, and that parents—not government agents—are best suited to know and do what is best for their child.

So whatever party usually gets your vote, they need to know you stand with parents. They need to know you support the “fundamental right” of parents “to make decisions concerning the upbringing, education, and care of [their] child.”

Funding government involvement in the lives and minds of our little ones at younger and younger ages is not just a bad idea. It’s a threat to our families and to our futures.

Standing together, we can push back and make both parties take notice that parents must be respected.

Thank you for standing with us as we gear up to send this message loudly and clearly in the upcoming legislative session!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Does AG Memo Hold Threat to Activist Parents?

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 17:30:00 GMT

On October 4, Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a memorandum regarding “Partnership among federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement to address threats against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff.”

The one-page memo does not include any evidence of what it calls “a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teaches, and staff….” Nor does it mention any actual acts of violence.

In the absence of any such stories in the news, one is left to wonder whether the AG might refer to the increase over recent months in the number of angry parents showing up at school board meetings across the country to express opposition to certain agenda items and programs that schools are foisting on their children.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic sent our school children home for their education, more and more parents have become concerned over the things their children were—or were not—learning. Now that schools are returning to in-person education, many of those parents want to make sure the disturbing things they saw and heard do not continue in their child’s classroom.

It is a fundamental right of parents to direct the education of their children, and it is a fundamental right of all Americans to express their views and to petition their government—including their local school boards—for a redress of grievances.

If the memo means to address actual threats or acts of violence, it would have done well to outline some of those events.

Instead, it comes across as a closely veiled threat against parents who express concerns over what their children are learning in their local public schools.

Ironically, if that is in fact the case, then the parents are doing exactly what they should do by taking their concerns to the appropriate local, public forum set up for that purpose. The Department of Justice, on the other hand, would be out of line, suggesting federal action over local concerns for which the DOJ has no legal jurisdiction.

Any criminal act of violence that occurs at a school board meeting or over a disagreement in school policy would rightly be handled by the local police or sheriff, not the FBI.

All of this gives the memo the look of a veiled threat to parents: “sit down and shut up, or we will label you ‘domestic terrorists’ and open an FBI investigation on you.”

Now, again, that may not be the aim of the memo at all (though, if it is not, its actual aim completely escapes me).

But in any case, the appropriate thing for parents to do is to continue speaking up and speaking out, but taking care to do so without any threat of violence or other criminal activity.

Yes, your school boards and administrators work for you. Yes, they should answer to you. And many of them have completely lost sight of that fact . But you do not need to threaten them to hold them to account. It is enough to know your rights and assert them.

Of course, we know you already know that. But we are concerned by the perception that this memo seeks to raise the stakes.

We will continue to monitor this situation for any developments or clarifications.

Thank you for standing with us as always to defend your children by defending our parental rights.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

McAuliffe: Parents can’t be trusted

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 15:30:00 GMT

Note: this article was originally published as an email by HSLDA .

Late Tuesday night, former Virginia governor and current gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe communicated one of the most radical policies I’ve heard from a mainstream politician in over a decade.

When asked why he vetoed a bill requiring parental involvement in school library resource selection, he stated:

“I’m not gonna let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decisions… I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.”

Last we checked, it was the civic duty of the governed to tell their elected representatives (like school board members) what they should and shouldn’t do.

When politicians start saying things like this, no one should be surprised that parents reject this totalitarian perspective and flock to the banner of educational freedom and homeschooling.

Don’t take our word for it. . . . We have included the link to the portion of the debate here: Virginia Gubernatorial Debate 2021

Context does not make this better. If possible, it makes it worse. You can read our full thoughts on the subject in our article , but here are our main takeaways:

First: Homeschooling has been growing at an astronomical rate since the beginning of the pandemic. This is in no small part because parents are finally discovering what their children’s educational environments are really like. Educational freedom is critical and offers these responsible and loving parents the opportunities that they need in order to do what is best for their children. This is something that must be maintained.

Two: Leaders who believe parents shouldn’t have a say in public school education are doubting parent’s decision-making ability. This idea will not confine itself to public schools but will seep into all education policy. Indeed, all policy altogether. This is deeply concerning, and we, as citizens, must stand up and oppose it.

Three: The mission of HSLDA Action, HSLDA’s sister organization that’s dedicated to public advocacy for homeschooling freedom, is more important than ever. Action’s goal is to protect and advance homeschool freedom in the political arena, and that is just what is needed right now. When you have mainstream politicians opposing basic, fundamental rights, you need someone in office to oppose them. Even if you’re already an HSLDA member, please consider joining HSLDA Action, and help them work on behalf of your rights as homeschoolers, and support candidates who will do so.

Sincerely,

James R. Mason
President

ALEC: The Time Is Now to Halt Anonymous Child Abuse Reports

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 14:44:00 GMT

According to national figures, nearly 3.5 million children are the subject of a Child Protective Services (CPS) investigation each year. Only 17% of these investigations result in a finding of abuse or neglect.

In 83% of these cases, the investigation is closed as unfounded or unsubstantiated.

Among anonymous reports to child abuse hotlines, that number soars to over 90%.

That’s a lot of innocent families facing the trauma of a child abuse investigation. And that’s a lot of resources, which could be spent finding and helping children in actual need, being wasted on chasing down false reports, instead.

Not that all anonymous reports are knowingly false, of course. But that anonymity certainly makes it easier for an angry ex or a disgruntled family member or neighbor to use CPS as a weapon against an innocent family.

We’ve even heard of cases where a police officer or a judge became the subject of an investigation because a criminal they had dealings with made an anonymous report.

That’s why the Parental Rights Foundation this year focused our efforts on drafting a model bill to halt anonymous reports to child abuse hotlines and replace them with confidential reports , instead.

I am thrilled to report that our model was unanimously adopted by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the largest gathering of conservative state lawmakers in the country, on July 28.

This is an exciting victory for the Foundation, but it means nothing until ParentalRights.org rises to the challenge of identifying lawmakers and volunteers to bring the model to their own state legislatures in 2022.

Make no mistake: this is tremendous news. The unanimous vote at ALEC is a major win for our legislative policy efforts, giving full conservative support to what we are looking to accomplish.

Thisis a golden opportunity to make a real and lasting change for America’s families.

But to meet the challenge before us now will require all the resources we can muster.

The endorsement by ALEC last month opens the door for us to gather support from a lot of conservative lawmakers—lawmakers like Rep. Kim Moser of Kentucky .

Last December, Rep. Moser heard about our bill at a preliminary meeting of ALEC, intended to lead up to this July’s vote. But Rep. Moser decided she didn’t need to wait. She didn’t need ALEC’s endorsement to know this was a bill she believed in.

So she contacted us, adjusted our language for her state as needed, and proposed it to her legislature. By March 1, the Kentucky House had passed the measure unanimously, 96-0.

(Unfortunately, it stalled in the Senate later that month, but only after clearing the Health & Welfare Committee. It was one floor vote away from final passage.)

Rep. Moser will take up the bill again in January.

But in order to have others do as she has done, we have to reach them in the next few months.

That’s because many states require that bills be pre-filed in November or December to be considered in the session starting in January.

And that means we are challenged right now with reaching lawmakers—and volunteers—with the important message that this change is necessary to protect families.

The reform is simple: under our model bill, state law would require anyone calling a child abuse hotline to leave their name and identifying information when they make a report of abuse. Their information would still be kept confidential, but it would no longer be completely anonymous.

The point of this is simple: to cut out knowingly false reports currently made by the thousands who “weaponize” the child welfare system. Such calls are made anonymously all the time, by a jilted ex, or a jealous family member, or a vindictive neighbor.

Even by criminals, as I mentioned above.

It’s just too easy: Make one anonymous phone call, and turn an innocent family’s life upside down.

When Jim presented our model to the committee at ALEC , one of the lawmakers present—someone we did not know and hadn’t spoken to beforehand—rose to tell his story.

Before he was in the legislature, he was an executive in an office. During one difficult period, he was part of the leadership team who had to make cuts, including deciding who should stay and who should go.

Because he had concerns about one particular employee, he mentioned that perhaps that one should be let go.

The next thing you know, the future lawmaker was the subject of a ridiculous child abuse investigation rising from one anonymous call .

In his case, though, the employee boasted about what he had done, and ended up getting caught. The whole thing was cleared up and the lawmaker’s innocence proven. But that took time—time when his family was still stressed, probed, and traumatized.

Needless to say, that lawmaker fully supports our bill.

Yet, while preserving innocent families is reason enough to champion this measure, our effort isn’t only about them. It’s also about protecting children in need.

See, such calls waste the resources of a child welfare system already spread too thin. By cutting out these false reports, we can free up those resources to find and help the children who really do need assistance.

It’s a vital reform to protect innocent families and point “the system” in the direction it was meant to go in the first place.

And with ALEC’s endorsement, we are now in a terrific position to bring it to the states starting this January.

But we won’t be able to do that without your support.

So please take a moment right now to make your best investment of $10, $25, or even $125 to preserve families by protecting parental rights through these vital efforts.

This is a crucial moment, a vital window of opportunity that is only open for a few short weeks .

Can I count on you to fuel our effort to end anonymous reports to child abuse hotlines through your generous gift today?

And let me add: If you care about these issues as much as I know you do, please share this message with your family and friends and urge them to get involved as well.

Together we can protect children by empowering parents through this simple reform.

Thank you for standing with us now, as always.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

PS —This letter reflects the point of intersection where the tax-deductible policy work of the Parental Rights Foundation meets the political action work of ParentalRights.org. (Because ParentalRights.org is a political lobbying organization, gifts cannot be tax deductible.) If you would prefer to make a tax-deductible gift, simply click here to give to the PARENTAL RIGHTS FOUNDATION. Those dollars cannot be spent on our political lobbying action, such as promoting a specific bill in a specific state, but can still fuel the work of preparing model policies and legislation like the one we shared at ALEC in July.

Must See Parents’ Rights Video

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 13:59:00 GMT

On Saturday, August 28, Parental Rights Florida and the other champions of their recently passed Parents’ Bill of Rights celebrated the victory together. Part of their dinner included this eight-minute video of their accomplishment.

The Florida Parents’ Bill of Rights demonstrates what can happen when the right people grab hold of the right idea at the right time and work to make good things happen for families around them.

Please take just a few minutes to watch this exciting and moving video, then pass it along as an encouragement to your family and friends who maybe feel that victories like this just don’t happen. They do happen , this did happen , and we are excited to share this victory with you!

If you’d like to give to support future victories like this, you can do so at parentalrights.org/donate.

Thank you, as always, for standing with us in this exciting time of celebration!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Time to Take Action in Your State

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 18:11:00 GMT

It is time to take action!

As I reported last week, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) voted unanimously to adopt our model bill to end anonymous reports to child abuse hotlines, replacing them with confidential reports instead.

That makes right now—and these next 2-3 months—the ideal time to reach out to your state lawmakers and ask them to champion this bill in the upcoming 2022 legislative session.

Many states have pre-filing requirements, which means a bill must be filed in November or December to be considered when the session starts in January. So even though 2022 seems a long way off, the time to get started is now.

ALEC and the Strength of Our Model Bill

ALEC is the largest gathering of conservative state lawmakers in the country, with more than 500 legislators attending this year’s conference. So if you have a conservative state representative (or assemblyman or delegate) or senator, there’s a very good chance ALEC’s endorsement of the bill will be important for them to know.

And if your lawmakers are Democrats, ALEC’s endorsement will mean they should have no trouble getting assistance and support from across the aisle.

The model itself, which will require your state’s child abuse hotline to get personally identifying information from anyone calling in a child abuse report, should be appealing to those on both sides of the aisle.

As it stands, anonymous reporting can be used to “weaponize” the child welfare system. With a single anonymous phone call, an angry ex, a jilted lover, or a jealous family member can wreak havoc on the lives of an innocent family. Their spite will waste the time and resources of an already-overworked system that could have been spent finding and addressing actual abuse instead.

By requiring identifying information from those who call, your state can greatly reduce the number of knowingly false calls, freeing up those resources—and those innocent families, as well.

What to Do Now

To take action, simply download the model bill here , then email it to your state senator or representative and ask them to please consider championing this measure in the coming session.

Then, please take a moment also to email me, Michael@parentalrights.org , and let me know who you’ve reached out to and in what state. That will let me coordinate efforts among volunteers in the same state. You can also feel free to ask any questions you may have along the way.

Of course, a lot of states still have not passed a law to provide due process before a name gets on the child abuse registry, which was addressed in our model presented to ALEC last year. You can find that model here and share it with your lawmakers as well.

Together, we can bring positive change for America’s families, one state at a time.

Let’s get started in your state, shall we?

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

New Family Protections in Texas, Florida

Wed, 23 Jun 2021 14:12:00 GMT

Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Friday signed a law that will protect families from unnecessary separation on the opinion of a single child abuse pediatrician. At the same time, the Florida legislature sent its Parents’ Bill of Rights to Governor Ron DeSantis for his signature, which is expected at any time.

Listen to the Second Opinion

In 2016, Texas mother Ann Marie Timmerman rushed her 4-month-old baby to the hospital due to lethargy, where she learned he was experiencing a small amount of bleeding on his brain. It’s the kind of injury child abuse pediatricians are trained to believe can only be caused by abuse, and that was the “diagnosis” passed on to Texas Child Protective Services (CPS), who removed the child from his parents’ care.

A pediatric neurosurgeon believed—and reported—that the injury was probably a normal result of the childbirth. But neither CPS nor the family court judge paid any attention to what he had to say, and the family was separated for months before the baby was finally returned home.

Not surprisingly, the Timmermans were among those who testified before the Texas legislature to get this new law passed. Their story appears in this article at NBC News.

Under the new law, Senate Bill 1578 , both CPS and the judge will be required to consider this second opinion before they can decide to remove the child from his or her parent(s). The law goes into effect on September 1.

This is wonderful news, because child abuse pediatricians’ findings are very often in conflict with the findings of the real experts—those whose medical specialties focus on the very body part or system that has suffered trauma. In the case of the Timmermans, for instance, it is incredible to imagine that a pediatric neurosurgeon could not diagnose a brain injury better than a doctor who spends more time in a courtroom than in an operating room.

It Happens All the Time

In her book, They Took the Kids Last Night: How the Child Protection System Puts Families at Risk , Diane Redleaf chronicles the trauma done to a Chicago family because CPS believed a child abuse pediatrician regarding a broken bone, ignoring the expert testimony of a radiologist and a pediatric orthopedist (x-ray and bone experts, respectively). Fortunately, the family court judge got that one right—eventually.

And in another article we covered back in March of last year, another child abuse pediatrician in Wisconsin was credited over the protests of multiple hematologists (blood experts), over something that turned out to be—you guessed it—a blood condition.

The fact is, such events happen all the time, with CPS going along with the “diagnosis” from child abuse pediatricians because, after all, “they’re the experts.” Except they’re not really experts in medicine at all. They are experts in “diagnosing” abuse—the only diagnosis they ever render—and in presenting their findings in family court.

Finally, Texas is opening the door for common sense to accompany these cases into the courtroom. By including the voice of more focused medical experts in the child-removal consideration, this law will protect countless families from the kind of overreach that so traumatized the Timmermans and the others mentioned above.

To hear more about good laws passed in Texas this session, check out my discussion with Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Andrew Brown on this week’s episode of the EPPiC Broadcast podcast.

Florida Parents’ Bill of Rights Reaches Governor’s Desk

In Florida, meanwhile, the Parents’ Bill of Rights has finally been signed by the officers of the House and Senate and is now on the governor’s desk. He is known to be a friend to this legislation, so we expect his signature at any time. Literally scores of bills were all sent to his desk at once late last week, so it could be a little while before he gets to this one, especially if he chooses to schedule a special signing ceremony to celebrate its passage.

But once it bears his signature, House Bill 241 will gather all Florida parental rights laws into one chapter and will safeguard the primary role of parents in the care, nurture, and education of their children.

Thank you for being partners in our work and in these tremendous successes in Texas and Florida.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Lending a Little HELP to the Senate’s Discussion

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 17:33:00 GMT

It happened so fast, coalition colleague Andrew Brown referred to it as a “fire drill.”

Last Monday afternoon, our coalition was contacted by staff for the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (called the HELP Committee): they were going to be discussing a bill to reauthorize the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), they were open to making changes to how CAPTA works, and they wanted our input on what changes they should make.

Oh, and could we give our response by Tuesday afternoon? The meeting was scheduled for Thursday.

Already in the Works

Fortunately, we had been working through plans for those very changes for a couple of years now with our colleagues in the United Family Advocates coalition, so we had no shortage of ideas. And the above-mentioned Andrew Brown of the Texas Public Policy Foundation (and our podcast guest for June 22, so stay tuned!), along with Kathleen Creamer of Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, was willing to draw together our top priorities in a list of reforms the senators could easily follow and discuss.

Now, to understand what’s at stake, let me remind you that CAPTA is a huge part of the federal law (along with the Adoption and Safe Families Act, or ASFA) that directs the states on how to carry out their child welfare programs. If a state wants federal dollars —and they all do—they have to play by the rules laid out in CAPTA and ASFA. So putting our reforms in CAPTA is a chance to bring those changes to every state —if we can first just get them through Congress.

And that starts with the Senate HELP Committee.

Our Priorities to Protect Innocent Families

Some of our top organizational priorities of the last couple of years made the list: stop confusing “poverty” with “neglect;” keep innocent parents off central registries for child abuse and neglect; and don’t separate children from their parents without a court order unless there are actually exigent circumstances.

We added several other good reforms, too.

The first we added is related to one of my personal “pet peeves,” the power of child abuse pediatricians to “diagnose abuse,” even when other medical experts have perfectly reasonable, evidence based, non-criminal diagnoses that explain the injuries or illness just as well. A safeguard to protect families in such instances made the list.

Another concern I have is the frequency with which newborns are separated from their mothers by child welfare agencies with no evidence of abuse or neglect , simply because they are born with a drug in their system. Vitally, this includes the very drugs doctors routinely prescribe for mothers with prior substance addictions who are determined to “get clean” for their new bundle of joy. It is actually safer for both mother and child if the mom is on this “withdrawal aid” than if she quits “cold turkey”—that is, until the baby is born and tested and child welfare is notified. Our letter included a recommendation for fixing that problem in CAPTA, too.

These are just five of the reforms we proposed. You can see the full three-page report with all ten priorities of the United Family Advocates coalition (of which your Parental Rights Foundation is a part) here.

Did They Listen?

It was an honor to lend advice to the U.S. Senate on how to reform child welfare through federal law. And it gives us hope that they are at least considering the plight of these families.

But it will be weeks or even months before we know how effective it was.

That’s because first the committee will make edits to the existing bill based on the suggestions they like, whether from us or from other interested groups they heard from. Once they release their edits, we’ll better know if they were listening to us.

But then their bill will have to be reconciled with a House bill on the same CAPTA reauthorization, and the bills frankly don’t look much alike. (We were able to share suggestions to the House sponsors, too, but were disappointed in how little they listened to what we had to say.)

Next the question becomes whether any of our suggestions, if they even make it into the Senate bill in the first place, will survive their discussion with the House.

So, the future of these bills and our proposed reforms is uncertain. But it’s much better to be invited to the table and asked to speak than to be left out in the cold. That is not the only hurdle, but it is often the biggest hurdle—and it’s the one we have already overcome.

Now we wait with cautious optimism to see what the HELP Committee makes of our suggestions.

Thank you for standing with us through the years and putting us in a position to bring about the change our families need in the child welfare system today!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

DC “Legislative Disease” Spreading as Warned

Wed, 19 May 2021 13:37:00 GMT

Minnesota citizens rally in 2019 to oppose a change in state law that would have limited their choices as parents.

Unfortunately, we were right.

Last fall when DC was considering a bill authorizing minors as young as 11 to consent to vaccines without their parents’ knowledge or consent, we warned that if the effort passed, it would soon be copied in the states as well.

That bill was passed over our objections, and last week, lawmakers in Minnesota proved our prediction correct.

On Thursday, May 15, Rep. Freiburg and Sen. Eaton introduced identical bills, House File 2625 (H.F. 2625) and Senate File 2553 (S.F. 2553), to allow doctors to secure legally binding consent for vaccination from minors as young as 14—even younger if the doctor claims the child is ready to make such a decision .

Sometimes I really do hate to say, “I told you so.”

Conflict of Interest

These bills are concerning for several reason, regardless of one’s opinion of the vaccines themselves.

First, there’s the inherent conflict of interest. The law allows doctors to give the vaccination to children as young as 12 “upon determination by the health care provider proposing to administer the vaccine that the minor is capable of consenting to the proposed vaccine” (emphasis added).

Now, there are instances when it is appropriate for a judge, as an objective third party, after considering all the evidence and circumstances, to empower a minor to make a decision on their own.

But under this bill, the doctor who is going to give the shot, who is going to get paid for giving it , gets to decide whether the child is “capable of consenting.” No, most doctors won’t prioritize financial gain over a child’s health. But that doesn’t mean the incentive isn’t there for those who do.

Bill Robs Children

But the bigger concern is that the bill robs the child of the protections of a wiser, more experienced, wholly invested (and usually better-informed) adult: their parent.

Is a 12-year-old ready to make a vaccine decision? We already have an answer to that question from the US Supreme Court, though Minnesota lawmakers don’t seem to want to hear it:

“Most children, even in adolescence, simply are not able to make sound judgments concerning many decisions, including their need for medical care or treatment,” the Court declared in 1979. “Parents can and must make those judgments” (emphasis added).

The danger here is not that the bill violates parental rights per se, but that in doing so the bill puts the health or even lives of adolescents at risk.

Children are not ready to track their own medical history, let alone their family medical history. They may miss warning signs, they are more prone to take unwarranted risks, and they don’t often see the big picture or all of the long-term effects of their decisions.

The Supreme Court knew this. Parents know it. You and I know it.

Truth is, most adolescents know it, too, if you give them a moment to think about it.

So why can’t Minnesota’s lawmakers get it?

Children are entitled to the wisdom and experience of their parents to help protect them from long-term consequences and permanent decisions they’re not ready to make.

So just why are lawmakers so bent on robbing our youth of these protections at such a vulnerable time?

Be Vigilant, Take Action

Regardless of your position on any particular vaccine, it is vital that we stand together on this. We must defend the right of all children to the protection that comes from their own parent’s wisdom, experience, and unique personal knowledge of that child.

Fortunately, there is an active community of concerned Minnesota parents already voicing concerns about these bills. If you live in Minnesota , you can reach our state coordinator Angie Gallagher here to get plugged in with this group.

You can also email or call your state lawmakers in both houses and urge them to oppose H.F. 2625 and S.F. 2553. (Find their contact info by putting your address in the “Who represents me?” box at leg.mn.gov .)

And if you don’t live in Minnesota, I would urge you to stay vigilant; your state could very well be next.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Empowering Volunteers to Bring Change to the States

Wed, 12 May 2021 13:35:00 GMT

I was sitting at my desk on a Monday morning in 2009, skimming the news for parental rights stories, when I got a call from someone I’d never met. Her name was Teri: she was a concerned mother in Oklahoma, and she had just heard then ParentalRights.org president Michael Farris on a radio show over the weekend.

Mike had talked on the show about impending threats to the family and to parental rights, and Teri knew she had to act . She went to church Sunday morning and cornered another church member who happened to be a former state senator. He agreed to give her five minutes of his time, but as she warmed to the topic, he ended up giving her an hour and a half—and an invitation to call him again anytime she had a question or needed ideas.

So that Monday morning, she was calling me. Armed with the experiential knowledge of her former-senator friend, Teri was determined to bring the parental rights battle to her state of Oklahoma.

At the time, we had never done anything state specific. Our aim in those days was the Parental Rights Amendment to the US Constitution.

But in the weeks that followed that call, ParentalRights.org drafted our first foray into state politics, a resolution to protect parental rights. And in the months following that, Teri and her growing circle of political connections got that resolution passed.

12 Years of Partnership

Fast-forward a dozen years to 2021.

In the last decade, we’ve seen more than a dozen bills passed in as many states to protect children by guarding their parents’ rights to raise them as they see fit.

States like Nevada, Virginia, Kansas, Wyoming, and Oklahoma all have new laws on the books to protect families by supporting parental rights. And right now, we’re on the brink of adding Iowa and Florida to that list , as well.

[Editor’s note: Since this writing, the Parent’s Bill of Rights in Florida has passed the legislature. See our update on its passage here . ]

Jim and Patti Sullivan are championing the Parents’ Bill of Rights in Florida. Barb Heki is coordinating lawmaker support on another fundamental parental rights bill in Iowa. And a fantastic volunteer in Indiana (who prefers to remain anonymous) sounded an instrumental alert against a dangerous bill being floated there.

Like Teri with our very first resolution, the heroes championing these bills are all volunteers. We share our experience with them, provide them with bill language, and otherwise support what they’re doing. But they are the boots on the ground. They are the ones bringing change to their states.

And with your support, we are proud to provide them the resources they need to succeed.

The Result: Good Legislation

In recent years, we have provided model legislation to declare that parental rights are fundamental rights and require the highest level of judicial scrutiny when those rights are violated. We’ve also helped draft “parents’ bills of rights,” as well as more targeted bills, like those to provide due process before a name goes on a child abuse registry or to end anonymous reports to child abuse hotlines.

These past few months, we have been fighting hard to get the Florida and Iowa bills passed. There are no guarantees, but as it stands, we are optimistic both bills will pass to protect parents’ rights: to protect Florida and Iowa families .

And that dangerous bill in Indiana is being dealt with, too.

Frankly, it has been an exciting couple of months.

The passage of the dangerous DC vaccination bill was certainly a disappointment, but it was one we anticipated. We’ve handed that problem off to the Parental Rights Foundation, who will now take that battle to the courts.

But in Florida, Iowa, and Indiana, we are seeing very real chances for success.

In Iowa, Barb managed to pull together the perfect combination of lawmakers to make parental rights a priority.

Senator Brad Zaun is a champion of family values and has been serving in Senate leadership for years. He has experience; he knows the ropes. He knows what has to happen and who he needs to talk to if the parental rights bill is going to pass.

Representative Eddie Andrews, on the other hand, is in his very first term, but has quickly established a reputation as a passionate go-getter. Rep. Andrews has readily adjusted to weathering the twists and turns a legislature can present, and he is fresh, winsome, and well-liked.

Between the two, Zaun and Andrews have proved the perfect team to carry our bill—the respected voice of experience, and the well-liked fresh, new face.

I believe that together they will see this parental rights bill to victory.

Florida Victory: A Long Time Coming

Meanwhile, in Florida, Patti and her daughter, Abbagael have been travelling from their home in south Florida to Tallahassee to attend and testify at as many committee hearings as possible. There have been six such hearings, and the proposed Parents’ Bill of Rights has successfully passed every one.

In her closing remarks before the Florida House, where the bill passed on a 78–37 vote, Rep. Erin Grall nailed the reason for the bill, the reason we stand for parental rights.

Grall declared, “For adult authority figures to interfere with the parent-child relationship is wrong and should not be encouraged. It erodes the family and the authority of the parent over their minor child. And parents have been put on the sidelines for too long … Children are in crisis, and those who love them most are not even being given information about the crisis .”

Florida lawmakers are awake now to the reality that families need to be protected from outside interference.

But this victory has been a long time coming .

Last year, Patti and I watched together (well, she from Florida and I from Virginia) as the Senate Rules Committee delayed the Parents’ Bill of Rights until the final day, then dragged out their discussion until the deadline had passed.

It was a frustrating experience, knowing our bill, sitting right there, one vote away , was dying, and there wasn’t anything we could do about it.

But that makes the victory this year that much sweeter .

It Takes All of Us

We couldn’t have done any of it without our volunteers. And at the risk of sounding prideful, they couldn’t have done it without us, either.

But that’s really the point of this letter.

Volunteers like Patti and Barb are looking to us to provide model language, to discuss strategy, and even to send timely email alerts. They look to us for the resources and experience they need to take their passion for parental rights, turn it into a bill, and get that bill across the finish line.

And it is an absolute joy to be able to be that resource for them.

Because together we are slowly but surely changing the legal landscape in favor of families.

And we are only able to do this because of you.

Your generous partnership is what frees us to be there for Patti and for Barb.

You allowed us to be there for Teri back in 2009, and for Adriana, Tracey, and Sam along the way. In fact, you have empowered more volunteers than I have time to list in this newsletter. Their success has been your success, and I know they would want me to thank you.

So thank you.

Thank you for standing with us so we can stand behind these volunteers and bring real and lasting change that protects families like yours and mine from unnecessary harm.

But as you know, the work is far from over.

For every success, every victory we win together, it seems another threat shows up. We have to keep fighting together—you, me, and our wonderful volunteers—to stop the constant attacks on our rights. Can I count on you to partner with us again, to bring these new Iowa and Florida bills across the finish line, and to make sure we see even more successes in the years to come?

Please take a moment today to send your best gift of $25, $75, or even $180 to empower volunteers like Patti and Barb in their efforts to protect parental rights in state law.

Thank you for fueling our success, for the sake of families all over the country.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

P.S. Our goal is that, one day, our presence won’t be necessary anymore. That you won’t need us or our volunteers to fight for your fundamental rights as a parent. But that day isn’t here yet, and we must keep pushing forward until it is. Will you support our work today, so that we can continue strong in the fight for parental rights?

Big News! Florida Passes Parents’ Bill of Rights

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 14:49:00 GMT

In our largest 2021 parental rights victory to date, the Florida legislature passed House Bill 241 , the Parents’ Bill of Rights, on Thursday, April 22.

The measure passed the House by a vote of 78 to 37 on April 1, while a bill with the same content, S.B. 582 , worked its way through the Senate. Each bill was amended along the way, so though they both protected parental rights, they did not match last week and would have to be reconciled.

So on Thursday, when S.B. 582 was up for third reading (final vote) in the Senate, sponsor Sen. Rodrigues replaced his bill with H.B. 241. That way, a favorable vote would adopt the exact same bill as the House adopted, eliminating the need to reconcile two different versions.

The Senate voted in favor by a 24 to 15 margin.

Now the bill only needs the governor’s signature, which is expected at any time. Then it will be the law in Florida.

Protecting the Good

Unlike in some other states, the Parents’ Bill of Rights in Florida isn’t so much a new law as it is a reorganizing of the good laws that are already there. It gathers the rights of parents and the limitations of government actors from other sections of law, such as the education statute, the child welfare statute, and custody laws.

The measure also includes in statute the call for strict judicial scrutiny that has thus far only been a matter of court precedent. Section 1014.03 of the Florida code will hereafter declare:

The state…may not infringe on the fundamental rights of a parent to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health of his or her minor child without demonstrating that such action is reasonable and necessary to achieve a compelling state interest and that such action is narrowly tailored and is not otherwise served by a less restrictive means (emphasis added).

These key phrases—“compelling interest,” “narrowly tailored,” and “least restrictive means”—are the backbone of the “strict scrutiny” standard of review. Adding this requirement into the legal code won’t change the current practice, but it will prevent erosion of parental rights by a shifting judiciary in the future.

Now parents, children, school boards, and family defense attorneys will all have one section of Florida law they can turn to when questions arise about the proper role of parents or the government when it comes to raising children.

“It happened! It happened! It happened!”

For ParentalRights.org Florida State Coordinator Patti Sullivan and her family, this is a tremendous personal victory. They have been working toward this law literally for years.

“All the hard work and effort of so many years have come to fruition with the passing of this law,” she told me for this article. “Now we’re looking forward to parents stepping up into their rights in the days ahead.”

“This law creates an environment for [parents] to engage in their children’s lives and know what is going on.”

This reflects a concern Rep. Erin Grall, who sponsored the bill in the House, also addressed in her closing comments from April 1.

“Parents have been put on the sidelines for too long,” Grall declared on the House floor. “Children are in crisis, and those who love them most are not even being given information about the crisis.”

That is one thing the Parents’ Bill of Rights will change. School boards will have a harder time with their recent efforts to keep a child’s information secret from parents. Instead, the passage of this legislation will protect vulnerable children by keeping their parents in the loop.

Patti told me, “Now the law affirms what parents already knew: that their parental rights are fundamental.”

Then, in a burst of excitement, she cheered, “It happened! It happened! It happened!”

“We have a law now, and it specifically says parental rights are ‘fundamental.’”

We are so grateful to Patti for her tireless efforts, to Rep. Grall for leading the way in the Florida House, and to the senators who championed it in the Senate, Sen. Stargell (in 2019) and Sen. Rodrigues (this year).

And I am thankful to you for standing with us as we celebrate this victory in Florida, and we look forward to similar tidings soon from other states, as well.

Together we are changing the landscape, empowering parents, and keeping our children safe.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Parents’ Bill of Rights Making Progress in Florida

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 13:39:00 GMT

The proposed Parents’ Bill of Rights in Florida has taken great strides in the past week, and it is well on its way to being adopted into law.

First, House Bill 241 passed the Florida House by a vote of 78–37 on Thursday, April 1.

Then, Senate Bill 582 was taken up in the Senate Rules Committee yesterday, April 6, and “reported favorably.” (The vote count is not yet available, as the result to “report favorably” was clear on the live stream but individual votes were not.)

Crossing the Finish Line in the Florida House

In most states, a bill has to go through a House committee and receive a favorable report from that committee before it can go to the floor of the House for a vote. In Florida, a bill does not go through a committee first—it goes through three!

Sponsored by Rep. Erin Grall, H.B. 241 passed the House Health and Human Services Committee on March 2 by a vote of 13–7. Then it passed the House Judiciary Committee on the 17th by a vote of 14–7, and finally the Education & Employment Committee on March 24 by a vote of 15–6.

So, on April 1, it came up for “Third Reading,” meaning a final vote by the entire House. A few organizations spoke in opposition to the bill, followed by three state lawmakers who spoke in favor. Finally, Rep. Grall gave her closing comments.

“We have taken the focus off family for too long, to the detriment of society,” Grall declared. “We hear… the horror stories of the bad parent, the abusive parent, the intolerant parent. And I continue to refuse to accept that we should diminish the rights of all parents in the raising of their children because of the acts of a few.”

Rep. Grall also called out the organizations who opposed this legislation to protect the parental role. “Based upon the opposition to this bill,” she stated, “ it is clear that liberties have been taken for too long with regard to accessing our children. The fact that any entity is concerned that their ‘right’ to access our children is being infringed upon makes the case for this legislation.”

“She hit it out of the park,” ParentalRights.org State Coordinator Patti Sullivan told me later.

The House apparently agreed. They passed the bill by a vote of 78–37.

The Final Hurdle in the Senate

Despite the good news in the House, however, the Senate was always going to be the bigger challenge for the Florida bill this year. Last year’s bill passed the House, just as H.B. 241 did this year, but its Senate companion failed to get a vote in the Senate Rules Committee.

“I was amazed at the pushback I received in running a bill that I thought, to me, was just common sense and obvious,” last year’s sponsor, Senator Kelli Stargell, testified in yesterday’s hearing.

Last year, that committee was discussing the bill on the final day when the deadline passed, bringing a frustrating end to what had looked like a promising run.

That’s a fate this year’s S.B. 582 would not suffer, though, as the Rules Committee took it up yesterday, April 6—with weeks left in the legislative session—and voted to recommend its passage.

A few senators opposed the bill, expressing concern that it would keep minors from getting health care or counseling without parental consent. But the bill as written still allows all the same carve-outs currently present in Florida law, including allowing adolescents to seek confidential care in areas of reproduction, drug or alcohol use, and mental health.

This favorable committee vote opens the door for the bill to go to the floor of the Senate, putting it closer to passage than it has ever been.

With several weeks still to go in Florida’s legislative session, we are cautiously optimistic that we will see the Parents’ Bill of Rights become law there this year.

I must express appreciation to our Florida state coordinators, Jim and Patti Sullivan, who have tirelessly worked with their lawmakers to bring the bill to this point. They have done a tremendous job bringing attention to the need for parental rights and answering questions about the bill that will preserve those rights in law.

And I thank you for standing with us as we promote bills like the Florida Parents’ Bill of Rights to protect our families from unnecessary government intrusion.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Parental Rights State Legislation Update

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 14:16:00 GMT

Legislative sessions around the country are in full swing, and several parental rights bills are still in play.

In Iowa, a bill to codify existing state Supreme Court precedent has passed the House and is heading to committee hearings in the Senate this week. In fact, by the time this newsletter reaches you, House File 819 will have been through a subcommittee and will be in the committee, or even on its way to the Senate floor.

There is still some language in that bill to be worked out between the House and Senate versions, but that discussion is expected to take place over the next couple of weeks.

Indiana’s “Exigent Circumstances”

In Indiana, a dangerous bill that attempted to redefine “exigent circumstances” into pretty much whatever the Department of Child Services (DCS) wants it to be has been amended to conform more to actual constitutional law. Under this bill “Exigent circumstances” could allow DCS to enter your home or, in this case, interview your child, without consent or a warrant. But, for more than 70 years, the courts have limited the term to those times when officials must act to protect someone from harm or halt a crime in progress, and there is no time to get a warrant.

In its original form, House Bill 1531 would have redefined “exigent circumstances” to include any time the parent was alleged to have abused their child. The accusation alone could be enough!

Nationally we know that more than 80 percent of all child abuse investigations are closed as unfounded or unsubstantiated. Can you imagine if DCS could claim exigent circumstances in all of those cases? Can you imagine how many innocent families would be violated by such a law?

In most cases, DCS has time to get a warrant if there is evidence to support it. Only if a child is in imminent danger do exigent circumstances exist.

In its original form, the bill would take the erroneous language of the state DCS manual and make it law. As amended in the Senate, this bill will be a step towards providing correction to the manual, instead.

Florida and Kentucky

In Florida, the Parents’ Bill of Rights ( House Bill 241/Senate Bill 582 ) has made it through all three House committees and two committees in the Senate. Where most states send a bill to one committee in each house, Florida has three in each, and still we are only one committee—the Senate Rules Committee—away from both floor votes.

This bill gathers existing Florida law, which is currently scattered throughout the code, into one specific place where families, their lawyers, and state entities can easily go to see the rights protected there.

And finally, House Bill 221 in Kentucky, a bill to replace anonymous reporting with confidential reporting, passed the House by a vote of 96–0 on March 1 , and was reported favorably from the Senate Health and Welfare Committee on March 11. A floor amendment passed this week likely means it will need to go back to the House once it passes the Senate, but so far its progress is promising.

There are other bills, as well, and we will keep you posted by email alert if it turns out action is needed in your state.

Thank you for standing with us to support good legislation to protect children by protecting your parental rights.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Urgent: Iowa Parental Rights Law Needs Your Voice Today

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 14:31:00 GMT

Your state representative needs to hear from you in the next few hours so they can vote to support your parental rights.

Iowa H.F. 819 , a bill to codify existing parental rights protections into Iowa law, is on the debate schedule for today, March 25, 2021.

Sponsored by Rep. Eddie Anders, H.F. 819 takes language from existing Iowa Supreme Court cases regarding the fundamental nature of parental rights and places that language in the Iowa legal code. This bill does not change what your parental rights are, but preserves them against the shifting ideologies of the judiciary.

And that’s just what your lawmaker needs to hear.

Those pushing back against this bill are warning about vague, undefined, “unintended consequences.” But there can be no unintended consequences from this bill, as it merely reflects the legal reality that already exists in Iowa regarding parental rights.

Take Action

If you don’t yet know who your state representative is, you can find out by putting your address in the search bar on this page .
Once you know who your representative is, you can find their email address on the list here .
Here’s what they need to hear from you, in your own words:

Move It Forward

Senator Brad Zaun is standing ready to take up leadership of this bill as soon as it makes it to the Senate. But we have to get it to him, and that means it needs to pass the House. So please take a moment right now, before you close this email, to contact your Iowa state representative and urge them to protect your family by voting “yes” on H.F. 819.

Thank you for standing with us in this vital hour to protect children and families by preserving parental rights in the Hawkeye State.

Sincerely,

Barb Heki, Iowa State Coordinator, &
Michael Ramey, Executive Director

My name is ______ and I live in your district. I am writing to urge your support for the original language of H.F. 819 to preserve the fundamental liberty of parents to direct the education, care, custody, and control of their minor children. This bill won’t make any changes to the law, but will codify in statute what is already the law as applied by our courts.

The bill contains language from our own courts protecting the vital parent role. I want to see that language put into statute so a different judge down the road can’t take those rights away from subsequent generations.

Please vote ‘yes’ on the original language of H.F. 819 when it comes up today.

Parental Rights at the Crossroads

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 13:42:00 GMT

Our nation is at a crossroads, and countless American families hang in the balance.

First, we are at a crossroads between administrations, as Joe Biden replaces Donald Trump in the White House and in setting policy and direction for our federal government.

Whatever one thinks of either man or his party, there is no question they are different—and this change of administration will bring significant change for family policies.

While many have strong feelings either for or against the outgoing president, we have seen real strides in keeping families together as a matter of law and policy, thanks to the direction set by a Trump appointee in the Children’s Bureau of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

And in the Family First Prevention Services Act, we have seen a groundbreaking new law passed to keep families together.

Now as we shift to the Biden Administration, we are left to wonder if the new president will keep these developments or bring “change,” which in this case would mean reverting to the system of splitting families without good cause.

While that potential change is a big deal on its own, ParentalRights.org is facing our own crossroads as we prepare to close the books on one fiscal year and launch our efforts in a new one.

How we finish this fiscal year will shape what we can do in the next.

At this juncture—both historical and fiscal—I am prompted to look back not just on the nation but on our organization, to consider what we have accomplished together in the last year. And I am prompted to ask myself how we will address the challenges that lie before us for the year ahead.

Thanks to the generous and passionate support of our giving partners, this past year has been one of victories.

Legislatively, though the 2020 session was fraught with challenges to parental rights, we escaped relatively unscathed due to many supporters voicing their opposition to dangerous bills. In Virginia, for instance, a bill that would have limited a child’s counseling choices based solely on content—a threat to both parental rights and the First Amendment—was tabled for the year.

And an “education amendment” in Minnesota, which would have added to the state’s constitution that “every child has a fundamental right to a quality public education,” was likewise put on hold. Enough parents raised their voices against this dangerous notion (which might have unintentionally removed any other educational option from parents) that the bill could not go further.

Now, the scary thing about both of these examples is that they have come back this year. That was not unexpected, but it means we have to remain vigilant. We have to keep up the pressure, because the sponsors of these measures have not given up.

No sooner had we defeated these bills last year, than COVID-19 struck in earnest and the whole landscape changed. Suddenly, “what are my rights if my child is bullied at school?” was no longer a big question for us.

Instead, it was, “what are my rights if I don’t trust this experimental new vaccine?”

Or “what are my alternatives if I don’t like how my child’s school is handling online learning?”

This last question was huge, as more and more parents opted out of the online schooling provided by their district and took up other options instead. The number of families homeschooling approximately doubled. Private school enrollment took off, too.

Of course, some parental rights concerns not only didn’t improve but actually intensified —like the tendency of child welfare departments to separate families , or to use COVID as an excuse to keep families who were already separated from receiving the visitation or the court hearings they were due.

In a time when businesses and activities were being labeled “essential” or “non-essential,” families were being tossed in the wrong pile .

Families were in danger again.

Fortunately, thanks to your partnership, we were in place to take a stand.

We immediately set out with a bipartisan group of allies to call Congress’s attention to this error and urge the federal government to fix it. And while Congress has been slow to act, the Children’s Bureau of the DHHS was listening and actually lent its voice to the call to halt family separations and recognize family as “essential.”

Now, I’m not trying to tell you we put words in their mouth. At best, we lent them a little bipartisan cover so they could take a bold stand for families. Most likely, we just happened to be on the same page at the same time.

But that was enough to start a real conversation about reforming federal law to protect families, and that’s a conversation that is still ongoing as we enter this new Congress.

While all of that was going on, the Parental Rights Foundation—our 501(c)(3) policy and education arm—was enjoying a string of victories, getting innocent names off child abuse registries, siding with a fit father before the Texas Supreme Court, and getting bipartisan support for legislative policies both to provide due process before a name goes on a registry and to do away with anonymous reports to child abuse hotlines.

Like our political efforts to halt bad legislation and to halt the clock that is separating families who just need more time, though, these policy efforts are also still ongoing.

Most recently, we have been engaged with Congress to halt the dangerous Minor Consent to Vaccination Act in Washington, DC.

This dangerous and ill-advised law would allow a child as young as 11 years old—an elementary school student!—to provide legally binding consent for a vaccination the parent has already opted out of.

Even worse, it contains provisions to make sure the parent never finds out about it .

Imagine if you could never be sure you know the full medical history of your 11-year-old.

Worse yet, one unintended consequence of these provisions is that if your family doctor is not the one who gave your child the shot, your doctor won’t know your child’s medical history, either.

Serious harm can come from giving a child too many doses of some vaccines, but neither you nor your doctor would know you were making that tragic mistake.

This bill is dangerous to every child in the district, but it is also dangerous to your child—because if this law stands in DC, its proponents will be bringing it to your state next.

We’re standing guard against that threat, along with the other legislative dangers I mentioned.

Yet, through all of this, your support has sustained us and kept us in the fight.

In fact, fiscal year 2021 has been our strongest year in recent memory, and that is thanks to our partners. That is thanks to you.

We remain a tiny organization with a large voice for families, but this tiny organization may be starting to grow.

And all of this is why I’m writing to you today.

You see, we have to continue our efforts into fiscal year 2022, because none of these vital projects are finished.

State lawmakers are still coming after parental rights in mental health, vaccine decisions, educational choice, and a myriad of other areas of law.

Innocent parents are still being wrongfully included on state child abuse registries.

Healing families are still being kept apart, or even separated permanently, because of onerous restrictions and obstacles brought on by the government’s response to COVID.

And that DC vaccine consent bill is still sitting before Congress, on its way to becoming law if we can’t get our lawmakers to act.

So we need to finish this fiscal year well and launch the next with our best month possible. We need to stay financially healthy so we can stand strong in the face of these threats to our families.

With a new American president, things are going to change. We don’t yet know how, but change is inevitable.

And to be ready to meet that change, whatever it is, we need to be in the strongest position possible.

You have made this year a success both fiscally and legislatively, which is where it matters most. But our job is not yet done.

Can I count on you to help us finish strong as we take up the challenges of the year ahead?

Together, you and I can win these victories and secure lasting change for America’s families.

Will you join us in launching fiscal year 2022 on the best possible ground for victory?

Thank you for partnering with us this year and always. Thank you for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents, together.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Urgent: Calls Needed for Florida Parental Rights

Fri, 12 Mar 2021 17:46:00 GMT

We are in a critical moment for Parental Rights in Florida. We need you as Florida parents to contact your state district Representative, Senator, and Senate Leadership.

In the current Florida legislative session, the Parents’ Bill of Rights is gaining traction among those Florida legislators who understand that putting Florida families first is a legislative priority. Others, however, won’t understand the priority that it must be unless they hear from their constituents.

The Bill was introduced by Representative Erin Grall as H.B. 241 and Senator Ray Rodriguez as S.B. 582 . This bill creates the “Parents’ Bill of Rights” prohibiting the state, its political subdivisions, other governmental entities, or other institutions from infringing on parental rights unless specified conditions are met; requiring each district school board to develop and adopt a policy to promote parental involvement in the public school system; prohibiting health care practitioners and their employees from providing health care services or prescribing medicinal drugs to a minor child without a parent’s written consent, etc.

(It does not change existing law, however, regarding those areas of medical practice where minors are already legally authorized to consent to their own care.)

Please contact your Representative and Senator and ask them to support and co-sponsor this bill. We only have a few more weeks to get the bill through two more committees in the House and two more in the Senate, as well.

Find and contact your Representative here.

Find and contact your Senator here .

Senate Leadership especially need to hear from their own District constituents asking them to fully support this bill. Please let them know that you are in their District.

If you are in Senate District 10:

Contact Senate President Wilton Simpson here .

If you are in Senate District 28:

Contact Senator Kathleen Passidomo here .

If you are in Senate District 17:

Contact Senator Debbie Mayfield here .

If you are in Senate District 4:

Contact President Pro Tempore Aaron Bean here .

For more information and for important calls to action find our state chapter on Facebook here and at our website here .

#FLParentalRights #WeTheFLParents #FloridaFamiliesFirst

Thank you for standing with us in this crucial moment to protect children by securing parental rights in the state of Florida!

Sincerely,

Patti Sullivan
Florida State Coordinator

Breaking DC Update: Lee Attempts ‘Common Consent’

Wed, 03 Mar 2021 17:36:00 GMT

Senator Mike Lee of Utah, author of a resolution in the Senate (S.J. Res. 7) to veto a dangerous DC law that would give 11-year-olds responsibility for their own vaccine decisions, called for the veto measure to be passed by common consent on Tuesday afternoon.

Senator Lee: Ought to Be Parents’ Decision

“Madam President,” Senator Lee began, “the Minor Consent for Vaccination Amendment Act of 2020 is a measure adopted by the District of Columbia that would allow children 11 years old and older to consent on their own, without their parents’ knowledge or acquiescence or consent, to being vaccinated.”

Sen. Lee continued, “ Now, young children don’t even necessarily know their own medical history, their own family’s medical history, or potential allergies. Nor do they have the adult judgment that’s sometimes needed to make an informed decision as to consent for a particular medical procedure or treatment, or even vaccination.”

Lee’s arguments for halting the DC law included the fundamental right of parents to make decisions for their children, concern for children’s health, respect for opposing views on vaccines, differing physical reactions to vaccines in one’s family history, and a concern that the bill “would pave the way for allowing children to consent to other types of treatment without parental knowledge down the road.”

In summing up, he declared, “These ought to be decisions that are made by parents, and certainly ought not be considered and made by children as young as 11 years old and without their parents’ consent or even their knowledge.” We soundly agree.

Had the common consent procedure passed, the resolution would have been pulled from the Senate Committee of Homeland Security and Government Affairs without a vote, immediately brought to the floor for “third reading,” and considered passed. In just a few short minutes, S.J. Res. 7 would have gone from “stuck in committee” to “passed the Senate.”

Objection Raised

But the “common consent” mechanism requires that there be no objection whatsoever .

In this case, Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) objected to Lee’s proposal, citing his position that the Senate should not second-guess the decisions of the DC Council. (Senator Lee later rebutted that overseeing decisions for DC is a constitutional responsibility of the Congress, as provided in Article 1 of the Constitution.)

Because of Carper’s dissent, S.J. Res. 7 was not passed by common consent. As a result, it remains in the Homeland Security Committee to await its normal course of action.

Time Is Running Out

Unfortunately, time is running out. If the resolution is not passed and signed by the president by March 18, the DC law will go into effect.

So, while children’s health and—in some extreme cases—lives hang in the balance, some in Congress are playing politics, using the measure to push for DC statehood: a political hot potato that has nothing to do with our children’s welfare.

Of Carper’s objections to passing the resolution, he raised none whatsoever that had to do with the concerning content of the DC law being opposed, perhaps because even those who want the law to stand know better than to tell a nation full of parents that they simply don’t trust you to make the right decisions for your child.

With this new development, and with appreciation to Senator Lee for so championing the effort to halt this law, it is as important as ever to make sure your lawmakers know your support for the veto resolutions, H.J. Res. 25 in the House and S.J. Res. 7 in the Senate.

At this point, Senator Lee is joined by 6 cosponsors on S.J.Res.7 , while H.J.Res.25 has 16 total sponsors in the House. But much more support is needed.

This bill is bad for children and we must work together to stop it.

You can weigh in through the VoterVoice system of our friends at Home School Legal Defense Association by clicking here .

Thank you for standing with us now, as always, to defend the vital role of parents in representing their children and guarding their welfare.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

ParentalRights.org and The Parental Rights Foundation

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 14:51:00 GMT

ParentalRights.org is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit political action organization. We work to pass legislation that will protect families by preserving parental rights, stop legislation that endangers those rights, and generally raise awareness of these issues in the public eye.

The Parental Rights Foundation is a related 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The Foundation does not promote legislation, but instead focuses on educating policymakers and the general public in order to raise awareness of these issues. The Foundation also publishes or reviews academic research papers and occasionally submits amicus briefs in individual court cases in defense of parental rights.

Parental Rights State Legislation Update

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 16:43:00 GMT

Update on DC Minor Consent Act

If you aren’t yet familiar with the bill in DC that would allow 11-year-olds to give legal consent for vaccinations their parents have already opted them out of, you can read up on it here .

If you haven’t yet reached out to your US representative and senators and urged them to support the resolution in Congress to veto this dangerous DC act and keep it from coming to your state, you can do so through the VoterVoice system provided by our allies at Home School Legal Defense Association here .

And if you have reached out, but that was a week ago (or more), you can reach out again through the same tool here .

So far, our efforts have reached all 535 voting members of Congress. The resolution has gained nine cosponsors in the House and five in the Senate. But much more needs to be done, especially in securing support among Democrats.

Good Legislation

Iowa’s Parental Rights Bill

Representative Eddie Andrews in Iowa is introducing a bill to codify in statute the high standard of parental rights currently recognized by Iowa’s courts. The bill will not change the law for or against parents; it will not add to or remove any existing rights.

But by codifying the standard that the courts currently employ into the statutory law, this bill will protect those rights from changes in the judiciary. As it is now, since parental rights in Iowa are only protected by the courts, they can be changed on a whim when a governor appoints judges who think differently than the current standard.

Although the deadline to introduce legislation has passed, Rep. Andrews already has a prefiled placeholder bill specifically for parental rights legislation. This parental rights bill will fill that spot, and we will have a bill number once it does.

Senator Brad Zaun, who chairs the state senate’s judiciary committee, is also fully supportive of this bill. So when it passes the House and goes to the Senate, he will be ready to take it from there and see it to final victory.

Montana’s Confidential Reporting Bill

Another good bill is HB 356 in Montana, which would do away with anonymous reporting to child abuse hotlines. Under this bill, anyone calling in would have to give their name and address, but their information would still be kept confidential.

This means that people with a legitimate concern about their safety will still be protected: no one except the hotline and the department will know they called. But getting rid of purely anonymous reporting will cut down on the number of false and malicious reports, such as those calling in a false report to get a leg up in a custody dispute.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Lenz, was heard in the Human Services Committee on February 17.

Sadly, it faces opposition by the Child and Family Services Division of the state health department, the very people who should support this measure . It is likely to reduce their workload and free them up to find those children who really are in need of services and protection from abuse.

Those who spoke in favor of the bill? Not surprisingly, it was a group of parents. They argued, rightly, that the bill will cut down on false or retaliatory filings with the hotline.

Bad Legislation

Indiana’s H.B. 1531

In Indiana, meanwhile, a well-intentioned lawmaker has introduced a bill that poses a danger for children and for your parental rights. Rep. DeVon has amended his bill a couple of times already to try to get it right, but the version that passed the House on third reading on Monday is still problematic at best.

The bill, H.B. 1531 , seeks to provide clarity for schools regarding how they are to respond if a child services worker comes to the school to interview a child for the sake of an abuse investigation.

Unfortunately, the bill would allow the department of child services to be the arbiter of whether or not it is necessary for the department to interview a child without the parent’s consent.

Now, there are times when it is perfectly reasonable to allow such an investigation. If the parent is the alleged abuser, and there is evidence that the child would be in danger if he had to return home or if the parent learned of the investigation, then it would make sense for the school to let the investigation take place on school grounds without the parent’s knowledge.

But this is already available under Indiana law. As in most states, the investigator could take that information to a judge and get a warrant permitting them to talk to the child without the parent’s consent.

This bill would cut out the judge and allow the investigator to decide for himself or herself whether it is necessary. That is the equivalent of leaving the fox to guard the proverbial hen house.

It is also a violation of the Fourth Amendment’s protection of due process, which is where the requirement for a warrant comes from.

We are working with volunteers to find a lawmaker who can help us stop this bill in the Senate, or at least remove the troubling provision.

Taking Action

This is not all of the legislation we are watching regarding parental rights this session, but these are the hot spots this week. Sometimes a call blitz or email storm in support of or against a particular bill may be necessary to protect your rights, but we are also often able to resolve these issues through direct contact with lawmakers.

And you can help! If you see concerning legislation in your state, please let me know about it at Michael@parentalrights.org .

Should a bill demand action in your state, we will let you know with an email alert to that effect.

Finally, consider donating today to support the fight to protect families like yours and mine.

Thank you as always for standing with us to protect children and families by empowering parents through good state legislation.

Sincerely,

It’s “Go Time” in Congress

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 15:55:00 GMT

The DC “Minor Consent for Vaccinations Act of 2020” is now in Congress, where we have only a few weeks to pass a crucial veto resolution before it becomes law in the district and a model for other states to follow.

You should have received a special email yesterday alerting you to S.J.Res.7 in the Senate and H.J.Res.25 in the United States House, both containing the resolution to veto the Minor Consent Act. In case you missed it, you can read that here .

Here’s what you need to know:

DC bill 23-171, the “Minor Consent for Vaccinations Act of 2020,” would not only allow children as young as 11 years old to give legally binding consent to receive a vaccine , it would also prohibit the provider from recording the shot in the child’s medical record ; require the provider to send the record only to the child’s school; prohibit the school from recording the vaccination in any record the parents might see; and even prohibit the insurance carrier from sending an explanation of benefits listing the vaccination.

The purpose of these provisions is clear: they’re meant not just to cut parents out of their child’s medical decisions, but also to keep the parents from ever knowing the vaccination took place. And if the family physician is not the one administering the shot? Well, there’s no way for them to find out about it, either.

What’s even worse, once this bill has passed in DC, it will become an example for other states to follow. Soon it will be in my state and yours, and our children will be the ones in danger.

So right now we are urging everyone to contact your members of Congress —both the House and the Senate—and urge them to support H.J.Res.25 (in the House) or S.J.Res.7 (in the Senate) to veto this dangerous DC law. You can contact them directly and easily using the VoterVoice system of our allies at Home School Legal Defense Association here .

If your congressman or senator is a Democrat, they especially need to hear from you. Since both resolutions are championed by Republicans, Democrats may be slow to sign on. And since DC’s own congressional representative, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, has recently spoken out in favor of DC’s overreaching act, it will be even tougher for Democrats in Congress to take a stand for parents against this bill.

They will need your encouragement to do the right thing—to respect families and protect children.

What’s more, if they are a Democrat, don’t just ask them to vote “yes” on their resolution. Urge them to consider signing on as a cosponsor. Their name on the resolution will reflect the bipartisan nature of support for parents and families that we see in our society at large.

So please take a moment today to reach out to your lawmakers and urge them to take a stand for children by supporting the veto resolutions in Congress.

If this dangerous legislation is allowed to stand in DC, it will soon rear its head in your state, as well. We must stop it now, before it spreads and places more children’s lives in danger.

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Urgent: Call Congress to Oppose Minor Consent Bill

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 17:12:00 GMT

Please contact your congressmember and senators today and urge them to support SJRes. 7 and HJRes. 25, the joint resolution to veto DC Bill 23-171. Click here to reach out to your lawmakers through Voter Voice.

DC 23-171, the “Minor Consent for Vaccinations Act of 2020,” would allow 11-year-olds to give consent for vaccinations their parents have already declined. It also requires the vaccine provider and the child’s school to hide the child’s vaccination status from the child’s parent(s), even to the point that an insurer cannot send an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) listing the vaccination.

The bill was adopted in the district on December 23 when Mayor Muriel Bowser declined to veto it during her 10-day window to do so. It will take effect on March 23 unless Congress passes a veto resolution in the next 30 legislative days.

Congressman Michael Cloud introduced HJRes 25 in the House on Thursday to veto the measure. Senator Mike Lee introduced matching resolution SJRes. 7 in the Senate.

Congress has only 30 legislative days to pass the resolution to keep the Minor Consent Bill from becoming permanent law in the capital, which would set a precedent many states could try to follow.

(Note: It can be a little confusing, but because the resolution is to veto the bill, we oppose the bill by supporting the resolution.)

Click here to reach out to your congressmembers through Voter Voice.

Background

DC Bill 23-171 allows minors to consent to vaccination without their parent’s knowledge or consent and would keep any knowledge of the vaccination from the child’s parents even long after the fact.

What this bill does:

Permits children as young as 11 years old to give legal consent for vaccination if the vaccine is government approved and the parents have opted out of it for their child.
Prohibits the administering medical provider from documenting the vaccine in the vaccination section of the child’s normal medical record.
Requires the administering provider to submit the vaccination record directly to the child’s school.
Prohibits the school from including this vaccination record with the rest of the child’s educational record.
Prohibits the school from providing this information to the child’s parent .
Prohibits any insurance provider from sending an Explanation of Benefits (or EOB) indicating the vaccination.

Children are best protected from harm when their parents, who know and love them best, are empowered to make informed decisions about their care. This scheme, on the other hand, is designed to keep the child’s parents permanently in the dark about the vaccine and would even keep the child’s family physician as much in the dark as the parents are.

How can parents take proper care of their child in that situation?

Please click here to contact your members of Congress through the Voter Voice system , and thank you for standing up to protect children by empowering parents to make the best medical decisions for their family!

Sincerely,

Jim Mason
President

CAPTA Reform: Good or Bad?

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 17:35:00 GMT

The US House Committee on Education and Labor recently announced the introduction of the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, or “Stronger CAPTA,” to amend the primary federal statutes dealing with how child welfare agencies across the country operate.

Bobby Scott (D-VA) is the lead sponsor on the bill, joined by a bipartisan collection of his committee colleagues—Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (OR), Kim Schrier (WA), and Haley Stevens (MI) from the Democrat side and Reps. James Comer (KY), Dusty Johnson (SD), Elise Stefanik (NY) and Virginia Foxx (NC) from the Republicans.

As the 109-page bill was just released late Monday (January 25), we have not yet had a chance to review everything in it and we have not reached a final conclusion on whether it is good or bad. Ultimately, as one would expect, it has some elements of both.

Our aim as an organization will be to support the good and urge the committee to rework the bad into something that respects families while protecting children at risk of abuse.

The Good

On the good side, this bill acknowledges some of the biggest problems we have observed in the child protection system, and calls for them to be studied and corrected. Here are five examples:

First, it calls for the gathering and reporting of data on how often anonymous, erroneous, and sometimes knowingly false reports take resources away from the efforts to find and protect abused children.

It also recognizes and looks to relieve racial bias in the system.

And it builds on recent advances to fund preventive programs—those aimed at keeping families together rather than breaking them apart—so that fewer children end up in foster care.

We are especially excited to see the bill call for better definitions of “neglect,” so that fewer children will be removed from families simply because of poverty. We call this principle “poverty is not neglect,” and as simple and obvious as that sounds, it will be a new and exciting concept in federal law and in many of the states.

And, finally, Section 106 of the proposal would change the removal standard to “imminent harm,” meaning a child should not be removed from their home unless there is an immediate risk to their physical health.

The Bad

Not everything in the bill has us excited, however.

Our biggest concern is the call for “an electronic system that allows states to share data from their child abuse and neglect registries with other states.” (Source: House Committee on Education & Labor Fact Sheet )

By providing a system to link these registries, this bill will take the damage caused by an improper listing and spread it nationwide. Instead of being unable to get a job in one state for being wrongly registered as a child abuser, one will be unable to get a job anywhere in the country.

Should this bill pass, our state-level reforms to keep innocent names off these lists will become just that much more important. Though we have resisted this “national registry” and will continue to do so, yet these state reforms can limit (though not entirely eliminate) the damage such a system would cause.

The Unknown

While those are the highlights we know so far, the bill is over 100 pages long and repeatedly references and amends the current version of CAPTA, making reading and understanding this proposal a long process.

To put it simply, there is still a lot in the bill we do not know.

We will be studying this bill further to find all the hidden nuggets, both good and bad.

The Prognosis

Given the split nature of the current Congress, a bill with this kind of bipartisan support is likely to pass, at least in the House. At this point, we have no indication of what the Senate committee thinks of these reforms.

But if the bill is going to pass, there will be opportunities between now and then to bring about at least minor changes to its content. We are already in discussion with coalition partners to schedule a (virtual) meeting with Congressman Scott and his staff to address those parts of the proposal that concern us.

We will be doing all we can to make the most of our opportunities so that the final bill will protect families from unnecessary intrusion while still protecting vulnerable children from abuse or neglect.

If you are in a position to help us in this effort, you can do so through your gift to ParentalRights.org here.

Thank you for standing with us as we defend families, protecting children by empowering parents.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

It’s Time to Push for Reform

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 16:43:00 GMT

As 45 states start their legislative sessions this month, now is the time for you and me to push lawmakers to champion necessary child welfare reform.

Last summer, we presented model language for a bill that would provide due process before a name goes on a child abuse registry. Volunteers in more than a dozen states reached out to their lawmakers with that proposed reform.

If you are one of those volunteers, now is the time to follow up on those contacts and encourage your lawmakers to support this legislation.

If you haven’t yet volunteered, now is a great time to step up and join the effort with a call or email to your state senator or representative (delegate, or assemblyman).

Many states will be friendly to parental rights legislation this year, as parents and lawmakers alike have been sensitized to family needs by the challenges of 2020. What’s more, our model was drafted by a coalition of family-policy experts and family-defense attorneys from both sides of the aisle. This means any state could be in play for this reform.

Why This Reform Is Needed

In a majority of states—far too many—all it takes to add a name to the state’s child abuse registry is the agreement between a child welfare investigator and his or her supervisor. In some states, even the supervisor is optional!

This means parents who have had their children taken away and then returned by order of a family court judge are still having their names added to the list of offenders. And many more parents’ names are added without ever getting a hearing before any judge or magistrate at all.

Last year, we were able to help two families, one in New York and one on the West Coast , whose names were added to the list of child abusers by a state agent who just didn’t like the parents’ decisions . In both instances, the Parental Rights Foundation was able to intervene and get their names removed.

But they should never have been added in the first place.

Our common sense reform will protect families by preserving their reputations: keeping the names of innocent parents off the list of child-abusers. It will also save states money by reducing the number of appeals, 80% of which today end in having the name removed anyway.

Why Now?

The time to bring legislation to your lawmaker varies by state, depending on when the legislature convenes and whether bills have to be prefiled.

January is an important month in many states, because 45 state legislatures convene this month, and three more convene on February 1 (NV, OK) or February 2 (AL) . (California and Maine both convened ceremonially in December, but their sessions begin in earnest in January; they are counted in the 45.)

Of the states convening in January, seven start today (January 13), and five more (AK, HI, NM, OR, UT) will convene next week.

It is vital to introduce legislation early in the session, both to maximize the time our bill has for passage and to make sure we don’t miss important deadlines in the long legislative process.

There is one caveat to this timing: If bills had to be prefiled, then lawmakers may not be able to introduce anything new at this point. Check with your lawmakers to find out if this requirement applies to them.

Make a Difference

If your state doesn’t require that bills be prefiled, now is a great time to reach out to your state-level senator or house member and urge them to take up this important legislation before the session is too far gone.

All you need to do to get the ball rolling is download the model from our website here , then send it to your lawmakers with the request that they look it over and consider championing it this legislative session.

If you are willing to take that step, please email Michael@parentalrights.org before reaching out to your lawmakers, so we can coordinate efforts in your state.

As I mentioned at the start of this email, efforts have already been started in 13 states: Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

If your state is on this list , we could still very likely benefit from your reaching out to your lawmakers and encouraging them to support the legislation.

But if your state is not on the list, we could definitely use your help to begin an effort where you live.

As your legislature gets cranked up for 2021, will you be the one to step forward and take action in your state?

Working together, we can make a positive difference for families by protecting good and innocent names from your state’s misused child abuse registry.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Gearing Up for 2021

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 14:33:00 GMT

We knew there would be challenges ahead of us with the start of the 2021 legislative season this week. We were preparing for them.

But crunch time is no longer coming; crunch time is here.

In preparation for the new COVID vaccines DC passed a law on December 23 that puts 11-year-olds in the position to grant legal consent for vaccines, over the wishes of their parents. Even worse, the dangerously misguided law adds provisions to see to it parents never find out their child got the vaccination.

Think about it.

The law actually ensures that a parent will not know their child’s full medical history.

The medical provider who supplies the vaccine is prohibited from noting it on your child’s regular medical record , even if he or she is not your child’s regular physician. This means your child’s doctor will be as in the dark as you are.

Record of the vaccination will instead be forwarded to your child’s school, where they will keep it on file—but not in any of the records that they share with you.

The insurance company billed for the expense is even prohibited from providing an Explanation of Benefits (or EOB) to the insured, who presumably would be the parent.

Dangerous for Children

Now, ParentalRights.org doesn’t hold a specific position on the safety or efficacy of vaccines. But that doesn’t even matter in this case.

Every one of us should be deeply concerned by a law that so cuts parents out of their child’s medical decision that the parents—and even the child’s family physician!—are completely blinded to what has happened to their child, even after the fact.

We saw some bills in 2020 that would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to override their parents’ decisions if they want to get one or two particular vaccines their parents don’t agree with.

But this law is so far beyond even that threat to family privacy and parents’ rights.

Not only does this law drop the age from a 16-year-old potential driver to an 11-year-old elementary school student , but it also puts the pressure of a decision on that child for any and every vaccine of which the parent disapproves.

No child should be put in the position of being asked by adults to go directly against a choice that their parent has already made to protect them.

There are other problems with the law, too, like whether its provisions to hide the deed violate the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) or other federal laws. But we don’t need to wander into the weeds there, either.

The simple fact is, this law removes parents from their child’s healthcare to an unprecedented degree, leaving formative young pre-teens to muddle through on their own without the support or guidance of those who know them (and their family medical history!) and love them best.

And, even more disturbing, it will set a precedent that we know other states will follow.

Because if DC can get away with it, well-intentioned (or perhaps well-funded) lawmakers in other states will want to get away with it, too.

But all is not lost yet.

Our Fight in Congress

You and I have one final legislative chance to stop this law.

When a DC bill is signed by the mayor, or when the mayor chooses not to veto a bill within a given 10-day window as in this case, that bill becomes law.

But it also goes to Congress, where it sits for a review period of 30 legislative days—a review period during which Congress can pass a joint resolution to veto it. If Congress passes such a resolution and the president signs it, the new DC law is repealed.

And that is where this nightmare provision stands today.

It is time for this battle to be waged in Congress.

It’s a battle for our children’s safety that we cannot afford to lose.

That’s why ParentalRights.org has already been talking with members of the US House and Senate, planning who will file the veto resolution and when. We are working on securing bipartisan support, especially in the House, to get the resolution through both chambers quickly.

We only have 30 legislative days to work with, so we can’t move at Congress’s normal, snail-slow pace. We jumped on this just as soon as it cleared the mayor’s office, and we’re expecting a bill number at any hour.

It’s an urgent and vital need. And it’s not the only challenge facing us in 2021.

There’s More Going On

Starting this week, lawmakers all over the country are convening for their next legislative sessions. As they do, we will see another onslaught of bills like we did in 2020—bills that would threaten your parental rights.

We will see bills that want to redefine “abuse” to include disagreeing with the political viewpoint adopted by your state.

We will see bills that limit, not the methods, but the aims of psychological and gender identity care you and your child can seek together. (Thankfully, a 2–1 decision by the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Otto v. City of Boca Raton could help reduce the number of these bills.)

We will see more bills, like this one from DC, that would make children of younger and younger ages responsible for their own mental health, vaccine, or other healthcare decisions if the state doesn’t like the choice parents already made.

Those bills give no reciprocating freedom to a child who disagrees with the state and their parents, only those who disagree with their parents. Because the aim is not to give children more freedom, but to strip them of their parents’ guidance so the child can be swayed to do the state’s bidding.

And that’s exactly why parents are so important.

Knowing What Matters

While government bureaucrats just want to get the children to do what the state thinks is best, you and I know that parents will naturally decide and act based on what is best for their child’s individual needs .

The belief you hold, that a parent’s natural desire is to care for their child, is why there will also be bills introduced in 2021 to preserve the vital parent-child relationship we hold so dear .

We’re already preparing to stand with lawmakers to bring a parents’ bill of rights in Florida. (We will be working closely with lawmakers and volunteers in Indiana, too, but that bill may not be introduced until 2022. Stay tuned and I’ll let you know.)

And we’ll be working alongside volunteers and lawmakers in as many as a dozen states to provide due process to parents before their name goes on a child abuse registry.

Staying the Course

These positive efforts to protect families are encouraging, but they won’t be easy.

You and I must be ready to fight for these bills, just as we’re fighting against the negative bills listed above.

Efforts like these, to halt the bad legislation like the DC vaccine bill and to promote good legislation like the Florida Parents’ Bill of Rights, are why we’re here.

There is literally no other national organization in America focused entirely on parental rights. If we don’t stand up for the role of parents, no one will.

You know this. It’s why you believe in us, and why you’ve supported us in the past.

Can I count on you today to make your very best donation to ParentalRights.org to fuel these efforts in 2021?

Together, we can halt bills like the DC vaccine law and we can preserve parental rights in more than a dozen states just in the coming months.

Together, we can make the country a little safer for parents, safer for families, safer for our children, one state at a time.

Thank you for standing with us with your most generous gift of $15, $35, or even $125 today.

With your partnership, we will continue to protect children by empowering parents through 2021 and beyond.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

PS—The dangerous minor consent law in DC is just one of the challenges to parental rights either on the table now or coming in 2021. But good bills will be introduced, too. Together, we can protect the vital role of parents in the lives of their children, state by state, bill by bill. Will you partner with us through your gift today to help us win these battles in the new year ahead?

Happy New Year from ParentalRights.org

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 16:58:00 GMT

After an unusually long year, ParentalRights.org would like to wish you and your loved ones a Happy 2021!! May you find peace and joy as we start the year ahead.

Warmly,

Michael Ramey
Executive

The post Happy New Year from ParentalRights.org appeared first on Parental Rights .

Holiday Greetings from ParentalRights.org

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 16:34:00 GMT

As we approach this special season, the ParentalRights.org team wishes you and your loved ones all the joy and light, peace and warmth of this time. May your days be filled with hope as we approach the new year.

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Warmly,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Urgent DC Bill Update

Wed, 09 Dec 2020 19:11:00 GMT

The DC bill allowing minors to consent to vaccination without their parent’s knowledge or consent, the bill that would keep any knowledge of the vaccination from the child’s parents even long after the fact, has finally been delivered to the desk of DC Mayor Muriel Bowser.

If you live in the District, we would ask that you call the Mayor’s office today and urge her to veto the bill, DC 23—171. You can call her office at (202) 727-2643 or email eom@dc.gov .

Background

Bill DC 23-171 passed the DC Council on second reading on November 20 by a vote of 10-3. We do not know why its delivery to the mayor’s office was delayed by two weeks, but we understand this is not unheard of under the current leadership.

Regardless of the reason for the delay, it has helped us prepare to battle the bill in Congress. And a veto of the bill, even if it is ultimately overridden by the Council, would result in even more time to recruit the congressional champions we need to ultimately halt this terrible idea.

And that’s if the veto is overridden. From first reading to second reading, the vote already improved from a 12 to 1 majority to only a 10 to 3 majority . If only two more votes could be swayed by our efforts—to an 8 to 5 vote—the majority would no longer be sufficient to override the veto.

What this bill does:

Permits children as young as 11 years old to give legal consent for vaccination if the vaccine is government approved and the parents have opted out of it for their child.
Prohibits the administering medical provider from documenting the vaccine in the vaccination section of the child’s normal medical record.
Requires the administering provider to submit the vaccination record directly to the child’s school.
Prohibits the school from including this vaccination record with the rest of the child’s educational record.
Prohibits the school from providing this information to the child’s parent .
Prohibits any insurance provider from sending an Explanation of Benefits (or EOB) indicating the vaccination .

This scheme is designed to keep the child’s parents in the dark about the vaccine permanently and would keep the child’s family physician just us much in the dark as the parents are. How can any parent take proper care of their child in that situation?

Take Action

If you live in DC, please call Mayor Bowser’s office today at (202) 727-2643 and urge her to veto DC 23-171.

If you do not live in DC, stay tuned. Unless a veto is successful and the Council fails to override it, we anticipate having to fight this bill through a congressional veto resolution in the coming weeks. At that point we will all have a part to play in making that effort a success.

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents to make the best medical decisions for their family!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

DC Bill #GivingTuesday Update

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 17:14:00 GMT

Over the last few weeks, we have been tracking a bill in DC that would not only permit 11-year-olds to give legal consent for a vaccination against their parents’ wishes, but also prevent medical professionals, school officials, and even your insurance from telling the parents about it—even after the fact.

Parents in the District will still be responsible for their child’s health and well-being, but without even the basic knowledge of what vaccinations their child has or has not received.

Yet, despite our phone calls and emails expressing concern, the bill passed the DC Council by a vote of 10 to 3 on November 20, and it’s headed to the mayor’s office.

As we explained earlier, the bill can be signed or vetoed by the mayor—she has 10 days to decide—and then it goes to Congress for a 30-day legislative review period, during which Congress can veto the bill by passing a resolution against it.

And we are already working with members in both the House and Senate to get such a resolution introduced and passed in those 30 legislative days.

Because, as you know, [FNAME], if this bill is allowed to stand in DC, it’s only a matter of time before it will be duplicated in your state , too.

And it will directly threaten your ability to make wise and informed health-care decisions for your children, whom you love with all your heart.

How can you keep them safe when you don’t even know what has been done to them?

That’s why ParentalRights.org is continuing our efforts to stop this troubling bill and others like it that will come up in the 2021 legislative session, starting in January.

To combat these threats, we are aiming to raise $90,000 this #GivingTuesday, which is today, December 1.

Generous donors have already given a $45,000 matching grant to DOUBLE your #GivingTuesday gift. So your gift of $15, $35, or $125 today to protect families by preserving parental rights can have TWICE the impact until the match is met!

Your gift to ParentalRights.org or your tax-deductible gift to our sister organization, the Parental Rights Foundation , will go a long way to fueling our efforts in the coming year.

Efforts to block harmful legislation that would take your children out of your control and place them in unknown danger.

Or Foundation efforts to remove the names of innocent parents from child abuse registries where they never belonged in the first place.

Or efforts to keep a father and daughter together, like the case the Foundation supported at the Texas Supreme Court.

Real people. Real families. Real lives.

Can they count on you to stand with them today?

The deadline to double your gift is 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, December 1—that’s TODAY!

Make your gift to protect children by preserving #parentalrights this #GivingTuesday, and your gift will be DOUBLED until the $45,000 matching donations are met.

Thank you for your most generous response today!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

P.S.—Reminder: In just a few hours, we will be sending out an email you can forward to family and friends to introduce them to the issues threatening your—and their—parental rights. When you get that email, please forward it along to grow our voice for families together!

Are Your Children at Risk?

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 16:43:00 GMT

Our rights and our families are in danger, and I’m hoping you can help.

It’s only natural that children flourish best when they are raised and cared for by their parents, the people who know and love them best.

And while the vast majority of parents are good and loving, our government has systems in place to step in when there is concern for a child’s safety.

The problem is, those systems are not perfect, and now the flaws are hurting innocent families.

The overzealous application of these systems has removed thousands of children from good families and put the names of innocent parentsinnocent parents on child abuse registries . The pain and trauma from these events—no matter how brief—can last a lifetime.

But it doesn’t stop there. As the system continues to wrongfully remove children from their parents, lawmakers are also working to pass legislation that puts bureaucrats between you and your child and takes away your rights and responsibilities as a parent.

We cannot blindly trust the system anymore. We have to do something to protect our children.

So I’m reaching out to you today because you know the importance of family.

Especially in this holiday season, it is difficult to imagine being apart from the ones you love most in this world. Yet, that separation is reality for over 400,000 American children.

That’s why ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation are working to help protect innocent families. And I’m hoping you will help, too.

ParentalRights.org is a 501(c)(4) non-profit that fights against dangerous legislation and works to pass good legislation that protects innocent families like yours and mine. And the Parental Rights Foundation is a 501(c)(3) that educates the public on this issue and helps individual families who are fighting for their rights in the court system.

In this fight for our families, every voice matters.

Here’s how you can add your voice to the growing chorus:

1. Subscribe – Sign up for our email list here and follow us on social media. That will help you stay up to date on concerning legislation, encouraging success stories, and any urgent need for action.

2. Pass it on – As I said, every voice matters , so share this email with your friends and family to raise awareness about this important issue.

3. Donate - Today is #GivingTuesday, and for this one day , your donation counts double, up to the first $45,000 we receive! Please consider donating to support our work and help us fight for even more families in this next year.

Please add your voice to the cause of parental rights today!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Your Help is Needed

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 15:08:00 GMT

I’m writing to you today with a special request from our team at ParentalRights.org.

#GivingTuesday is coming December 1, and we need your help.

As you might have read in our last newsletter , this isn’t just any #GivingTuesday. This year we’ve set our most ambitious goal yet and received the most generous matching donation in parental rights history—a whopping $45,000!

Those are great things, and our team is excited to make it all come together!

But I have a special request for you in order to make that happen.

On #GivingTuesday—December 1—I will send you another email designedfor you to share withthose who may have never thought about this crucial issue, and with your friends already somewhat familiar with parental rights. The email’s content will be targeted so that it can be easily forwarded or otherwise passed along.

It is a critical part of our #GivingTuesday efforts, because #GivingTuesday isn’t just about raising money.

One of our main goals this #GivingTuesday is to raise awareness for an issue that you and I both hold dear, one that affects every American citizen. So, I ask you, one of our most faithful supporters, to please plan now to open that email and pass it along to as many as you can.

ParentalRights.org’s #GivingTuesday will only be a success with your help.

So, for the families you and I helped this year, and the families we need to help next year, please plan to share the email we send you on #GivingTuesday.

Thank you for being part of our team, and for making our work possible!

Sincerely,

ShellbyJo Thomas
Communications and Development Coordinator

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 18:21:00 GMT

As we gather with our families this year, we will be giving thanks for you! We are beyond grateful for your courage and faithfulness to stand with us to defend families through the protection of parental rights, particularly in the midst of all the challenges 2020 has brought.

The world is a very different place today than it was last year, but thanks to you we are weathering the storm.

We are grateful that we have been able to draw attention to dangers like DC Bill 23-171 and Tennessee’s child ‘wellness checks,’ that we’ve been able to help more families this year than ever before, and that now those families can enter the holiday season with hope and the chance to heal.

So thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

Our Parental Rights family wishes you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!

Warmly,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Breaking: Minor Consent Bill Postponed

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 17:04:00 GMT

[Update 11/18: The Council voted 10 to 3 yesterday to pass this dangerous bill. It will be going to the mayor for signing and then sit for a review period before Congress, as described below.]

The DC bill that would allow 11 year olds to consent to vaccinations was scheduled for second reading and final vote yesterday, November 10, but was postponed until next week, the 17th. This bill poses a serious threat to parental rights and to the safety of children and could set a dangerous precedent for states to follow.

Harmful to Children

Introduced last year by Councilmember Cheh, B23-171 , the “Minor Consent for Vaccinations Amendment Act of 2019,” would allow children as young as 11 to give legal consent to receive a vaccination that their parent has opted out of on religious or other grounds.

[Editor’s note: Read our earlier release about this bill here for more info.]

The bill ostensibly limits consent to only those children who are deemed able to make an informed decision, but the medical provider offering the vaccination, not the parent, will be making that judgment call. This creates a conflict of interest for the doctors and puts the child at risk of authority-figure coercion, to which children are already especially susceptible.

B23-171 also restricts information about the child’s vaccination status from getting to parents. In the interest of protecting children from abuse by parents angry about their decision, the bill prohibits the insurance company from sending an Explanation of Benefits, it prohibits the vaccinating provider from placing the vaccine in the child’s medical record , it requires them to instead notify the child’s school directly, and it prohibits the school from releasing that information to the parents.

So if a child should suffer an adverse reaction or a vaccine-related injury, neither the parents nor the child’s regular physician would have any way of knowing the child had even received the vaccine.

Such a policy would not only violate the constitutional and natural right of parents to care for their children, but it would also put the lives of impressionable young children at risk. Protecting children from these dangers is the very reason loving parents exercise such rights in the first place!

The DC Process

A bill proposed by the DC Council must be read and voted on twice, then go to the mayor, who may veto the bill. If the bill is not vetoed, or if the council subsequently overrides a veto, then the bill goes to Congress for a review period of 30 legislative days. During that time, Congress can veto the bill with a joint resolution that receives a majority vote in each chamber, which is then signed by the president.

Given the veto-proof majority on the first B23-171 vote, we do not anticipate the council voting it down next Tuesday, nor a mayoral veto. So we are ramping up efforts to get Congress to pass a veto resolution. We have a majority champion in the Senate ready to go, and we are working with allies and volunteers to secure a majority champion in the House to do the same.

Unfortunately, time is short, so we will have to act fast—if the bill passes next week, as expected.

Why the Delay?

I would love to tell you this postponement came about because the Council heard so much pushback they are afraid to move the bill forward. Sadly, that is not the case.

Council Member Gray proposed an amendment to add a sentence to the bill in order to notify insurance companies that they are not to send an Explanation of Benefits to parents. Without his amendment, insurance companies were to keep parents in the dark, but no one was responsible to tell them that. This amendment simply makes sure they “get the memo.”

However, Council Member Gray was absent from yesterday’s meeting and could not answer questions about his amendment. His absence alone caused the week-long delay.

Setting a Dangerous Precedent

If DC B23-171 survives the legislative review period—if we fail to get a veto resolution passed—it will become law in DC, setting a precedent for other states to follow.

And they will follow. We already saw similar bills introduced in a half-dozen states in 2020 , though these involved older ages and had no provisions for hiding the vaccination from parents. If the DC bill passes, though, I have no doubt at least some of these will come back in 2021, following the DC example.

To prevent the spread of this legislative blight, we must stop this DC bill from becoming law. So be prepared, because in the next few weeks, we are going to need to call on you to reach out to your senators and member of Congress and urge them to support the veto resolution.

We will know more once we have a sponsor in the House and once Mayor Bowser acts on the bill, and we will keep you updated.

Thank you for standing ready with us to halt this dangerous legislation and keep our children safe.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

DC Council Would Discard Constitution, End Parents’ Rights

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 16:02:00 GMT

On October 20 the District of Columbia Council voted 12-1 to adopt a measure that would flout existing Supreme Court precedent and end parental rights regarding a minor’s healthcare.

Bill 23-171 is scheduled for a second reading and vote in the council on November 10. If it passes again, it then faces Mayoral review and a 30-day congressional review before it becomes DC law. Given the current over-whelming support, the bill is likely to pass the second vote. A mayoral veto, if there were one, would likely be overridden. But congressional rejection of the bill would still kill it out-right.

That’s where you and I come in.

A Dangerous Bill

For nearly 100 years, consistent Supreme Court precedent has held that parents have both the duty and the right to direct the care, custody, and control of their minor children. But Bill 23-171, proposed by Councilwoman Cheh and cosponsored by a majority of the council, would defy that precedent, stripping parents not only of the authority to make a decision, but even to know about the decision being made.

The bill, proposed October 7 in the Committee on Health, would declare, “A minor, eleven years of age or older, may consent to receive a vaccine where the minor is capable of meeting the informed consent standard, and the vaccine is recommended by the United States Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)…”

To meet the “informed consent standard,” the bill says the minor must be “able to comprehend the needs for, the nature of, and any significant risks ordinarily inherent in the medical care.”

But nowhere does the bill indicate who determines if the child is able to comprehend these factors. It is a safe bet it isn’t going to be the child’s parent.

Contrary to the Constitution

Such a provision flies in the face of existing Supreme Court precedent, specifically on the issue of adolescent care and informed consent.

In its 1979 Parham v. J.R. decision, the Supreme Court declared:

Bill 23-171, which flies in the face of this very clear ruling, would necessarily be unconstitutional as a result. Through this bill, the council would make the vaccine decision, overruling fit and loving parents—and hide from the parents what has been done!

And make no mistake. It is the council making the decision, not the 11-year-old child. If the bill were handing authority to the child, it would permit any decision, including that of a child to opt out of immunizations whose parents wanted the child inoculated. This bill only empowers one action: for a child to receive a vaccine which the government says is best for the child and which the parent says is not.

The court in Parham continued, “The fact that a child may balk at hospitalization or complain about a parental refusal to provide cosmetic surgery does not diminish the parents’ authority to decide what is best for the child. Neither state officials nor federal courts are equipped to review such parental decisions ”(Internal citations omitted, emphasis added).

Yet, under Bill 23-171, the DC Council would take that authority for itself.

Sneaking Around to the Child’s Detriment

Shockingly, this unconstitutional (and unconscionable) usurpation of parental authority is not the only concern we have with the bill.

Bill 23-171 also contains deeply disturbing provisions to keep the vaccination a secret from the parents.

First, the bill specifies that, although providers shall seek reimbursement from the insurer without parental consent, they “shall not send an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) for services provided” under the bill. In other words, the parents’ insurance will have to pay for the shot, but the parent will receive no notice of the charge.

Second, the bill would require falsifying the child’s medical records regarding the vaccination. Specifically, the bill requires a health care provider administering the vaccines to “leave the immunization record in Part 3 blank, and…submit the immunization record directly to the minor’s school.”

So the child’s medical record (which parents can often read) will not show the immunization; but that secret will be held at the child’s school. Then the schools are instructed to “keep this immunization record confidential, except it may share the record with the Department of Health or the school-based health center.

So your insurance carrier, a medical provider, and your child’s school can know your child’s immunization history, but you cannot. Good luck providing the ER doctor with the best information in the event your child is ever in a life-threatening accident.

Not about the Vaccines

Now, I understand there is a lot of disagreement even among parental rights supporters when it comes to vaccines. ParentalRights.org has no medical position on the safety or efficacy of the vaccines involved in this bill.

Rather, we hold unswervingly to the belief that fit and loving parents are the best people to make informed medical decisions on behalf of their children . Not judges. Not teachers. Not doctors. Not the minor children themselves.

And certainly not the DC Council.

If we lose the authority as parents to make these decisions because vaccines are a hot-button topic right now, what parenting decision will be next? If the government establishes that it can override a parent’s wishes by citing a government review board and “allowing” a minor to make the government-approved decision (only), soon every “parenting” decision will be subject to just this kind of rule.

No, this is not about the vaccines . This is about who will make medical decisions for your minor children—you, or the government.

Standing Up for Parental Rights

Based on the Parham ruling, there is no conceivable way Bill 23-171 could survive a constitutional challenge. Yet, with twelve out of 13 council members voting in favor of the bill, its passage November 10 is all but assured.

We must call on Congress to take a stand.

If you live in the District of Columbia, take a moment today to contact your councilmembers and urge them to oppose this bill on second reading , even if they voted in favor the first time. Tell them it would defy the constitutional right of parents to make informed medical decisions for their own children. Tell them you know they’re not giving any power to children except to make the one choice the council has approved.

You can find your DC Councilmember’s contact information here .

If you don’t live in DC, you cannot affect the council vote directly. Instead, we must prepare to call on Congress in the coming days or weeks.

And we must be vigilant for any similar measure to be introduced in your state this January.

Setting aside your vaccines view for a moment if necessary, educate yourself on this issue. This is about the authority of parents to know about, let alone make, medical decisions for their child.

Then, educate those around you. Warn them of this dangerous DC bill, and show them the lengths some localities will go to to rob parents of their rightful authority.

And be prepared to answer the call to oppose such bills. When Bill 23-171 goes to Congress, or if this issue pops up in your state, we will let you know. Then it’s up to you to contact your lawmakers and make sure these unconstitutional power grabs never see the light of day.

Finally, if you are able, give today to ParentalRights.org so that we can remain vigilant and get word to you when it is needed.

Thank you for standing with us against overreach in its many forms, to protect children by empowering the fit parents who know and love them best.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

“Simply because the decision of a parent is not agreeable to a child, or because it involves risks, does not automatically transfer the power to make that decision from the parents to some agency or officer of the state. The same characterizations can be made for a tonsillectomy, appendectomy, or other medical procedure. Most children, even in adolescence, simply are not able to make sound judgments concerning many decisions, including their need for medical care or treatment. Parents can and must make those judgments.”

Parents’ Rally at Philadelphia City Hall Oct. 15

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 19:48:00 GMT

Mark your calendars and spread the word!

On Thursday, October 15t h ParentalRights.org Board Member and PA State Coordinator, Vickie Suarez, will be speaking at the “Believe me! I’m a mother!” rally at Philadelphia City Hall and you are invited to attend!

The rally starts at 9:00 a.m. at Philadelphia City Hall’s Northeast Entrance , and protests Philadelphia’s out-of-control Child Protective Services , challenging them to shift their focus to keeping families together.

Your attendance at this rally is crucial because the more people attend, the more our cause is heard and taken seriously by lawmakers who have the power to make change for good!

You and I know that too many of these abuse accusations are either blatantly false or only cases of less-than-perfect parenting. And when children are removed from those loving homes they are not being helped by the change; they are traumatized .

In a country with many unnecessary removals, Philadelphia has a particularly bad reputation.

So we’re rallying to tell them that children are safest with fit, loving parents, and the Philadelphia child welfare system needs to stop tearing apart good families.

Stand with us and with Vickie to fight for families on October 15th!

Mom Hogtied and Arrested Over Nothing Case

Wed, 30 Sep 2020 16:00:00 GMT

Vanessa Peoples knows all too well about parental rights abuses. She was a 25-year-old nursing student when a “wellness visit” to check on her children turned into an all-out assault on her family and home. And none of it was called for.

According to this article by Diane Redleaf at Reason , the story began in June 2017 when Peoples and her two children, ages 2 and 4, enjoyed a gathering with about 15 relatives at a local park. When Peoples’ youngest followed a departing cousin toward her car, a passerby assumed the child was unattended, grabbed him, and called the police. Peoples was there immediately and demanded the woman let the boy go, but she refused.

Police on the Scene

When the police arrived, they, too, demanded Peoples prove she was the boy’s mother, even as he was continually reaching for her and calling her “mom.” Finally, with several relatives lending support to Peoples’ claim, the “child rescuer” relented and returned the boy. The police cited Peoples for child neglect and departed.

Already, this should not have happened. The police dispatch could easily have said, “the mother is there now? Then let the child go to his mother.”

Barring that, the police arriving on the scene could have done the same thing. To cite a mother for neglect because a child wandered from her sight at a park among relatives for a period of “about a minute” (according to reports) is uncalled for.

But the police rejected any appeal to common sense and gave Vanessa a citation.

She Didn’t Hear Them Knock

Fast forward about four weeks, and a child welfare investigator is at Vanessa’s door. Only Vanessa has no idea.

The investigator knocked, but Vanessa didn’t hear her. She had just bathed the kids and was in the basement doing laundry.

When one of the boys leaned out a first floor window, still naked from his bath, the investigator phoned a supervisor, and then the police. She feared the children were unsupervised, home alone.

When police arrived, mom was still in the basement with the washer and dryer running. She didn’t hear them when they entered her home—without a warrant or probable cause—and came looking for her.

She was startled when she came up the stairs to find police officers with guns pointed at her. She explained that she is hard of hearing in one ear and that she did not hear them knock, and at that point, any cause they had for entering her home evaporated.

The children were not unattended. They were not home alone. They were not in any danger.

It Never Should Have Happened

At that point, the investigator or any one of the officers could have said, “we see the children are not unattended. We have no warrant and we no longer have grounds for concerns of imminent danger , so we’re going to step outside and start again, asking for permission to enter.”

Only none of them did that, either.

Instead, they investigated the home, noting that the children were undressed, the door was unlocked, the front screen was loose, and there was “little food in the pantry.” Distraught, Vanessa called her mother—Patricia Russell, with whom Vanessa lived—and asked her to return home quickly from a doctor’s appointment.

The invaders were just wrapping up their exploration when Russell arrived home, understandably angry, and insisted they leave her house. (It is worth repeating here that they had no warrant, and by this time no probable cause of any imminent danger.) Officers refused, and continued giving orders.

Russell took one of the children into a bedroom to get him clothed, but an officer wouldn’t let her shut the door. A power struggle was escalating, and Vanessa attempted to step in, joining her mother in the bedroom.

Instead, she was wrestled to the floor, hogtied, and literally carried out to a police cruiser. Officers actually dislocated her shoulder in the process of hogtying her, and emergency medical personnel had to be called.

And I repeat yet again, none of this should have happened.

The Aftermath

Fortunately, Peoples got a good lawyer and sued the county, who settled out of court. Her dislocated shoulder was a dead giveaway that they did not want the case going to trial.

But to keep her children, Vanessa was forced to plead guilty to child endangerment, which will no doubt be a severe hurdle to her career options when she finishes nursing school. All over something that was never neglect in the first place.

Had just one of these officers or investigators recognized Vanessa’s rights as a mother, including her Fourth Amendment right to be secure in her person and in her home, this entire trauma could have been avoided.

Parents Don’t Have to Be Perfect

Yes, Vanessa’s child toddled away at a picnic. She lost sight of him for about a minute. But who among us hasn’t had that happen?

Fortunately for all of us, the US Supreme Court has more than once held that parental rights do not evaporate simply because someone is not a perfect parent. “Neglect” does not mean turning your back for a minute and having to chase down your child. “Neglect” is a willful act of abandonment, of failing (by choice) to provide for your child when you have the means to do so.

But the police in Aurora, Colorado failed to recognize that, and Vanessa’s two children were traumatized. According to the Reason article, “The government’s well-being check on Peoples’ children left them with nightmares and a fear that the cops could come, tie up, and take away their parents.”

In the name of child protection, they left the children devastated.

That is why parental rights must be protected from government overreach, and how protecting parents’ rights protects children, as well.

Thank you for standing with us as we work to protect the right of parents like Vanessa from the kind of overreach she experienced, and to protect children from the kind of nightmares her children now endure.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

State Efforts Moving Forward for 2021

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 14:56:00 GMT

It’s hard to see 2021 from here, what with another full month of hurricane season, elections looming in November, fires raging out west, and unrest continuing in cities across the nation.

Yet we are excited to be working with volunteers in 16 different states on securing lawmakers to introduce parental rights legislation in the coming 2021 session.

I am uniquely excited about Florida, where a full-fledged Parents’ Bill of Rights (PBR) will again be introduced. Rep. Erin Grall proposed the PBR in 2020, and it received strong bipartisan support. Minority Democrats stood shoulder-to-shoulder with their Republican colleagues in committee hearings that were positively encouraging to watch online.

Sadly, the bill failed to pass the Senate Judiciary Committee on the final day of hearings, held up by the leadership over petty politics.

But we are excited for 2021 because, while we expect that same bipartisan support to still be in place come January, the leadership that held us up will no longer be in the way. So I anticipate an exciting victory in Florida this coming year!

What’s more, a couple of other states may be considering similar legislation moving forward.

15 States to Eye Registry Reform?

Most of the state-level efforts for 2021 are currently more modest, however (as is fitting to their current political landscape). In 15 states, volunteers are contacting their senators and representatives about reforming the child abuse registry law to protect innocent families.

You will recall the story out of Oregon about how Doreen’s name was added to the abuse registry for not taking her toddler to the ER after a tumble down the stairs. The child had calmed right down and never acted hurt, but hours later, the child couldn’t seem to settle down at bedtime.

It turns out the baby was struggling to digest foods new to her diet. But before the baby passed gas and settled down, Doreen called a nurses hotline about her fall. The nurse called child welfare services when mom and baby failed to show at the ER. The baby immediately got a clean bill of health from a pediatrician, but the investigator added Doreen’s name to the registry anyway. (Her name has since been removed.)

Our model aims to stop injustices like this from happening again. And while we’d love to see this fixed at the federal level (amending the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act could immediately fix this in all 50 states), Congress has made that impossible.

Instead, states like Colorado, Missouri, and Pennsylvania will consider making this vital correction for themselves. Other states where volunteer efforts are under way include Arizona, Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

What You Can Do

To start the process in your state, all you need to do is download our model language from the Parental Rights Foundation website here and forward it to your state lawmaker .

With elections in just a few weeks, odds are it’s not great timing to expect an immediate response from them, but you could send it now and promise to check back with them after the election in November.

Then, follow up and ask them to sponsor the legislation in the coming session . It’s a matter that will easily gain support from both sides of the aisle, allowing your lawmaker, from whichever political party, to take the lead on an issue that matters to parents.

I would also ask that you let me know you’re reaching out , so that I can coordinate your effort with those of other volunteers in your state to give us the best opportunity for success.

Working together, we can make 2021 a terrific year for preserving parental rights in your state!

So, please consider taking this opportunity to reach out to your lawmakers to bring change, and add your state to the list of 15 where this effort is already under way!

Thank you as always for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents, and by protecting their names from the stigma of an unjust listing on the child abuse registry.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Good News, Tennessee!

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 15:17:00 GMT

The Tennessee Department of Education issued a letter this weekend completely withdrawing child wellbeing guidance that last week caused a tremendous outcry due to parental rights and family privacy concerns.

That letter, addressed to the Tennessee legislature and forwarded to us by one of our friends there, is attached here .

Last week’s policy guidance, created by the Child Wellbeing Task Force, set a goal for government agents to make contact with every child in the state. We cautioned that such a policy, if adopted, would threaten the right of parents to be presumed to act in their own child’s best interests. The policy would have treated every parent like a suspected child abuser.

The response letter states, “Governor Lee has asked our department to remove the guidance document and go back to the drawing board so we get this right.

“I want to assure you that we recognize the concerns that you and your constituents share, and we realize why those concerns exist…. I also acknowledge the vast difference between providing support for vulnerable children as opposed to any potential overreach into what parents determine is best for their children.”

(Their stated intention of providing support for vulnerable children is, tragically, necessary and a valid goal for state government.)

At this point, we have every reason to believe the letter is sincere, and that future steps to protect vulnerable children will not intrude on the rights of fit, loving parents to uphold their family’s privacy. We count this as a win for parental rights and for all families in your state.

In Tennessee as in every other state, however, we must remain vigilant against such threats as may arise in the future.

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents, in Tennessee and across the country.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

What You Need to Know – TN Calls for Check on “All Children”

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 19:37:00 GMT

On August 11, the Tennessee Child Wellbeing Task Force (“Task Force”) published “ a guidance document ” through the Department of Education “to ensure all children are checked-in (sic) on.” The document calls on localities to mobilize their resources to “connect with each child to verify wellbeing and identify need.”

(BREAKING: While building this alert email we have also been working the phones. First we learned the Guidance Document has been removed from the Department of Education website , and we have now learned the Governor’s office is rethinking whether to put it back up. They need to hear from all Tennessee residents , and we all need to remain vigilant against similar efforts in other states who may choose to follow the example they initially set.)

The guidance document lays out the goal that “ALL Tennessee children will receive a wellbeing check” (emphasis in original, page 1), “child” being defined on page 4 as “birth through the completion of grade 12 if enrolled in school or 18 years of age. School-age children includes those who are enrolled in public schools, private schools, homebound, etc.”

The effort sounds altruistic and good. Who could be against making sure the children are okay?

But every year millions of families are caught up in child welfare investigations, an overwhelming 83% of which turn out to be false.

Why We’re Concerned

This policy guidance is not benign. It radically increases the number of innocent families unnecessarily coming to the attention of an already overloaded and ineffective child welfare system, and it will disproportionately affect the poor and minorities, as well.

It will hurt the poor because poverty is often confused with “neglect.” Nationwide in 2018 (the last year for which data is available), more than 60% of all child removals cited “neglect” as the only reason for intervention. Yet actual, willful neglect is extremely rare. The balance of those cases are families who need help, not separation.

And the policy will disproportionately harm families of color, because these already face an increased level of involvement when compared to their share of the population at large. According to federal government data gathered by the Parental Rights Foundation for 2017, African-Americans and Native Americans make up a portion of the child welfare population in Tennessee that is more than one-and-a-half times their portion of the child population in the state (1.59 and 1.51 times, respectively). Spreading a wider net will only catch more innocent families based only on the color of their skin.

The guidance document exposes a presumption by the Task Force that fit parents cannot be trusted , and that we must rely first and foremost on state and local agents to keep children safe.

This flies in the face of the legal presumption set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court in Parham v. J.R. , 442 US 584 (1979), that “natural bonds of affection lead parents to act in the best interests of their children.”

So while the guidance sounds good and purports to be in the interest of children, it would use the closure of Tennessee public schools as an excuse to bring a government agent into contact with every home in the state. And every contact will involve someone trained to look for any excuse to call your family in.

Here are a few things every concerned parent needs to know:

1. The “guidance” comes from the state, but its implementation will depend on the localities, each of which will apply its own procedures. Some may be more onerous than others. Some may ignore the “guidance” completely.

2. “Contacts” listed in the guidance include surveys, emails, phone calls, virtual calls, school-based visits, or home visits. Not all localities will choose to employ home visits, but they are certainly on the list.

3. The data which the Task Force hope to gather includes a “complete roster of all children (birth through grade 12) in the city/district/county,” categorized by whether they are “enrolled in school…, homebound, children too young to attend school, [or] children not enrolled in any school.” The intended scope is not limited to local public school students.

4. Parents have a right under the Fourth Amendment “to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.” This right extends to your privacy and to your children. You do not have to answer questions or let them in.

5. The guidance itself notes that if “the guardian does not provide permission to speak with the child, then the parent, guardian, or care taker (sic) may speak on the child’s behalf.” However, if a parent declines to let the child be interviewed directly, this will be noted and included in the data to be gathered.

6. The guidance makes clear that the preference of the Task Force is for the state or local agent to speak to each child personally and even privately. While the guidance also instructs the agent to accept “No” for an answer (while taking names), the ideal is to speak to the child, as though no parent can be trusted.

This is a breaking story, and one we are watching closely for any new developments . We are concerned, too, that it could be a harbinger of things to come. As society adopts new ways of doing things, many states may look for ways like this to take advantage of the situation.

Take Action

What can you do to halt this overreach into your fundamental rights as a parent?

1. Tennessee parents should reach out to your governor , elected officials, or local school board and express your concerns about these recommendations. You can find contact information through this convenient summary page made available by HSLDA.

(Note: We have learned the Governor’s office has taken the Guidance down and is planning to revisit it before deciding whether or not to put it back up. So do be friendly with your call, but be sure they hear from you. )

2. Stay alert and alert your friends. Share this and similar news items through your email or social media accounts this week to make others aware of what is going on.

3. Give to support this and continuing efforts of ParentalRights.org to protect your parental rights by preserving the presumption that you know your child’s needs better than a state or local agent does.

ParentalRights.org is completely donor-funded. Your gifts in the past have made it possible for us to be here to sound the alarm. With your support we will continue to stand against any threats to your family and to your parental rights.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

New Bill in Congress to Preserve Parental Rights During COVID-19

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 13:37:00 GMT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE // August 13, 2020 // Washington, D.C. – On Friday, Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI) introduced a bill on the floor of the US House, which would suspend a federal provision that generally requires states to file for Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) against parents whose children have spent 15 or more of the last 22 months in foster care or other state custody.

Moore’s bill is H.R. 7976, the “Suspend the Timeline Not Parental Rights During a Public Health Crisis Act.”

Proponents of the bill, who hail from all sides of the political spectrum, argue that suspending the arbitrary timeline just makes sense in this season of unintended and often-inescapable delays caused by reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Before the pandemic, many of these children would have been returned to their families,” Jey Rajaraman, chief counsel for the Family Representation Project, Legal Services of New Jersey, said for a press release from the Congresswoman’s office. “But agencies have been unable to provide the services needed to facilitate reunification. We should not allow this pandemic to lead to unnecessary permanent termination of parent-child relationships.”

Andrew Brown, with the Texas Family Policy Foundation, agrees. “Parents who were diligently working services required to provide a safe, stable home for their children suddenly, and through no fault of their own, found themselves unable to access these services due to COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdowns. . . . A temporary suspension of termination timelines gives these parents a fair opportunity to restore their families and honors their decision to take personal responsibility by doing the hard work necessary to achieve reunification.”

“Termination of parental rights has been called ‘the death penalty of the family courts,’” adds Michael Ramey, executive director of ParentalRights.org. “By no means should we race to inflict it on families just because they had the extreme misfortune of being separated, often by overzealous state actors, in a time when COVID-19 alone prevents reunification.”

The Children’s Bureau of the US Department of Health and Human Services has urged states to employ an exemption for special circumstances; that exemption is already written into the federal law that created the guidelines in the first place, but many states are not making use of it. This leads to virtually random results from state to state—and often from judge to judge.

“Congress made this mess by putting this arbitrary guideline into the Adoption and Safe Families Act in the first place,” Ramey says. “Now it’s time for Congress to clean up their mess, by providing clear guidance for states to employ common sense instead.”

How Are You Holding Up?

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 14:39:00 GMT

For so many of us, it seems like 2020 is the year that will never end. From COVID-19, to killer hornets, to hurricanes, to COVID-19 . . . yes, I already mentioned that, but it just keeps going on .

How are you holding up?

It’s been tough, I know. My own 2020 has been a rough roller-coaster ride, as well.

But in the middle of all this I’m comforted knowing there are parental rights victories to celebrate and ongoing efforts working to achieve even more.

Last week we told you about the victory in the Texas Supreme Court that keeps the decision-making authority for one little girl with her father, where it belongs.

And we told you two weeks ago about our successful outing with the American Legislative Exchange Council, which opens the door for conservative support of our child abuse registry-reform model in the states.

I’m happy to report that efforts are already underway in a dozen states to see that model introduced. And with five full months before the 2021 legislative session starts, I expect we’ll see more states added to that list.

Putting a Hold on TPR

We are also working with our bipartisan coalition partners to introduce legislation in Congress that will suspend an important federal guideline that is proving detrimental to families, especially in these days of COVID-19.

Under the American Safe Families Act, a state must generally file for termination of parental rights (TPR) to any child who has spent at least 15 of the last 22 months in state custody (usually in foster care). This is an arbitrary and often-unhelpful limit on parents who are making real strides toward reunification, but it is especially harmful during the pandemic, when every step in the reunification process moves at a snail’s pace.

Due to lockdowns, families are not able to get in their visitation time, parenting classes are online only (a problem for poor families without internet access) or not available at all, and many other necessary meetings or even court hearings are suspended or delayed.

Under such conditions, holding fast to the 15-month limit simply makes no sense.

So, along with our allies from across the political spectrum, we are working to introduce a bill in Congress that will put a hold on that limit, thereby giving families a fighting chance to survive the COVID-19 storm. And with bipartisan support, it’s the rare sort of bill that might actually stand a chance in a strongly divided D.C.

Standing Together

Yes, the year has been long. But it is not without hope. I sincerely hope you are finding the bright spots in your own family, just as we are able to find these bright spots in the campaign to protect your parental rights.

Together, we will achieve the victory if we do not lose heart.

We are with you—your family is in our thoughts and prayers through this challenging year as we continue to fight for your rights. And we thank you for standing with us, as well.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

ALEC Success Means National Support – Action Needed

Thu, 23 Jul 2020 13:28:00 GMT

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) voted last week to adopt model legislation presented by the Parental Rights Foundation that would require due process before a parent’s name can be added to a state’s child abuse register.

According to their website, ALEC “is America’s largest nonpartisan, voluntary membership organization of state legislators dedicated to the principles of limited government, free markets and federalism.” Nearly a quarter of America’s state lawmakers are members of ALEC, making it an ideal place for us to share policy and legislative ideas that fit their purpose.

Since protecting parental rights involves limiting government, our issue falls easily within the bounds of what ALEC members will consider.

The Presentation

So last week, I attended the ALEC annual conference to present our model on child abuse register reform. In a nutshell, the proposal would require due process before a parent can be listed on a state’s child abuse register.

I began the presentation with last month’s story of the mother in Oregon who was added to the state’s child abuse register for not giving her daughter medical attention the child did not need . (You may have read that account in our article here. )

I explained that when families like the one in Oregon are put on the register without cause and without a chance to defend themselves, they are forced to appeal. And how does that go?

According to the decision of the Second Circuit US Court of Appeals in Valmonte v. Bane , “nearly 75% of those who seek expungement of their names from the list are ultimately successful.

And while that is good news for the three-quarters being removed, that figure highlights a serious flaw in the system: as the court in Valmonte casually understated it, “The fact that only 25% of those on the list remain after all administrative proceedings have been concluded indicates that the initial determination made by the local [Department of Social Services] is at best imperfect.”

Our model, which requires some showing of proof before a name can be added, will correct this major flaw, resulting in fewer names on the list and a greatly reduced number of expensive appeals.

Bipartisan Support

The ALEC task force assigned to our model voted immediately to support it. This means any member of ALEC—which, again, includes nearly 25 percent of all state legislators in the US—is encouraged to take our model back home and introduce it in the 2021 legislative session.

Many Democrats have been pushing for child welfare reform for years. To have the Republican-friendly ALEC join their cry is a significant achievement and one we want to fully use.

Action Item

So, wherever you live, whether your legislature is red or blue, you can bring this model to your state in 2021. Here’s all you need to do:

Send me an email ( Michael@parentalrights.org ) and let me know you’re interested in getting this to your lawmaker. Be sure to let me know which state you’re in. This will let us coordinate and avoid duplicating our efforts. (If four different lawmakers from one state all unknowingly prepare the same model, they’ll be irritated at us for wasting their time. Instead, we should get them all working together from the start.)
Download the model language from our website here . You’re welcome to familiarize yourself with it, but don’t feel you have to. It is enough to have it on hand to forward to your lawmaker in step 4.
Contact your lawmakers in the state house or senate and ask them to take up this important reform for the 2021 session.
Tell them you’re a constituent calling to suggest they take up an important reform to keep innocent parents off your state’s child abuse register.
Share a story. Share with them the story of the mom in Oregon. Or share your own story if you have one.
Offer to send them a model they can use as a starting point. If they’re a Republican , you can tell them the model has been vetted and adopted by ALEC, as well.
If they’re a Democrat , you can tell them the model was written by a bipartisan coalition. (Martin Guggenheim of NYU School of Law and other such solid liberal thinkers as Richard Wexler at National Coalition for Child Protection Reform and Diane Redleaf of Family Defense Consulting are among its authors.) Its endorsement by ALEC just means they can easily get a cosponsor from across the aisle.
Send them the model language , and let them know they are welcome to contact me ( Michael@parentalrights.org ) if they have any questions.

Thank you for taking action to bring this important reform to your state. Together, we can protect parents all over America from the terrible injustice of being listed among the guilty while they are innocent.

Sincerely,

Michael

Executive Order Should Help Families

Wed, 15 Jul 2020 18:06:00 GMT

On June 24, President Trump issued an executive order on the use of federal funds related to the child welfare system. ParentalRights.org federal relations liaison Maggie McKneely gives us her take on the order in this week’s newsletter.

While the directive is something of a mixed bag, we are especially excited about the attention it gives to methods and resources designed to keep innocent families together. Perhaps most useful is its focus on “high-quality legal representation,” because good legal counsel has been shown to keep more families together and to reunify families more quickly if they are divided.

It turns out, giving parents a lawyer who will actually listen to them and help them (instead of overworked court-appointed counsel whom the parents meet three minutes before their hearing) actually goes a long way in protecting families.

Here’s Maggie’s summary of the order:

In the year 2020, it’s important to celebrate any good news we get. And for a refreshing change of pace, we have good news to report out of Washington DC.

Many of the issues in the broken child welfare system are directly tied to the federal government. Bills such as The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) have enabled states to deprive parents of proper due process, overburdened the system with faulty anonymous reporting, and ensnared parents in seemingly endless, intrusive investigations. So when the feds take it upon themselves to reverse course a bit and fix some of these issues, it’s important to give credit where credit is due.

Late last month, the president issued an executive order that seeks to protect children by improving the child welfare system. While Executive Order No.13930 is broad and leaves most of the details to be determined and implemented by the federal Department of Health and Human Services, there are still some encouraging details that proponents of change can praise.

Much of the executive order is dedicated to improved data collection, so that the federal and state governments can better allocate funds where the money is most needed. This data will also be used to develop community-based prevention and family-support services, all aimed at keeping children with their families.

The most significant portion of the order is Section 5. This section includes a number of items designed to prevent the unnecessary removal of children from their homes or, in such cases when it is deemed necessary, to ensure that those children who are removed will be placed in permanent, stable households as soon as possible.

The order also directs HHS to provide guidance to states on using funds to provide families and children with high-quality legal representation “to prevent the removal of children from their families , safely reunify children and parents, finalize permanency, and ensure that their voices are heard and their rights are protected.”

Because the executive order is general in nature, it will be some time before we see any immediate impact from it. But it’s refreshing to see government officials acknowledge the flaws of the current system and take steps to address them.

At ParentalRights.org, we know that protecting families isn’t a partisan issue. Regardless of party, race, or religious ideology, every parent should have the right to act in the best interest of their kids. So we applaud the actions taken by the current administration in this arena and continue to encourage lawmakers from both parties to protect children and preserve parental rights.

Maggie McKneely,

Federal Relations Liaison

We will monitor the results of this executive order as it is carried out, and we will continue to stand, as always, for your parental rights.

Sincerely,

Michael

It Finally Happened: Child Taken Due to COVID-19

Wed, 17 Jun 2020 14:58:00 GMT

Well, it looks like they’ve finally done it.

We’ve been watching for it all along, hoping against hope that the System would prove us wrong and somehow behave itself. But we kept watching, because we know what the System is made of.

Sure enough, it appears it has finally happened.

“Today in dependency court madness, LA County Dept. of Children and Family Services (DCFS) recommended that the court remove my client’s child from their physical custody after the parent tested positive for COVID-19. This is a non-offending parent. The judge ruled in favor of DCFS and detained.” (emphasis added)

So says a Los Angeles-area attorney in a post on Facebook last week. (We have not yet been able to confirm the case, but the lawyer’s account remains live on Facebook.)

He continues, “Let that sink in . . . DCFS is asking for children to [be] removed from their parents’ custody due to COVID-19 despite the parent making the appropriate arrangements for their child. ” (emphasis added)

To be clear, right now we are talking about one child in one courtroom. The family, who we understand are working on filing a writ of habeas corpus to have their child returned, hasn’t had time yet to finish that writ, let alone file for a full appeal.

However, once there is one rotten ruling, it becomes easier for others to follow.

Some of you have been sounding alarms ever since reports came out that child welfare forms were changed to indicate COVID-19 was present in the home at the time of the child’s removal.

Our analysis at the time was, and remains, that the change in the form was not intended to make COVID-19 an excuse for separating families. It was intended as a means to warn a potential foster family or group home that an in-coming child has been exposed to the virus.

But, like so many of you, we also saw the potential for danger, and we have kept our ear to the ground. Sure enough, now an LA County judge has just been accused of taking the plunge down the rabbit hole.

To state the matter plainly, the government has no authority to remove a child from their private home simply because the child or a parent has contracted COVID-19. This is especially true if, as indicated by this family’s lawyer, the parents have made appropriate arrangements to see to it the child can be taken care of somewhere away from the infected parent.

In such instances, there is absolutely no need for the court to even be involved.

This is not—this will not be —the new normal. Under no circumstances will we stand by while innocent families suffer the humiliating and life-shattering trauma of unnecessary, unconstitutional, unconscionable separation.

We are working to know more about this situation, and we will certainly stay vigilant in watching for more instances, and for tracking what happens in this case.

Thank you for joining us in this fight. Standing together, we will make sure this does not become “the new normal.” Families have a right to be together; let’s make sure that right is protected .

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Note (June 18): Today we added to this page a link to the Facebook post so you can see for yourselves. As mentioned earlier, we have not yet been able to verify this beyond Facebook. But there are two additional points to consider regarding its reliability:

First, there is an attorney database by which attorneys can look each other up. We checked that database and verified that the original Facebook author, who claims to be an L.A.-area attorney, is in fact an L.A.-area attorney. This alone adds a lot of credibility.

Second, multiple other attorneys have weighed in among the comments on his post, saying they’re facing similar challenges. Now that you can access that through the link above, you’ll be able to see some of those comments for yourself.

Note (July 22):

Attempts to verify this story have failed.

From the outset, we were clear that the story appeared in a Facebook post, and that all we could verify of it was that it had been posted by an actual lawyer and commented on by other lawyers. We warned that we were not yet able to verify the story.

We made statements, however, that were stronger than called for: “They’ve finally done it…. It has finally happened.” These gave the appearance we held the story to be true, even while we presented it as unconfirmed. We now regret the use of these bold statements.

Since then, all our attempts to verify the account have been unsuccessful. For this reason, we are compelled to edit the article and notify our readers that it remains an unconfirmed Facebook post only. Let the reader beware.

Gathering to Take Away Your Parental Rights

Wed, 27 May 2020 15:05:00 GMT

We’ve known it for years: extreme self-identified “experts” will argue away your right to make the best decisions for your child.

We knew it last year when Dr. Barbara Knox, who was put on administrative leave from her Wisconsin hospital for bullying colleagues into supporting child abuse allegations–even in the absence of any medical evidence–ended up instead as the head of a specialty child abuse clinic in Alaska.

We knew it in 2017 when College of William and Mary professor James Dwyer declared, “The reason the parent-child relationship exists is because the State confers legal parenthood on people through its paternity and maternity laws” (emphasis added).

We knew it years before either of these, when Harvard University professor Elizabeth Bartholet wrote in her seminal work, Nobody’s Children (2000), that the reason for racial disparity in child welfare is not that states take too many minority children from their parents, but that the system doesn’t take away enough white children .

And recently we could see them actually coming together to stage a coordinated attack.

These three—Knox, Dwyer, and Bartholet—are among several elitist speakers who were slated to present their radical, anti-family views at an invitation-only, anti-homeschooling conference that, before the pandemic shut it down, was to be held at Harvard in June.

Now, let me be clear: if you think this is only about homeschooling, you haven’t been paying attention. Maybe take a moment to reread the first several paragraphs of this letter and see the dots that this conference would connect.

Medical power. Legal authority. And the might to traumatize children by separating them from their homes.

The conference, which will no doubt be rescheduled, is about homeschooling in its title and on its surface only. These elites are coming for your children, period. They are coming for the power to dictate how every child in America is to be raised.

Raised to act, look, and–especially–to think, not only “just like everyone else,” but just like Bartholet, Dwyer, and Knox.

In a recent article in the Arizona Law Review , and in an even more recent interview in the Harvard Times , Bartholet makes their intentions plain. In both, she calls for “a presumptive ban on homeschooling,” which would require parents to seek permission before exercising their internationally recognized “prior right to decide the kind of education that will be given to their children” ( Universal Declaration of Human Rights , Article 26.3, 1948).

If they get their way—if we are not there to halt their draconian plans for our children— your right to shape your children in freedom according to your own convictions and beliefs will be taken away forever.

From the beginning, the family has been the backbone of American freedom, stability, and even innovation. From its earliest case on the subject, the Supreme Court has held that “[t]he child is not the mere creature of the State; those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right, coupled with the high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations.” Pierce v. Society of Sisters , 268 U.S. 510 (1925) at 535

But that’s not all the Court said. They declared, “The fundamental theory of liberty upon which all governments in this Union repose excludes any general power of the State to standardize its children by forcing them to accept instruction from public teachers only.”

This freedom, this opportunity for independence of thought and belief, is not only an American ideal (contrary to Bartholet’s position), but “ the fundamental theory of liberty upon which all governments in [the United States] repose.”

To lose this freedom would be no small loss to our country.

The Supreme Court understood that, with enough power, a government can train children so that in adulthood they will willingly lay aside their right to bear arms, their freedom of press, and even their freedoms of religion and speech.

Your right to pass on your values to your children is the lone bastion that keeps the government from shaping the next generation into servile subjects, willing to lay aside any other rights we now hold dear.

Bartholet and her colleagues are actively pursuing exactly what the Supreme Court declared they must not have: a general power of the State to standardize its children by forcing them to accept only state-sanctioned instruction.

Imagine. You can keep your children, love them, raise them. But this band of elitists will decide what they learn for more than 30 hours every week, regardless of where they go to school or who is doing the teaching.

No freedom of ideas. No diverse opinions. No exceptions.

Once your child is an adult, how much will they still think and believe as you do? How much will they still share your values and convictions? For that matter, how will they even be able to think for themselves?

To Bartholet and the others, that doesn’t matter. Because there are racists, and sexists, and others out there promoting poor values, these scholars want to take away your parental freedom to instill your good values and your child’s right to a solid worldview foundation. They would throw out the good of your liberty and your child’s future freedoms to get rid of the ills of racism and the like.

But that is not how our country works, nor how it was intended to work. As the Supreme Court declared in one of my favorite decisions, “The statist notion that governmental power should supersede parental authority in all cases because some parents abuse and neglect children is repugnant to American tradition.” Parham v. J.R., 442 U.S. 584 (1979), at 603.

For Bartholet and Dwyer, it is the tradition that should be thrown out, and not their statist views. In her Arizona Law Review article, Bartholet identifies as a “barrier” “the emphasis in the language of the Constitution on protecting individual rights against state action.”

Maybe this should be a clue: if the Constitution of the United States is keeping you from doing what you want to do, maybe the people don’t want you doing it in the first place.

In conclusion, their Harvard conference is not just about homeschooling. And ParentalRights.org is not just about parental rights, either. Our current stand protects every right, every freedom, from extinction in a single generation.

This parental rights movement, made of ParentalRights.org and our allies, is the only bastion standing in the way of Bartholet’s plans for our children. And you are the only source empowering this vital defense.

That’s because ParentalRights.org is funded entirely by private donors just like you. Without your generous support, we would not exist, and there would be virtually no one standing in Harvard’s way.

The climb is steep, but the need is great.

Can I count on you to make a difference with your most generous donation of $20, $50, or even $100 today? We cannot stand up to Bartholet and her ilk without you.

Thank you for standing with us to defend the Constitution—and the families it protects—from these shocking attacks by arrogant academic elites.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

P.S. Elitists like Bartholet, Dwyer, and Knox aren’t looking to protect your children ; they’re looking to shape them into a likeness of the elitists’ own choosing. If they get their way, it’s not just your family that will be affected; the foundations of American society can crumble in a generation. Will you join us today as we continue the fight to stop that from happening and to keep good families free? Their symposium on homeschooling is just another thinly veiled attempt to take away your rights as a parent and your child’s right to your protection. We must fight back.

Letter to Congress Opposes Tripling CAPTA Budget

Tue, 19 May 2020 16:00:00 GMT

Last week ParentalRights.org sent a letter to congressional leaders urging them to reject any boost to Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) funding unless Congress is ready to make serious changes to how the program works.

Given that the entire mission of ParentalRights.org is “protecting children by empowering parents,” nothing could be of greater concern to us than programs inflicting harm on society’s most vulnerable—our children. Yet, as it stands, our government is spending millions of dollars to fund programs that cause more harm to children and families than they prevent. And that is unconscionable.

For instance, today every state has a child abuse hotline because their CAPTA funding depends on it. For the same reason, they all have child abuse registries and follow a number of other congressionally determined rules.

CAPTA is a “carrot” program used since 1974 to provide federal spending incentives for states who adopt child maltreatment programs according to the specified guidelines.

Lately, Congress has been looking at a proposal that would greatly increase the amount of money going through CAPTA—money flowing to the states in recognition of, and to facilitate the states’ adherence to, CAPTA guidelines. When I say “greatly increase,” I mean they’re looking to roughly triple the funding.

But there are serious flaws in the CAPTA program—flaws that traumatize millions of children in innocent families; tripling the funding would only magnify those flaws.

So we wrote a letter to the leaders of every party in each chamber of Congress: Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in the House and Senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in the Senate.

Our letter, which you can read here , highlights three problems in particular that must be addressed before we spend even one more dollar in CAPTA funding.

“Confidential” Rather Than “Anonymous”

First, anonymous reporting must be eliminated. It was through CAPTA’s establishment of child abuse hotlines that anonymous reporting became such a major part of reality all over the country. To receive funding, a state must have a hotline and a means by which someone can call in a report without revealing their identity to the alleged abuser.

But, as one might expect, such a system has become “weaponized.” Everyone from busybody in-laws to disgruntled exes in nasty divorces—even strangers off the street!—can place a call, put you in hot water, and never face any consequences of their own.

Nationally, only four percent of anonymous hotline calls —that’s one in 25 —result in a substantiated finding of abuse or neglect.

This problem can easily be addressed by requiring that the caller, while remaining anonymous to the alleged abuser, provide identifying information to the hotline operator. This “confidential reporting” would cut down tremendously on the number of false and malicious calls going into the system and would allow the states to identify and prosecute those who repeatedly make reports in bad faith.

“Off-Ramp” for Pointless Investigations

Second, open-ended investigations should likewise cease. Currently, CAPTA calls for certain details to be reviewed any time a family is brought to the attention of a child welfare organization, and states have added their own items to this laundry list. In essence, every anonymous call can quickly turn into a full review of everything in your house—even if none of it has anything to do with the allegations against you.

To correct this problem, we called for common sense “off ramp” measures that allow an investigator to halt any investigation once it is determined the hotline call was false.

A case our own Jim Mason was involved in some time ago through his work with Home School Legal Defense Association is helpful to illustrate this point. A mom called in because an investigator was at the door and wanted to see the house and the children. Mom explained that the hotline had apparently received an anonymous call alleging that she let her toddler children play around their in-ground pool all day without supervision.

But there were two details that would immediately allow any investigator to know the call was false. First, her children were all teenagers. And second, they didn’t even own a pool!

Under current practices, the investigator still had boxes to check. Did she look in the refrigerator to verify there is food in the house? Did she interview each child separately, and away from the parents? Did she check them over for bruises? With a common sense “exit-ramp” provision, the investigator could easily write down “No toddlers, no pool” and close the investigation.

And finally, while CAPTA provides funding to states whenever it is deemed necessary to remove children from their home, there is no “standard of removal” in the act. Instead, states must rely on the unrelated Social Security Act, which says children can be removed from any circumstance deemed to be “contrary to the welfare of the child.” But that standard has proven too porous and vague.

If through CAPTA the federal government is going to pay for the removal of children from their homes, the same act should provide careful guidelines to make sure children do not suffer the irreversible trauma of removal when it isn’t called for.

Last year 83 percent of all child welfare investigations were closed as unfounded or unsubstantiated. That means that, for every child rescued from abuse or neglect, five innocent families were traumatized needlessly. Confidential reporting, off-ramp options, and especially a removal standard could help eliminate this unnecessary trauma without stopping the valid work—in fact, they will free more resources for the valid work—of finding and aiding children in actual need.

Under the current pandemic protocols, we aren’t able to muster volunteers and deliver this letter to the congressional leaders in dramatic fashion as we might do in other circumstances. But that didn’t keep us from getting our concerns where they needed to go.

Because our Capitol Hill liaison, Maggie McKneely, has been working on parental rights issues since long before COVID-19, she already had contacts with members of the staff in crucial offices. So she was able to email our letter directly to the attention of those who needed to see and address our concerns.

Yes, technically, we “mailed it in.” But those preexisting relationships have smoothed the way to make sure your concerns for protecting innocent families from trauma will be heard. What’s more, they mean Maggie can continue to monitor the letter’s progress and the discussions that ensue.

So even in the days of lockdown, ParentalRights.org is still making our presence known in Congress as we stand together to protect children and preserve parental rights.

Sincerely

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

When to Remove a Child from the Home?

More Than “Mailing It In”

Another Reply to Harvard on Parental Rights

Wed, 13 May 2020 13:46:00 GMT

Three weeks ago, I wrote to tell you what Harvard’s Elizabeth Bartholet got wrong about us— and about you — when she attacked homeschooling in an Arizona Law Review article and in Harvard Magazine .

Bartholet confused our stance that parental rights are fundamental, which is in keeping with 95 years of Supreme Court precedent, with the extremist notion that they are absolute — a position we have never held or espoused.

This week, Mike Smith, a member of the board of Parental Rights Foundation and the president of the Home School Legal Defense Association, posted his answer to the same charge over at HSLDA’s site. Not surprisingly, he makes several of the same points I made a few weeks ago, but he adds a bit more to the discussion, too.

So let me encourage you to check out Mike’s article here.

Thank you for standing with us for fundamental—not absolute—parental rights.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Harvard Magazine Got Us—and You—Wrong

Wed, 29 Apr 2020 13:52:00 GMT

A Harvard Magazine article by Erin O’Donnell called “The Risks of Homeschooling” has fittingly received a lot of attention in the past week, as O’Donnell expounds on the elitist notion of Harvard Professor Elizabeth Bartholet that there should be “a presumptive ban on the practice [of homeschooling].”

Bartholet, the Wasserstein public interest professor of law and faculty director of the Law School’s Child Advocacy Program, understands perfectly well that she is not merely attacking a schooling option but also the authority and fundamental right of parents to choose that option.

In her views as quoted by O’Donnell, Bartholet makes clear her disdain for parental authority and for those who would stand for your fundamental right to decide what is best for your child.

In two instances, Bartholet, intentionally or otherwise, confuses the character of her opponents—including ParentalRights.org—who stand against educational elitism and in favor of family privacy and autonomy.

Total Authority?

In the first instance, she suggests we would give parents “total authority” over their children.

O’Donnell quotes Bartholet saying “the issue is, do we think that parents should have 24/7, essentially authoritarian control over their children from ages zero to 18? I think that’s dangerous.” The quote continues, “I think it’s always dangerous to put powerful people in charge of the powerless, and to give the powerful ones total authority.”

(The irony of that statement is apparently lost on the professor, who proposes setting academic elites in charge of parents and children, giving scholars total authority in the parents’ place, placing “the powerful in charge of the powerless.”)

Parents are not given “total authority” over their children. The Supreme Court has consistently upheld laws that protect children from abuse or neglect at the hands of their parents—or anyone else.

It should be noted, however, that when it is necessary that someone powerful exercise authority over—and on behalf of—one who is powerless, it is helpful if the powerful know and love the powerless they protect. “Natural bonds of affection lead parents to act in the best interests of their children,” the Supreme Court has observed. (Parham v. J.R., 442 U.S. 584 (1978), at 602.)

Government overlords and academic elitists have no such compulsion.

Absolute Rights?

In the second instance of misrepresenting us and our allies, Bartholet claims “a central tenet of this [pro-family] lobby is that parents have absolute rights that prevent the state from intervening to try to safeguard the child’s right to education and protection” (emphasis added). Based on its immediate context in the article, this charge is being leveled at Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and its allies, which again include ParentalRights.org.

At no point have we put forth the view that parental rights are absolute. In fact, we have often repeated, “No one has a right to abuse a child.”

For the reasons explained earlier, parental rights are not absolute ; they do not preclude the state from intervening to rescue children from abuse or neglect.

Parental rights are fundamental , however, and that requires a high legal standard the state must meet before interference can take place.

The distinction is an important one. If parental rights were absolute, parents could do literally anything they want to their children. Starve them? Beat them? Sell them as slaves? There would be nothing anyone could do to stop them.

Fundamental Rights

Rather, fundamental rights—such as parental rights, our freedom of religion, and our freedom of speech—can be limited. . . but only when absolutely necessary to protect the rights of someone else. The Supreme Court has held that a fundamental right can be infringed only by a law that is narrowly tailored to fulfill a compelling governmental interest by the least restrictive means.

Harvard elitists simply don’t like having to meet that standard (called “strict scrutiny”) before they can impose their own ideology on your family. Strict scrutiny doesn’t give the state any authority to demand a specific kind or content of education that all children must learn.

Going back nearly 100 years, the United States Supreme Court held in Pierce v. Society of Sisters , 268 U.S. 510 (1925), that “[t]he fundamental theory of liberty upon which all governments in this Union repose excludes any general power of the State to standardize its children by forcing them to accept instruction from public teachers only. The child is not the mere creature of the State; those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right, coupled with the high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations” (at 535).

This is exactly the principle of liberty that Bartholet and her ilk seek to overthrow.

No, we do not hold that parents have “total authority,” nor that their rights are “absolute.”

We just know that someone is going to have to represent, protect, and make the best decisions for children , who, by nature of their immaturity, are exceptionally vulnerable. And unlike Bartholet, we recognize that parents, who know their children best and are driven by love for them, are in the best position to fulfill that vital role.

Just the Beginning

This article, as unsettling as it is, is but the opening salvo. In June, Harvard is hosting an invitation-only conference against a parent’s right to choose how to educate their own children. And we expect papers, policy proposals, and other assaults on your rights to come out of that conference in the months ahead.

We must prepare to meet the onslaught and stand up for the right of loving parents to guide their children to full maturity. Can we count on you to support our efforts? Could you make a donation today to ParentalRights.org so we can be ready to meet this challenge?

Thank you for standing with us today, for the truth that parents, not government elites, know and love their children best.

Together we will protect children by empowering parents, not by robbing them of their natural role.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

The post Harvard Magazine Got Us—and You—Wrong appeared first on Parental Rights .

Losing Parental Rights to COVID-19?

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 14:55:00 GMT

It’s called “the death penalty of the family courts.” The termination of parental rights (TPR) is the most extreme measure that can be inflicted on a family, and it is supposed to be reserved for only those instances where a parent is proven to be abusive or negligent and just won’t (or repeatedly can’t) change.

Yet, thanks to a restrictive provision of the Adoption and Safe Families Act, or ASFA, the threat of termination is looming against parents who are getting their lives in order.

The aim of ASFA when it was adopted in 1997 was to prevent children from languishing in foster care or group homes, while parents who were unwilling to change bounced from treatment to treatment and program to program. So it includes a time-limit provision: if a child has spent at least 15 of the last 22 months in state custody, a TPR can be filed based on that fact alone.

The idea was to take children who bounced in and out of foster care in time with their parents’ relapses and free them to be adopted into a stable and permanent home. It was a good and noble idea.

But in the days of COVID-19, that’s not all the “15 of 22” provision applies to.

In these days of quarantines and other extreme measures , even parents who have gotten their acts together are not getting their families back. (And some families who should never have been separated in the first place are facing the same problem!)

The challenges are serious enough that Jerry Milner and David Kelly, both with the Children’s Bureau at the US Department of Health and Human Services, wrote an article last week to highlight and correct them.

With the rise of the novel coronavirus, Milner and Kelly warn , some families will be separated longer as services and scheduled visits are suspended. In some cases, the suspension will be warranted due to the presence of the virus in either the birth home or the foster home setting. But in many other cases, no such threat will be known to exist—yet services will be suspended anyway.

“We cannot allow our shortcomings to be held against families,” they warn.

These shortcomings make the 15/22 provision of ASFA especially concerning. In many cases, families were on track to be reunited this spring. But with quarantines and lockdowns, and with many courthouses closed until further notice, some of those cases will cross the 15/22 guideline for no other reason than the virus.

In light of this, Milner and Kelly warn, “We must be mindful of what is fair and just for parents in these situations. The law provides a tool for circumstances like these, compelling reasons not to file to terminate parental rights. The agency can demonstrate that compelling reasons exist not to file to terminate parental rights, even when the 15/22 month mark has been reached . . .”

In short, if the family was progressing fine, and the deadline hit only due to the virus, that is compelling reason not to terminate those rights.

We couldn’t agree more.

In fact, we are talking with coalition partners and looking for ways to bring a bill to Congress that would suspend the 15/22 rule for as long as lockdowns exist. It would have to be nuanced, because there also exist cases where children are languishing and need a “forever home.”

We want to protect families from unnecessary separation and trauma, while still taking care of the children who need help.

But by no means should a family lose one another forever simply because their court date was pushed back, and their visitation suspended, over this virus outbreak.

It’s a problem that has become so prominent in California that several organizations there have launched a petition urging that visitations with noncustodial parents be reinstated. That’s because it appears that, in their state, all forms of supervised visitation have been suspended.

“Every day that we do not maintain connections between children in care and their parents and siblings is a source of trauma,” Milner and Kelly wrote. States and counties across the country (including California) need to take creative steps to keep these families in touch with one another.

In the new language of our times, family—even imperfect family—is “essential.” So we must do all we can to protect it.

Thank you for standing with ParentalRights.org as we take up the new challenges to parental rights that are spawned in our present reality. Together we can stand tall and weather the storm with our families intact!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

A Message from Our President

Tue, 07 Apr 2020 14:48:00 GMT

Several weeks ago I was going to speak at an Indiana home school conference.

Due to the coronavirus, the conference didn’t happen, but since I couldn’t share this with the attendees in person, I want to take this opportunity to share with you a few of the reasons why I fight for parental rights, and what that fight looks like for all of us today.

This country is facing the question of our age: whether children are better served when fit parents raise, nurture, and educate them. We at ParentalRights.org firmly believe that the answer is yes, they are.

Sadly, we’ve all seen how this basic understanding is being slowly eroded.

It’s a long-standing truth, but it is challenged every day. That’s why we’re both fighting bills that threaten your rights and working on positive legislation to protect American families on the state, national, and international levels.

Our goal is that parental rights will be protected as we continue to move forward with the Parental Rights Amendment, the long-term project that would help protect Americans against unnecessary intrusion and tragedy.

We think that the common sense reforms I mention below, and others, will result in less trauma to children and will free up child welfare workers to focus where they are really needed.

We believe that children are best served when fit parents have great liberty to raise, nurture, and educate them. But we have a lot of work to do, and I welcome your support.

Watch the full message here.

Complete Transcript

Do you believe that children are better served when fit parents have great liberty to raise, nurture, and educate them? Or do think children are better off when the judgments of loving parents are influenced, modified, and sometimes replaced by state-appointed experts, who believe they are acting in the best interests of your child?

That is the question of our age, as more and more of the zone traditionally left to the decision-making of fit parents is intruded upon by an ever-growing state mechanism that thinks it knows best and by cultural changes that increasingly put pressure on the traditional understanding of the role of parents in the lives of their children.

I’m Jim Mason, Vice President of Home School Legal Defense Association and President of Parentalrights.org. And I answer this question—we answer this question—that we believe that children thrive best when loving parents are free to make decisions in the best interests of their children without undue interference from the state. We agree with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which said in one of our early cases:

“The government’s interest in the welfare of children embraces not only protecting children from physical abuse, but also protecting children’s interest in the privacy and dignity of their homes and in the lawfully exercised authority of their parents.”

Notice that the Court said that children have an interest in the authority of their parents that the state should protect .

Because we perceived that this traditional understanding has been slowly eroding over time we have been working towards amending the US Constitution to include a parental rights amendment, to put the traditionally understood fundamental right into the text of the Constitution in black and white.

Amending the US Constitution is a marathon broken into two-year sprints. Each new Congress we must find a sponsor in the House and the Senate; the resolution must be supported by 2/3 of both houses during that single two year Congress; then ratified by 3/4 of the state legislatures, in a time usually included in the Congressional resolution, often 7 years.

Constitutional amendments are hard to pass. The first effort to pass an Equal Rights Amendment began in 1921. It finally passed Congress in 1972, a month before President Nixon’s friends broke into the Watergate. Then it fell short of ratification in the states—maybe. The original resolution put a 7 year deadline on ratification. That deadline was adopted by 2/3 of each house. As the deadline approached, a simple majority in each house passed a resolution to extend the deadline an additional three years. Those additional three years elapsed without reaching the magic number of state ratifications.

But the ERA is back in the news as the newly minted Virginia General Assembly earlier this year became the 38th state to vote to ratify it, which would be three-fourths of states if Virginia’s vote is valid—and other moving parts are also valid.

But this vote was well after both the first and the putative second deadline have passed. What’s more, in the ensuing years, 5 states that at first ratified the ERA have rescinded their ratification—if they legally can. Proponents of the ERA say that once a state has ratified the amendment it can’t change its mind, and that the deadlines are not exactly deadlines—they’re more of what you’d call “guidelines” than actual rules, as Captain Barbossa might say. Almost a hundred years in the making and much Con-law mayhem is about to ensue, in the courts, in state legislatures, and in talking head land.

Our founder Mike Farris’s original idea for forming Parentalrights.org in 2006 was to pass a parental rights amendment quickly, before society had moved too far away from a traditional understanding of the role of parents in the lives of children, and to prevent further erosion and growing state intrusions between parents and children.

There was a template for this. Although the idea of lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 had been around since 1941, the Vietnam War became a catalyst. After the Supreme Court held in 1970 that a federal statute lowering the voting age was unconstitutional as applied to state elections, President Nixon asked Congress to amend the US Constitution. Congress sent the 26th Amendment to the states on March 23, 1971 and it was ratified by the states on July 1, 1971.

But that didn’t happen with the parental rights amendment, so we are in it for the long haul, confident that as the need becomes clear to more and more people it will gain traction in Congress . Remember, this is a marathon broken into two-year sprints. Once upon a time I completed the Portland marathon—I won’t say I ran the Portland marathon—but I did complete it. I can attest that completing a marathon is not something most people decide to do one day then go out and do the next day. It requires daily discipline over a long period of time. I ran over a thousand miles the year I did the marathon, each week extending my long run by about ten percent over the previous week, until my weekly long run became 17 miles then 18 miles and so on.

The supporters of the ERA have been at it for a hundred years and they haven’t given up—and neither will we.

But in the meantime there is other important and useful work that we are doing and that we need your support in doing.

Criminal justice reform has been much in the news lately. I’m here to talk to you about another kind of related reform that is much needed but is not talked about very much. This country’s child protective services are in great need of reform because the way they operate today needlessly harms many children in pursuit of the noble goal of protecting children.

So I’m here today to explain why we at Parentalrights.org and Parental Rights Foundation have taken up the issue of reforming the way child welfare investigations are conducted. With a few commonsense reforms we could reduce needless harm to millions of children and their parents each year while allowing child-welfare investigators to devote their limited resources more efficiently to the children who are truly in need.

I wear two hats—one, as Vice President of Home School Legal Defense Association, which is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect the fundamental constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children. With over 80,000 member families in fifty states, HSLDA is the world’s largest homeschool advocacy organization.

Parentalrights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation were born out of the experience HSLDA gained helping homeschooling families, realizing that other children and parents also need help. In the early days of the modern homeschooling movement, we discovered that child-welfare investigators routinely avoid interacting with parents at the beginning of an investigation by going to the child’s school or pre-school to interview and physically examine the child without parental knowledge or consent. But because homeschooled children are at home when they are at school, child-welfare investigators could not routinely avoid parents.

This led to many distressing encounters at the front door of homeschooling family’s homes, often simply because they homeschooled at a time when it was not as accepted as it is today. Often the allegations would be something like this, “There’s a really religious family on my street and the kids are always at home during school hours.”

It was HSLDA’s position then, as it is now, that child-welfare investigators have a difficult and often thankless job in protecting children from abuse and neglect, but the government also has an important interest, as I mentioned earlier, in protecting the interests of children in the privacy and dignity of their homes and in the lawfully-exercised authority of their parents —especially while investigating allegations of abuse or neglect.

From its founding in 1983, HSLDA has assisted thousands of families in protecting those interests during these encounters, often commenced in response to anonymous or malicious hotline tips that later prove to be unfounded. HSLDA was lead counsel in Calabretta v. Floyd , in which the Ninth Circuit case I quoted from earlier, held that the nonconsensual entry into the home and subsequent strip search of the children violated the Fourth Amendment rights of that homeschooling family.

In North Carolina and Pennsylvania, we defended families in investigations that led to statewide appellate court decisions that reinforced that child-welfare investigations are subject to the Fourth Amendment, which many CPS investigators disagree with or ignore in the name of “the children.”

HSLDA is currently representing a homeschooling mother in Kentucky. The investigator was responding to a non-emergency report that the mom had left her children in the car for less than ten minutes the day before while she ran into Cobbler’s Café to buy the kids some muffins on the way to karate practice. The children were never in danger, no harm came to them, and in any event, the allegation had nothing to do with the condition of the home or physical abuse that would justify looking for signs of physical injury. And it was not illegal in Kentucky for parents to leave their children unattended in a safe and responsible manner (although this is one of those cultural shifts that has recently occurred. It is far more common today for members of the public to second-guess the decisions parents make and then make a hotline call, apparently oblivious to what they will be unleashing on an innocent family).

The Kentucky child-welfare investigator bullied her way into the home with an armed police officer, without a warrant or consent, by threatening to take the kids into foster care. The investigator then strip searched all six kids, euphemistically calling it a “body check.” After the investigation was closed as unfounded, the investigator referred to it as “an oopsie-daisy.”

To vindicate the family and hopefully set a precedent that will change things for the better for all families, we sued the investigator—which we like to think of as her oopsie-daisy. We are waiting for the judge to rule on the CPS investigator’s motion to throw the case out of court.

At her deposition the investigator said, “This is what I always do.” And her testimony is consistent with our experience all over the country.

Because homeschooling depends on the recognition of the right of all parents to direct the education of their children, the abuses we discovered on behalf of homeschoolers led us to start the sister organization to advocate for all parents.

Parental Rights Foundation is concerned about the erosion of the legal protection of parents to raise, nurture, and educate their children without undue state interference, and about the unfortunate, unintended consequences to innocent children caused by the routine overreach of the child-welfare system. We seek to protect children by educating those in government and the public about the need to roll back some of the intrusive state mechanisms that have worked to harm more children than they help.

In her seminal article on the effect of child-welfare investigations, Storming the Castle to Save the Children: The Ironic Costs of a Child Welfare Exception to the Fourth Amendment, (2005), Duke University law professor, Doriane Coleman, said, “The investigations undermine the fundamental values of privacy, dignity, personal security, and mobility that are protected by the Fourth Amendment.”

Often the only recourse for families wrongly treated is to sue for federal civil rights violations. But the doctrine of qualified immunity shields many state actors from ever being held responsible. That doctrine is designed to protect law enforcement and others from being held liable for money damages when they must make split-second decisions in the field, often life and death decisions. But the doctrine has been expanded by the courts so far that it has become increasingly difficult to establish when public officials violate a family’s constitutional rights.

Much research shows that the state, in its effort to investigate child abuse and neglect, can often cause more harm than good. As Professor Coleman wrote, “The majority of intrusions on family privacy do not directly benefit the children involved, and in many instances actually cause them demonstrable harm.” More recently, Professor Teri Dobbins Baxter wrote, “Research has shown that investigations, particularly those that are unnecessarily intrusive or that separate children from their caregivers, can be traumatic and psychologically harmful to the children as well as damaging to the family as a whole.”

Another law professor wrote that, “ children, of course, have a strong interest in being free from abuse. But they also have a strong interest in being free from intrusive, traumatic questioning by strangers.”

Millions of child-welfare investigations are conducted every year, and the vast majority of these investigations, roughly 80 percent, end with a finding that the children were not victims.

The numbers are staggering. In 2002, according to HHS reports, there were approximately 1.8 million child-welfare investigations nationwide. Only twenty-eight percent of the children “were ultimately found to be victims of abuse or neglect.” Coleman, supra at 417. More recent numbers are even more sobering. According to HHS statistics from 2016, 4 million children, nearly double the 2002 numbers, were investigated, and fewer than 20% were actual victims.

In other words, for every family investigated and found to be neglectful or abusive, four other families are disrupted by an investigation that finds no victim.

And many of those in the 20% who were determined to be neglectful never get a day in court—they are instead placed on a central child abuse registry, where their name comes up in background checks for jobs like teaching, for security clearances, for adoption, for volunteering to teach Sunday school or coach rec-league soccer. In most states, parents are put on the central register based on the judgment of a local child-welfare office and must go through an administrative appeal to protest that determination and be removed from the registry.

“Perhaps even more of these investigations should close without findings of abuse or neglect. The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has described administrative findings of abuse or neglect as “at best imperfect,” noting that three-quarters of administrative challenges succeed in reversing such findings. ” Gupta-Kagan, supra at 362.

My office has handled 8 administrative appeals in the last two years, mostly involving paperwork disputes in the homeschool setting—All 8 were successful in getting the parent off the central registry.

Reforms we would like to see:

First: Adopt into state-law that Fourth Amendment protections—and state constitutional equivalents—apply to child-welfare investigations.

Why? Child Welfare Investigators and supporting law enforcement officers incorrectly believe that the Fourth Amendment does not apply to child-welfare investigations, causing much disruption and harm to innocent families in their own homes —the place the Supreme Court says is most protected and where children need to feel the most safe and secure.

Why? Anonymous reports are notoriously unreliable and can be easily weaponized. They are often exploited during divorce and child custody disputes.

A judge of my acquaintance recently had his life turned upside down when a criminal defendant made an anonymous report about his son. The report was scurrilous and implausible on its face. Nevertheless, the day after the judge made an unfavorable ruling against the defendant, his son was pulled out of class at school, questioned by a CPS investigator without his parents knowledge or consent. The boy feared that something bad had happened to his parents or that he must have done something wrong. The first time his parents knew anything about it was when the school called and asked them to pick the boy up because he was so traumatized —that’s the judge’s word—that he could not continue with the school day. The investigator then came to the judge’s home and demanded to see where the boy slept and that there was food in the refrigerator, which is what they almost always want to do.

Our HSLDA attorneys help people in these circumstances all the time. Anonymous reports must go!

An after-hours call I handled a few years ago aptly illustrates the point. A homeschool mom in Virginia said a CPS investigator was at her door demanding to come in and interview her children based on a report that she frequently left her toddlers unattended by the pool in the back yard.

“But Mr. Mason,” she said, “There’s two things wrong with this. First, my children are all teenagers.”

“What’s the second thing?” I asked.

“Well,” she said more calmly than I would have, “I don’t have a swimming pool.”

Forgetting momentarily that I was in CPS investigator-land, I for a moment thought that common sense would prevail. I told our member to take the investigator to the backyard and show him that there was no swimming pool. Then I spoke to him:

“As I am sure you will agree,” I began, certain that my unassailable logic and commonsense would prevail, “the anonymous report is false. There is no swimming pool to leave anyone unattended beside, even if she had toddlers, which she doesn’t.”

As if speaking to a young child, the investigator explained, “It doesn’t really matter that there is no pool. I have started an investigation and I cannot leave until I complete it. I still need to look inside the home and interview the children privately.’

It then became a whole thing. Imagine how much more sense it would make for the investigator to be freed up to acknowledge that the tip was false and then go about his business—HELPING children who were really in need . Our attorneys handle this kind of call regularly.

Following the notorious case of Penn State Coach Jerry Sandusky, Pennsylvania reformed its child-welfare laws in the opposite direction. A few years later a state auditor found that this led to worse rather than better results. More needless investigations led to worker burnout, caused needless distress to more children and parents, and caused actual needy children to fall through the cracks.

We think that the common sense reforms I mentioned, and others, consistent with constitutional rights, will result in less harm to many children and will free up child-welfare workers to focus where they are really needed.

We’re working with a bipartisan coalition to fashion model state legislation to achieve these goals. One of the model bills we worked on together has been introduced in Colorado.

Another thing we’re watching very closely is the re-emergence of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

Some bad ideas just refuse to die. After lying dormant for several years, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has once again entered the spotlight via a newly introduced resolution in the US House of Representatives.

On November 20, 1989, the CRC was proposed. By September of the next year, 20 countries had signed it, the threshold needed to bring the treaty into force. Since then, 196 other nations have also signed it.

In 1995, Secretary of State Madeline Albright signed the treaty on behalf of the US, but it was never ratified by the Senate. As of 2020, the US remains the sole country to not have ratified the CRC.

And we are working to keep it that way. We know that children do best when parents are free to make the most beneficial choice for their kids. Parents don’t need an unelected bureaucrat in a faraway land to tell them what’s best for their child. Yet empowering officials to overrule parents is exactly what the CRC does.

One of the main tenets advanced by the CRC is that the government should make decisions based on the “best interest of the child” in all cases. In the United States, this principle has traditionally been used only in cases where parents have been determined to be unfit, thus allowing judges to make major decisions on behalf of children.

But under this international treaty, the application of “best interests” could be broadened to include cases involving fit parents. Under the CRC, this benign-sounding language could be used by courts and child-welfare agencies to usurp the rights of parents, to the detriment of their children. It would grant authorities in the US the power to determine if a parent’s decision regarding education or religion is in the child’s best interest or not.

According to international law expert Geraldine Van Bueren, the leading scholar on the CRC, “‘best interests’ provides decision and policy makers with the authority to substitute their own decisions for either the child’s or the parents, providing it is based on considerations of the best interests of the child. Thus, the convention challenges the concept that family life is always in the best interests of children and that parents are always capable of deciding what is best for children.”

Fit parents should always have the right to make fundamental decisions for their children, particularly regarding education and religion. But the CRC would undermine that right.

In the early years of the fight against the CRC, HSLDA opposed it out of concern that it could be used to restrict homeschooling.

We know now those concerns were well-founded. A number of nations, including England , Northern Ireland , and Sweden , have proposed or imposed regulations that curb the freedom to homeschool, all in the name of the CRC. Other countries, such as Botswana , have handed down negative court rulings or harassed homeschool families under the CRC’s authority.

To some, the fact that the US has still not ratified the treaty is appalling and unacceptable. Representative Ilhan Omar stated in her press release regarding the resolution that “protecting the rights of children is fundamental, and we should be a world leader on this issue, which we can’t be unless we’re a state party to the convention.”

But ratifying the CRC in the US would have zero impact on children in other parts of the world. Instead, it would override many existing American laws on children, dismantling the protections families enjoy today. Currently, family and education laws are created by the states; ratification of the CRC would transfer jurisdiction of those laws to the US Congress. Congress, in turn, would have to follow the mandates of the CRC.

As a House resolution that merely calls on the Senate to ratify the treaty, which ain’t gonna happen this year, HR 854 would substantively do very little. However, the CRC is an ever-present threat. Because the US has signed the treaty, the next step, Senate ratification, can happen at any time— it’s simply a matter of changing the Senate into one that supports the treaty by 2/3 majority.

That’s why, if members of Congress want to once again extoll the virtues of the CRC, we will remind them why ratification should never take place. Not if they truly care about the well-being of American children.

While passing an amendment to the US Constitution is not likely to happen quickly, we need nevertheless to work to preserve the traditional role parents play in the lives of their children . We see this being challenged every day in a host of ways. That’s why we’re working on model legislation, in alliance with a broad coalition, and why we continue to monitor Congress and the UN.

I began by asking if you believe that children are better served when fit parents have great liberty to raise, nurture, and educate them. We have a lot of work to do and I welcome your support. Please go to parentalrights.org or parental rights foundation.org to learn more.

Thank you also to my hosts, Indiana Association of Home Education and Homeschoolers of Maine for allowing me to speak here today. They are the backbone of homeschool freedom, and they know that homeschool freedom depends on the traditionally understood, fundamental right of parents to raise, nurture and educate their children. So please support them as much as you can, especially through these difficult times.

Sincerely,

James Mason
President

Second: Do not investigate based on uncorroborated anonymous reports—instead require reporters to leave verifiable contact information that will remain confidential unless later determined to be knowingly false or malicious. This should significantly reduce the number of false reports.

Third: Make it clear that investigators may terminate an investigation immediately once they determine the report is false.

Fourth: Require notice and opportunity to be heard in an administrative hearing BEFORE being placed on the central register rather than having to fight to get taken off the register.

Harvard Symposium to Challenge Parental Rights

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 13:36:00 GMT

Do you believe that children are better served when fit parents have the liberty to raise, nurture, and educate them? Or do think children are better off when the decisions of loving parents are influenced, modified, and sometimes replaced by the opinions of state-appointed experts, who believe they are acting in the best interests of your child?

That is the question of our age, as more and more of the zones traditionally left to fit parents are intruded upon by an ever-growing state mechanism that thinks it knows best.

One bold example of this intrusion can be seen in an upcoming Harvard event that looks to challenge the role of parents by questioning their right and ability to educate their children.

The event is called “The Homeschooling Summit: Problems, Politics, and Prospects for Reform.”

You and I know that the liberty to homeschool stands on the right of parents to direct the education of their children. Yet the speakers for this summit make arguments for regulating homeschooling out of necessity, which would amount to invading the zone of parental decision-making that I mentioned above.

One of this summit’s co-organizers is James Dwyer , a law professor at the College of William & Mary. He is the professor famous for claiming that “the reason parent-child relationships exist is because the State confers legal parenthood . . .”

Dwyer went even further in his 1994 law review article “Parents’ Religion and Children’s Welfare: Debunking the Doctrine of Parents’ Rights” (82 Calif. L. Rev. 1371), arguing that “the claim that parents should have child-rearing rights—rather than simply being permitted to perform parental duties and to make certain decisions on a child’s behalf in accordance with the child’s rights— is inconsistent with principles deeply embedded in our law and morality.”

This is just an example of how the co-organizers of this event disregard the rights and importance of parents.

The other co-organizer, Harvard Law School professor Elizabeth Bartholet , is working on a draft law review article called “Homeschooling: Parent Rights Absolutism vs. Child Rights to Education & Protection,” in which she is critical of those of us ( some called out by name ) who hold the traditional view that children are best protected when parents are presumed to be acting in their child’s best interest.

That view is hardly “absolutist.” But it is both traditional and, according to what the Supreme Court has said for decades, the correct legal view. Yet, even though both the Supreme Court and tradition are on our side, there are still those who want to take these basic rights away from parents.

Elitist opinions like those held by Professors Dwyer and Bartholet are why ParentalRights.org exist, and why we have worked to amend the US Constitution to include the right of parents to raise, nurture, and educate their children.

We will be following the Harvard event with interest. In the face of these arguments against the natural bonds of families, we stand for the rights of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children.

But we cannot do this without your support. Would you be willing to partner with us today as we continue to spread awareness and affect change in support of parents’ rights?

People like Professors Dwyer and Bartholet will continue to push against our work – and the work of like-minded organizations. But the generous support of partners like you enables us to keep responding to threats, passing good legislation, and fighting for families across America.

To learn more about the Harvard event and its Child Advocacy Program, visit this site .

Sincerely,

James Mason
President

Urgent PA Update and Action Needed

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 15:02:00 GMT

We have two important announcements for Pennsylvania residents.

Rally Cancelled:

We are sad to officially announce that t he May 25 Pennsylvania “Parents Know Best Rally” has been cancelled. Pennsylvania has shut down any events at the capitol in the wake of COVID-19.

We hope to reschedule for the future, so keep an eye out for that email.

While our rally can’t happen, we need you to take immediate action against PA Senate Bill 633 , the Public Health Emergency Act—sponsored by Senator Jay Costa (D-PA)—which would take away civil liberties during times of uncertainty by granting more power to the state government .

By calling for the closing of schools and nonessential businesses, Gov. Wolf has already made S.B. 633 unnecessary. More importantly, however, S.B. 633 is dangerous because its limits are not clearly defined , and it does not protect the individual rights of citizens.

Even more concerning, there is no guarantee that the new powers granted to the state would end once the health emergency in question (in this case, COVID-19) was over.

In order to prevent this bill from passing the PA House (it has already passed in the Senate), we need you contact your representatives now and urge them to vote “no” on S.B. 633.

Because Gov. Wolf’s Emergency Declaration prohibits people from going to the capitol to lobby in person, you’ll have to use phone calls, faxes, emails, and social media to influence your legislators.

To fight this bill, we are working closely with our ally, the Pennsylvania Coalition for Informed Consent; they have an excellent fact sheet on their website that goes into the details of why S.B. 633 is so dangerous (you can follow the link here ).

We need you to join us in the fight to stop S.B. 633 and its unnecessary government overreach.

Together we can stop the passage of S.B. 633.

Stay safe and healthy,

Cory Gibbons,
Contact Coordinator

Action Item:

Thoughts on Family and COVID-19

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 14:09:00 GMT

It really isn’t the end of the world. But the pandemic status of COVID-19 has certainly brought about some significant changes for each of us in our daily lives.

For millions, the biggest change is that the kids are home. Schools are shut down for the next several weeks, with some sources hinting that many schools may stay closed until the other side of summer break. (Virginia’s governor just confirmed this in our state while this article was in editing.)

For others, the biggest change may be telecommuting. Rather than suits and ties, endless meetings, and a cubicle, now it’s pajamas, conference calls, and a laptop or home computer.

There is no denying that life has slowed down, and family has once again become the center of everything.

This, at least, is a good thing.

We firmly believe that the relationships we have with our family are foundational to who we are as human beings and members of society. Cherish this unexpected time you have with your children.

But we must also remain vigilant and wise.

At ParentalRights.org, we have heard accounts of families being reported to CPS for taking their family out in public during these days of social distancing.

As if busybodies needed one more excuse to call an anonymous child abuse hotline.

These accounts aren’t common, and we don’t expect it to spread, but we are aware of it and thought you should know, too. Apparently, even in this time of goodwill, there are still people out there ready to make an unnecessary report of child abuse against good and reasonable parents.

Now is the perfect time for getting some more fresh air and sunshine with your family, but make sure you do it wisely.

Go to a nature path or on a leisurely walk around the block, but don’t go out in a crowded park or other public place. And, as always, you can wave to neighbors, just don’t get too close to them.

Enjoy this opportunity you have as a family to just be together.

But we ask that you also remember those who are not so fortunate, whose families have been divided by government intrusion, most of them without a solid reason.

Those families are having it even harder right now, as their already-limited visitations are cut due to quarantines. So please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Meanwhile, we as the ParentalRights.org family need to stay in touch.

Rallies and lobby events have been cancelled. Lobbyists aren’t heading up to Capitol Hill. Even our little office in Virginia is generally empty, as our team works remotely from our individual homes. (We go in every few days for the mail and other necessary on-site duties.)

But parental rights abuses, like the one I mentioned earlier in this letter, are still taking place. We won’t see them in the one-track news right now. But if you hear of them, you can let us know.

On a discussion board I frequent, someone recently wrote, “We aren’t social distancing. We’re just physically distancing. Socially, we’re as connected as ever.” That’s our hope as a parental rights community, too.

Please, check out our Facebook page, or even the Facebook page for your state. (We have about 20 state-specific parental rights pages.) Drop us a note, and certainly alert us to any abuses you’re seeing. We’d really love it if you would stop by daily and just say “Hi!”

You are our community.

These are uncertain days for all of us, but “uncertainty” doesn’t have to mean “fear.”

This break from the routine, as unsettling as it may feel, contains a whole world of possibilities.

We may find opportunities we’ve never had before to look out for our neighbors, to encourage other families, and to enjoy having our children close by. And we can learn to connect in new ways.

Today, much more than usual, our family defines our whole life. And I’m good with that; I believe in my family.

We at ParentalRights.org believe in your family, too.

So, thank you for standing with us. Please keep in touch!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Fresh Excuse for False Reports

Stay Connected

Uncertain Brings Opportunity

Even Insiders Are No Longer Safe

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 14:16:00 GMT

Just when we think they won’t get any more brazen, they do.

Not long ago, the system’s violations of parental rights were kept to the shadows. Child Protective Services (CPS) targeted minorities and the poor because these were least able to defend themselves, and more likely to be dismissed by the general population.

But the once-secretive system has since faced high-profile cases, like Maryanne Godboldo’s SWAT team standoff and the Pelletier family’s fight to rescue their daughter, Justina, from the trauma inflicted by Boston Children’s Hospital. And instead of being ashamed, the System has just gotten bolder.

Now the System has successfully stacked itself so high against families that even insiders are no longer immune.

Earlier this year we heard from a court officer who found out first-hand how easy it can be for someone to make an anonymous false accusation against him through a child abuse hotline. And he learned that CPS won’t just drop it, even when they have far more evidence that the report was intentionally false than they do that abuse has ever taken place. And now doctors are being accused of child abuse by the very hospitals they work for.

You may have already heard the story of Wisconsin doctors John Cox and his wife, Sadie Dobrozsi. Their nightmare was featured in two full-length articles on NBC News’ website last month.

John and Sadie were living a dream, getting to know and love the precious baby girl they were in the process of adopting. One morning John was resting with their daughter on his chest.

Suddenly, he awoke in a panic to her crying. He had dozed off, and in his sleep his body had shifted so that he was now partially lying on the little girl.

In tears, John called his wife and the two examined the child together. Because they suspected she may have a broken collar bone, they agreed John should do as any parent would, doctor or not: take her in to the emergency room (which happened to be in the hospital where they both worked).

That is where their real nightmare began.

The attending physician, a friend of John and Sadie, knew this injury was not a result of abuse. But rather than show favoritism to his colleagues, he treated them as he would anyone else, alerting the child abuse pediatrics team to the injury. After all, since there was no abuse, it wouldn’t hurt anything to let the team confirm that, too.

But that is apparently not what the child abuse pediatrics team does.

Instead, they declared that the broken collar bone was clearly non-accidental, and they diagnosed the baby with “widespread contusions”—bruises all over her body.

The team called CPS, who accused John of abuse and whisked the couple’s baby away. That was nine months ago, and they haven’t gotten to see her since.

But that’s not the end of the injustice.

Two child abuse pediatricians testified in court that the broken collar bone and the widespread bruises were certain signs of abuse. It was their “medical diagnosis.” Nothing else could possibly have created these symptoms, and a child abuse specialist would know. Except that they were wrong.

No fewer than seven dermatologists examined the baby after she was brought in, and all seven agreed: what had been diagnoses as bruises were almost all birthmarks. At most there were three small bruises on her body, and these could have been from basic, even careful, handling if the child suffered from a blood condition that leads to easy bruising.

Four hematologists and the mother, herself a pediatric hematologist-oncologist, knew from the test results that such a condition was likely indicated. But one of the child abuse experts testified the child had no such condition.

That’s five blood experts and seven skin experts against the conclusion of only two doctors who are trained to find and support a conclusion of abuse, and only that conclusion.

And the courts have sided with the two. As John and Sadie found out, the system right now is blatantly unfair, and children are the ones who suffer most.

John and Sadie’s precious daughter is once again without a stable family to love and protect her. Why? Because the system is unjustly stacked against parents. “What has and is happening is not medicine,” Dr. Sadie Dobrozsi told NBC for their report. “It is ego and arrogance and power. And it has to end.”

But it won’t end until more people know. And that’s where the Parental Rights Foundation comes in, where you and I come in.

Because even as brazen as the child-grabbers have become, even investigating court officers and accusing doctors in their own hospitals, there are still so many who do not know. John and Sadie certainly didn’t know.

Parents and professionals alike would join our cause and stand for family rights if they knew these things were going on. And that kind of outcry would bring change.

That’s why we have to tell them.

That’s why we featured this problem of child abuse pediatricians in our online article just a few weeks ago. It’s why we launched the Parental Rights Podcast in January, and why a recent episode featured UNC law professor Maxine Eichner to discuss this very topic.

It’s why we’ve allied with like-minded experts from across the political spectrum who are crying “foul” on the very same issues, including author-attorney Diane Redleaf and NYU law professor Martin Guggenheim.

It’s why other podcast guests have focused on everything from anti-family bills introduced in states around the country to creating an understanding of parental rights as natural, not government-granted, rights.

The need to educate and inform America about the plight of parental rights is what prompted us to file an amicus brief in a Texas Supreme Court parental rights case in December—a case that may ultimately find its way to the US Supreme Court.

And it’s this need to educate and inform that led us to propose new model legislation to protect the due process rights of innocent parents like John and Sadie, to ensure they’ll get their day in court before their name ever goes on a child abuse register.

It is thanks to the hard work of our team and faithful partners like you, FName, that we have been able to do these things this year— things we have never done before.

Now, as our fiscal year comes to a close on March 31, we’re trying to do something else we’ve never done: finish in the black for a fourth consecutive year.

It’s not just a feather to stick in our cap. Fully funding the work we have done this year puts us in the best position to continue our work into the next fiscal year and beyond. It’s good business sense, good stewardship. But again, we’re going to need your help to do it.

Will you support the briefs, the reporting, the model policies and laws that defend families, with a generous gift today to support the Parental Rights Foundation?

No one else is entirely dedicated to preserving the rights of parents against these gross violations. No one else is solely focused on protecting innocent families from this kind of trauma and abuse.

We have big goals for this next year, like growing the reach and effectiveness of our podcast, and seeing the Texas Supreme Court case through to the end. We want to further more policies that protect innocent families, and bring healthy changes to the whole system of child welfare.

Will you take a moment today to support us in the fight for families like these, families just like yours? Your gift will make all we do and are going to do possible.

Thank you for your faithful support of this vital cause. Together we can make a difference and change our country for the better.

Sincerely,

James R. Mason
President

P.S. Families like John and Sadie’s are counting on us to continue the work of calling attention to their plight and working to end the arrogant overreaches that have so harmed their children. We want to see fewer families like Maryanne Godboldo’s, Justina Pelletier’s, or Dr. John Cox’s torn apart. Because, as the court officer and these doctors have found out recently, no family is safe until we all are.

Minnesota to End All Private Education?

Wed, 11 Mar 2020 13:19:00 GMT

A new proposal in Minnesota would create a constitutional provision that “all children have a fundamental right to a quality public education,” which could threaten the natural and constitutional right of parents to decide what form of education is best for their child.

While the availability of a free public education has been a hallmark of American society since the eighteenth century, so has the freedom to choose whether to use it or to select a private or home education for one’s family.

Today, a few progressive academics like James Dwyer posit that children belong to the state, and that the government must regulate all forms of education. They want to ensure that children are raised not only to know the information but also to think the thoughts that the government has approved for them.

Radicals have been saying this for a long time, but when their extremist ideas become proposed new laws, we have to fight back.

Precedent Favors Parents

You and I know that this radical notion directly conflicts with settled Supreme Court precedent.

In 1925, the court confronted an Oregon law that required all students to attend public schools only. The court’s ruling in Pierce v. Society of Sisters was clear:

The fundamental theory of liberty upon which all governments in this Union repose excludes any general power of the state to standardize its children by forcing them to accept instruction from public teachers only. The child is not the mere creature of the state; those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right, coupled with the high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations.

And on this point, even the international community agrees (with the troubling exception of several members of the UN’s Committee on the Rights of the Child). In response to the rise and success of the Hitler Youth movement, the United Nations in 1948 adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 26, which holds that “Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.”

But Supreme Court precedent and international declarations notwithstanding, Minnesota House File 3658 and Senate File 3977 seek to challenge this rule.

By establishing that “ all children have a fundamental right to a quality public education” (emphasis added), this constitutional amendment would open the door to legally challenging a parent’s decision to use any other method to teach their child.

Never in our nation’s history has the government had the authority to decide what form of education children must receive, and we have no desire to see Minnesota lay claim to it now. It is parents, not government, who know their child best and are most qualified to make beneficial decisions on the child’s behalf.

The stated aims of the proponents of H.F. 3658 are admirable. They would demand that their state live up to its obligation to provide quality, effective education for those who use the public schools. A lot of public resources go into paying for schools; the people should be able to require accountability for the way those dollars are spent and the quality of the product their children receive.

But as Home School Legal Defense Association Senior Counsel Michael Donnelly testified before the Senate E-12 Finance and Policy Committee last week, “there is currently no constitutional or statutory obstacle to achieving [these] goals.”

If the state wants to make their public schools better, they already have the authority to do it. They don’t need to rob parents of their right to choose alternative forms of education for their child.

In fact, the amendment, if adopted, would have the opposite effect of its stated purpose. Should the change result in the elimination of alternative forms of education, the public schools, robbed of any form of competition, would have even less incentive to improve the quality of education they provide.

Even if the schools got worse than ever, students or parents would have nowhere else to go.

We don’t really expect that would be the result (though it could be). Rather, we anticipate years of legal wrangling and court challenges until a federal court, on the strong precedent of Pierce v. Society of Sisters , sends the Minnesota constitutional language to the dustbin.

But do Minnesota lawmakers really want the future of their society to hinge on the decision of perhaps one swing-vote judge? That is not how good policy decisions should be made.

And what happens in the meantime? Either children are forced into public schools against their parents’ convictions, or parents defy the law and create an opportunity for social services to come knocking. Once again, children are the ones hurt by anti-parent policies.

We must fight these bills now to keep bad policy from hurting good families.

Thankfully, we are off to a good start.

We’re grateful for Michael Donnelly and others who testified against this resolution last week, and we are already standing with them to oppose this dangerous proposal. We are also honored to have been represented in the hearing by the many active parental rights champions who turned out to lend their support to Donnelly’s position.

But vigilance is not cheap, and ParentalRights.org is completely donor funded—supported by parental rights champions just like you. To help fight this and similar threats, could you make an investment in our ongoing efforts through your gift today?

Further, if you live in Minnesota, please take a moment to contact your lawmakers and urge them to stand against this proposed constitutional amendment. You can easily connect with your senator through the VoterVoice tool available on this page on HSLDA’s website .

Parents, not the state, have a fundamental right to direct the education of their children. We will oppose any provision in any state that would threaten to rob our families of this right.

Thank you for standing with us as we oppose government overreach, intended or otherwise, in Minnesota and throughout the United States.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Unprecedented and Unnecessary

Catastrophic Potential

Parent Champions Rise to the Challenge?

Urgent Action Needed Today in Florida

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 14:06:00 GMT

We, The Parents of Florida, are requesting that the Senate Majority Leadership prepare to assign priority placement on the Special Orders Calendar for CS/HB 1059 , immediately after it passes favorably in the Florida House of Representatives.

Why?

Because Parental Rights are a priority for Florida Parents;

Because the Florida Legislature officially acknowledged the need for protecting Parental Rights, when it urged Congress to propose a Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in House Memorial 557 (2011);

Because the Parents’ Bill of Rights has favorably passed through 5 of 6 collective House and Senate Committees this session;

Because the highly favored Senate Companion CS/SB 1634 , was unable to receive a favorable vote during the final Senate [Rules] Committee, due only to the meeting adjournment which occurred during the debate phase of this bill;

Because Senator Passidomo should consider honorably Florida parents and families and protect parental rights;

Because it is the RIGHT thing to do!

Please reach out to Senator Passidomo to help prioritize HB 1059 for a senate vote.

Senate Majority Leader
Kathleen Passidomo
Tallahassee Office: 850-487-5028
District Office: 239-417-6205
Email: passidomo.kathleen@flsenate.gov

Read and track HB 1059 here . For continued updates and action points, like and follow Parentalrights.org Florida .

Thank you for making time to participate in this Call to Action and seeing this through!

The Convention on the Rights of the Child Is Back in Congress

Wed, 04 Mar 2020 14:28:00 GMT

In February, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) introduced a resolution, House Resolution 854 , to call for the US Senate to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (the Convention, or CRC). In so doing, she once more opened the door—or at least knocked on it—for international law to override parental rights in our country.

On November 20, 1989, the UN General Assembly approved the CRC and opened it for ratification. Within ten months, the requisite 20 nations had adopted the treaty, bringing it into force. Since then, every nation except the United States has ratified the CRC.

The United States signed the treaty under President Bill Clinton in 1995, signaling our intention to become a party to it. But it has never been ratified with the constitutionally required consent of two-thirds of the Senate as our Constitution requires, so we remain the lone holdout.

But there are three solid reasons we cannot, we must not, join the Convention.

Treaty Provisions: ‘Best Interest’ Standard

The first reason we must not ratify the CRC is the content of the treaty itself. While on the surface it appears to be a well-intentioned set of aspirations to bring freedom and safety to children around the world, the CRC contains some “poison pills” that we must not accept.

The worst of these is a provision that states, “in all matters concerning children, the best interest of the child shall be the primary consideration.”

It sounds so good. What could be better than “the best interest of the child,” right?

But for the government to make “best interest of the child” its primary consideration, it must first decide—and get to decide—what the best interest of the child actually is.

In our courts today, a judge or bureaucrat doesn’t get to make that determination without first reaching a finding that the child’s parents are unfit (abusive or negligent). Until then, American law presumes that “natural bonds of affection lead parents to act in the best interests of their child” ( Parham v. J.R. (1979), emphasis added). So who decides what your child’s “best interest” is? You do, not the government.

The CRC would change that by removing this presumption that favors parents and jumping straight to the part where a judge or bureaucrat gets to decide. In every case .

There are other poison pills in the treaty, as well, such as a child’s “right to access information,” which could be used to override a parent’s efforts to protect their child from pornography or other harmful web content; or a “right to access to medical care,” which can be used to cut parents out of their child’s medical decisions even more than they already are .

But the content isn’t the only problem with the CRC.

The second reason we must not ratify the CRC is the Committee on the Rights of the Child (the Committee), an oversight panel set up by the provisions of the treaty. Since beginning their work in 1990, the Committee has exercised unchecked authority in deciding what the treaty does or does not mean and what nations must do to be in compliance.

Consider, for instance, the prohibition of corporal discipline. It isn’t even mentioned in the treaty. When the CRC was proposed and adopted, fewer than 10 nations worldwide had any kind of ban on the practice, and no nation expressed any concern that it violated the rights of children.

But the Committee, of its own accord and with nothing in the Convention to support it, began telling nations that they were not in compliance because they had not outlawed corporal discipline of children in every setting, including the home. As a result, dozens of nations have since enacted such laws, believing it is their international treaty obligation to do so.

Perhaps you are not a fan of corporal discipline anyway. But don’t let that distract you from the process at work here. Nations are bullied to change their laws—not to comport with the treaty they voluntarily adopted, but to please a committee that makes up the rules as they go along.

And that brings us to the third and biggest reason we must not adopt this treaty: under Article VI of our own Constitution, a ratified treaty becomes “the supreme Law of the Land.”

So ratification of this treaty, which for other nations is an aspirational statement at best (and for many, such as Iran, China, and North Korea, a mere political smokescreen), in America would have the effect of passing a massive new federal law on the family.

Today, nearly all family law is at the state level. And these statutes, as bad as some of them are, are still bound by the Constitution and our courts to respect the role of parents as their child’s first and best line of defense.

Under the CRC, those laws would become the responsibility of the United States Congress, and respect for parents would be gone. Our system—the CRC system—would then depend on judges and bureaucrats to decide what is in a child’s “best interests” as defined by Congress, and ultimately, as defined by the CRC.

No, not the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Because ratifying the Convention would leave it to that elitist, foreign committee to decide when or if our treatment of children was acceptable under the CRC.

But you and I know that parents, except in extreme cases, are the ones who love their children most and know what is best for them.

How is a foreign committee supposed to know what is best for your child better than you do ?

Fortunately, there is no significant threat of the CRC being taken up by President Trump or sent to the Senate, and there is no significant threat of this Senate giving its two-thirds consent.

But as long as lawmakers like Rep. Omar want to keep bringing it back up as a great project our nation should undertake, we will lift our voice to remind them why that would be a horrible idea for our children.

Thank you for standing with us as we protect parental rights from all threats to the family, including those that come from international law.

The Committee on the Rights of the Child

The CRC and the US Constitution

We Steadfastly Oppose

Urgent Action Needed in Florida District 20

Thu, 27 Feb 2020 16:47:00 GMT

You are one of only a few who can call right now to push the Florida “Parent’s Bill of Rights” past a major roadblock in the Florida Senate legislative process.

Almost two months ago the “Parents’ Bill of Rights” was introduced as S.B. 1634 in the Florida Senate, along with its companion bill, H.B.1059, in the House. Parentalrights.org staff and volunteers, including state coordinators Jim and Patti Sullivan, have worked hard to get these bills introduced, and it is a MAJOR victory to get this far.

But yesterday in committee one senator— your senator—halted all our progress.

It’s not too late to save the bill and pass these vital parental rights protections, but it will be up to you. As a constituent, you are among the only people who can reach him.

We have thousands of supporters throughout Florida, but only a few hundred in your district, and many of those will not open this email. It is vital that every one of you reading this please take action today.

In order for this bill to pass, we need you to urge state Senator Tom Lee to vote “yes” on S.B. 1634 in the Senate Rules Committee, its final committee. Senator Lee is a key vote in this committee. Without his vote, S.B. 1634 will not be heard on the Senate floor in time for it to be passed this session.

The Senate Rules Committee meets this coming Monday, March 2 ^nd .

Please call or email Senator Lee and urge him to vote “yes” on S.B. 1634 this Monday .

Time is short. If the bill does not pass the Rules Committee this Monday, it will fail in this legislative session.

By our records, Senator Lee is your Senator; your voice – and only your voice – will carry a lot of weight with him .

When you call, say something like this in your own words:

I am calling as a constituent to urge Senator Lee to vote YES on SB 1634, the Parents’ Bill of Rights, in the Senate Rules Committee. Parental rights are close to my heart, and I truly believe we need to protect our children by preserving parental rights in state law. The enduring American legal tradition that parents can best care for their children should be protected once and for all.

Also, here are a few things to remember when you call the Senator’s office:

You will most likely not talk to the Senator.
More often than not, you will speak to his legislative assistant or an intern, but they will convey your message to the Senator.
Always be polite and pleasant on the phone:
Often the person you will be talking to will not be the most agreeable. As the “first line of defense,” they take calls all day, many of which are not nearly as friendly as we strive to be. Give them a little grace; they will greatly appreciate it.
One of the easiest ways of sounding more pleasant on the phone is to smile as you talk. It comes through on the other end, and they will be able to “hear” you smile.
Don’t be stressed making calls
Remember that you are fighting for an amazing cause.
Also, remember that there are other people in your district calling the senator as well. You are not alone.

Take a moment right now to call his District Office at (813) 653-7061 and/or his Tallahassee office at (850) 487-5020. You can also send him an email message at http://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/S20 .

The rest of us are counting on you. Thank you for making your stand for all of us at this crucial time.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Action Item

Grassroots Rallies for the Win!

Wed, 26 Feb 2020 17:00:00 GMT

We have seen more parental rights rallies in the last two years than ever before, and they are having a powerful effect for the cause.

To understand how important this is, one first needs to know that ParentalRights.org is almost entirely a grassroots organization. We do not host these rallies; state-level grassroots volunteers do. And our volunteer leaders are amazing.

Last week, a parents’ rights rally at the state capitol in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was a rousing success. Led by state coordinator Angie Gallagher and a team of allies, last year’s first annual rally brought out between 1,300 and 1,900 supporters and stood as the largest rally on any given issue for the entire legislative session.

This year’s rally was attended by more than 2,000 supporters, making it an even bigger success than last year’s. In coordination with the event, a Parents’ Bill of Rights was introduced in the legislature the same day as House File 3645 (H.F. 3645) and Senate File 3513 (S.F. 3513) .

We can’t guarantee the bill will pass, but one thing is certain: every time the Parents’ Bill of Rights comes for a vote, lawmakers will remember what their rotunda looked like packed with 2,000+ people who want them to vote “Yes.”

That’s been the effect of a series of rallies and events in Florida. Every time I turn around, state coordinators Jim and Patti Sullivan are heading back to Tallahassee, sometimes alone, but often with a group or as part of a rally with an allied organization, to push forward a similar Parents’ Bill of Rights there. And they have been getting through.

This morning the bill was heard in the Senate Rules Committee, its sixth and final committee hurdle. With a favorable report, House Bill 1059 and Senate Bill 1634 are both ready to be voted on by their respective houses.

If passed, those bills would mean protection for innocent Florida families, thanks to the hard work of our state volunteers.

More state leaders are looking to duplicate these successes in their own states.

For starters, ParentalRights.org Pennsylvania will host a rally at the Capitol in Harrisburg on Wednesday, March 25, to promote House Bill 508, the Parental Rights Protection Act. This will be their second rally, following a successful event I was honored to attend in September of last year.

More details on that rally will be coming out shortly, so watch your email or our website for that alert.

Then, in late April or early May, Lansing, Michigan, will be the site of that state’s first parental rights rally. Plans for that event are still being made, so details will be forthcoming once they’re available. If you live in Michigan, watch your emails for that announcement coming soon.

Rallies don’t always make sense in every state. To have a successful rally, there needs to be a clear action our lawmakers are being asked to take—like supporting S.F. 3513 in Minnesota, or H.B. 1059 in Florida. And it helps to have well-connected allies, like Minnesota Vaccine Freedom or the CHAP homeschool support group in Pennsylvania, already in place to help get the word out.

But where they do succeed, rallies start with volunteers ready to plan a day and urge people to be there.

If you are interested in launching a rally (or just want to check on the status of things) in your state, email our contact coordinator today at Cory@ParentalRights.org .

We are so grateful for the leaders in these states who are putting in such work to make these rallies (and the bills they support!) a success. And we are grateful to you for supporting them through your gifts , your prayers, your attendance, or just your being part of the team.

We couldn’t do any of it without you!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Sign Up Here for the 2nd Annual Parents Know Best Rally in Pennsylvania!

Wed, 26 Feb 2020 15:46:00 GMT

If you don't recieve a confirmation email after signing up, contact us at ParentalrightsPA@gmail.com .

Mark your calendar! On Wednesday, March 25th, ParentalRights.org Pennsylvania is hosting our second Parents Know Best Rally in Harrisburg, PA.

We’re organizing this event to support Pennsylvania House Bill 508 – The Parental Rights Protection Act – a vital piece of legislation that works to keep the government in check.

Join Us for the 2nd Annual Parents Know Best Rally in Pennsylvania!

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 16:41:00 GMT

Mark your calendar! On Wednesday, March 25th, ParentalRights.org Pennsylvania is hosting our second Parents Know Best Rally in Harrisburg, PA.

We’re organizing this event to support Pennsylvania House Bill 508 – The Parental Rights Protection Act – a vital piece of legislation that works to keep the government in check.

“You have rights antecedent (pre-existing) to all earthly governments; rights that cannot be repealed or restrained by human laws; rights derived from the Great Legislator of the Universe.” John Adams.

Your rights as a parent are fundamental to your existence as a human being; they are yours to enjoy and uphold. The government does not grant those rights to you; it exists only to keep those rights protected and secure.

On March 25th, make sure that your state representatives are securing your fundamental parental rights: urge them to co-sponsor HB 508, a bill which will restrain government, not families.

Join us at the Pennsylvania State Capitol :

501 NORTH STREET, HARRISBURG, PA 17120

Here is the schedule for the day:

9:30 – 10:30 AM – Rally, Main Rotunda of the Harrisburg Capitol Building
10:30 – 11:30 AM – Lobby Training, Room 108, Irvis Building
11:30 – 12:00 PM – Lunch at the East Wing Cafeteria (BYO or buy at the Cafeteria)
12:00 – 2:00 PM – Time to Lobby

Florida, Special Interests, and Parental Rights

Wed, 19 Feb 2020 15:55:00 GMT

Last week in Florida, 6-year-old Nadia King was taken from her public school by police and committed to a mental health facility, all before her mother was contacted or notified.

Fortunately, change is coming to Florida—but it looks like it can’t get there soon enough.

Under a 50-year-old Florida law called the “Baker Act,” a mental health professional can place a child in a mental health facility for testing via involuntary commitment without parental consent if the mental health professional deems the child to be a threat to the safety of themselves or others.

“The law was meant to allow intervention in cases of imminent danger, said Mark Cavitt, the director of Pediatric Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg,” according to an article in The Washington Post . Instead, Baker Act is used too often “because of inadequate training or resources for mental health inside the school system.”

According to a report from the Tampa Bay Times last year, roughly 7,500 Baker Act incidents have occurred since 2012—roughly 1,000 per year. That’s more cases than just those involving “imminent harm.”

Nadia did throw a temper tantrum at school. Though she was perfectly calm, even “pleasant” by the time officers picked her up, faculty reported that she had been throwing items around the room. It is possible someone was going to get hurt.

But is it really the kind of mental breakdown demanding involuntary commitment to an institution? Or could it be “merely a negative reaction to stress,” as Enrico Gnaulati suggests in Back to Normal: Why Ordinary Childhood Behavior Is Mistaken for ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, and Autism Spectrum Disorder ?

Gnaulti points out that schools today confront children with academic and social expectations beyond the children’s levels of development, while simultaneously taking away “the means to cope with that stress—animated, kinetic, imaginative play.”

Perhaps most shocking of all is that, despite the school’s claims that they made efforts to “de-escalate” the crisis before Nadia was hauled off, apparently none of those de-escalation efforts included contacting the girl’s mother.

By the time Martina Falk learned her daughter was having a tantrum, Nadia was already on her way to the mental health facility.

Fortunately, however, the days of schools, doctors, counselors, and others intruding into the private lives of families may be coming to an end in the Sunshine State.

While by no means a response to the Baker Act, Senate Bill 1634 and House Bill 1059, companion bills proposing the Parents’ Bill of Rights, would strengthen the role of parents like Martina in the lives of their children. By clearly outlining various rights parents have in raising their children, the law would keep the child’s caregivers from being cut out of these vital child-healthcare decisions.

This concept should already be a no-brainer. The US Supreme Court in 1979’s Parham v. J.R. made clear that, because children are not able to make wise and informed decisions for their own health care or mental health much of the time, “parents can and must make those decisions.”

Parents. Not teachers, or administrators, or even a third-party psychiatric evaluator.

Sure, there are times emergency intervention is necessary, such as when a teen is suicidal (or even homicidal). But such interventions should be saved for times that actually are emergencies.

Thankfully, the Parents’ Bill of Rights has been having a better month than Martina and her daughter have.

Already passed by the House Education and Health and Human Services Committees, H.B. 1059 passed the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, February 18—its final house committee vote. Its next stop is the full House.

Its counterpart, S.B. 1634, has already passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Education Committee and awaits a hearing and vote in the Senate Rules Committee. Only then can it be voted up or down in the full Senate.

Should each bill pass its respective house, the crossover is mainly procedural. We even have early indications that the governor is aware of the bill and ready to sign it into law.

Of course, not everyone likes the Parents’ Bill of Rights. Planned Parenthood of Florida and Florida Equality have both been present and vocal against the bills in multiple committee hearings.

I’m told that, in one hearing, a minority Democratic committee member told Planned Parenthood’s representatives, “ You didn’t buy me and you don’t own my vote. I know what you want me to do. But the parents in my district are the ones who put me here. They voted for me. And they want to have a say in their children’s lives. ”

It’s my personal favorite “If only I could have been a fly on the wall” moment from all these hearings. How I would love to have seen a video of that! (And not because it was Planned Parenthood, but because it was any special interest group rising to oppose the natural legal rights of parents.)

If passed, the Parents’ Bill of Rights will not suddenly halt all the abuses of the 50-year-old Baker Act. But it will raise the status of parents in the eyes of courts, schools, and administrations throughout Florida—and that itself should help to reduce abuses like the one Nadia and her mother suffered last week.

In fact, families like theirs are the reason we fight to preserve parental rights in every state, and why we are so excited to see these gains in Florida!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Another Victim of the Baker Act

Parents’ Bill of Rights to the Rescue?

“You Don’t Own My Vote”

Conclusion

Join Us for the 2nd Annual Health and Parental Rights Rally in Minnesota!

Thu, 13 Feb 2020 15:12:00 GMT

Next Thursday, February 20th, ParentalRights.Org Minnesota and Health Choice Minnesota are hosting the second annual Health and Parental Rights Rally . The event will take place at the Minnesota State Capitol at 2 PM, Central Time.

Last year, we packed the Capitol rotunda with 1,900 people, while half the state was shut down with subzero whiteout weather conditions – this year, we can do even better. Help show our state lawmakers how much we’ve grown! Restrictive laws and regulations have swept legislatures nationwide, allowing the government to invade our homes, all while state authorities have been distracted with battling corruption.

From CPS overreach to school choice to special needs and more, we have many issues to tackle. Please join us next week in showing our legislators that the power is in the people, and the people of Minnesota stand for freedom!

You can find out more about the rally and sign up to attend on our Facebook event page . I hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Angie Gallagher

Minnesota State Coordinator

Anonymous Reporting Hurts Children

Wed, 05 Feb 2020 14:58:00 GMT

Anonymous reporting hurts children. So why would a Nebraska bill extend anonymous reporting even to mandated reporters? Such a move would threaten parental rights and traumatize countless children.

The Numbers Are Grim

Nationally, about 83% of all child abuse or neglect investigations result in a finding of “unfounded” or “unsubstantiated.” This means that, even after the obviously phony calls are weeded out, only one report in six involves actual abuse or neglect.

When the case begins with an anonymous report, the instance of actual abuse or neglect falls to an abysmal 4%. In other words, for each instance where abuse or neglect occurs, 24 innocent families face the trauma of a CPS investigation.

These numbers paint a clear picture: taking anonymous calls draws more innocent families into the trap of child welfare investigations, with no evidence that any more child abusers are discovered in the process.

Misunderstanding the Law

So why would Nebraska want to allow even mandated reporters to call in anonymously?

It turns out the impetus behind the bill was likely a misunderstanding based on false information, one we hope is soon rectified.

Nebraska Legislative Bill 975 would remove from the state’s mandatory reporting law the requirement that the reporter give his or her name and address when giving the report. Further, it would prohibit the Department of Health and Human Services from requiring “such person’s name or address for purposes of making such report.”

In other words, any report in Nebraska could be anonymous , even if it’s the mandated report of a doctor, teacher, or other child-centered professional.

But we’ve learned the author of the bill is not fueling this push personally. Rather, she was advised that the change was necessary for Nebraska to comport with new federal regulations. If Nebraska law doesn’t change, she was told (erroneously), Nebraska would lose a lot of federal dollars.

The Truth Comes Out

Fortunately, friends of parental rights got wind of the bill last week and a number of groups, including our friends at Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), were able to inform lawmakers of the error. Attorney Dan Beasley also spoke to lawmakers on ParentalRights.org’s behalf.

When the bill was heard in committee on Friday, lawyers for the state’s Department of Health and Human Services repeated the false claim that the change is necessary to keep federal funding. But newly informed lawmakers pushed back, questioning and probing the assertion until the lawyers finally conceded that no such requirement exists .

At the conclusion of the hearing, the committee chose not to act on the bill Friday, giving us a chance to talk with lawmakers yet again. While we don’t yet know the final outcome of this one, we do know that the admission that the change is not required, along with the concerns for children expressed by many parents, has opened the eyes of several Nebraska senators.

Moving Forward

We will stay on top of L.B. 975 in Nebraska, as well as many bills across the country that threaten parental rights, and we will let you know if they start to move.

(L.B. 975 has other provisions that have nothing to do with family privacy, so an amended version that omits anonymous reporting would not pose a threat to your parental rights. But until the bill is amended, we will continue to track it and keep you informed.)

By working together with grassroots supporters, allied organizations, and even lawmakers themselves, we can protect families from further erosion of their rights such as the misunderstanding behind L.B. 975 might have caused. So please consider investing in the cause today at ParentalRights.org. And continue to follow (and share!) our newsletters, watching for important updates in your state.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Urgent: Last Chance to Halt Discriminatory Ban on Counseling

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 16:16:00 GMT

We need all parental rights champions in Virginia to call your delegate today and urge them to oppose House Bill 386, which would illegalize counseling that helps a teen reduce or eliminate unwanted same-sex attraction.

Yesterday, H.B. 386 passed the House Committee on Health, Welfare, and Institutions by a vote of 18 to 4. Its next stop, a full vote on the floor of the House of Delegates, could be scheduled for any day—even as soon as today.

This will be the last meaningful opportunity to halt this discriminatory bill.

Background

If the aim of H.B. 386 is to stop dangerous counseling practices, such as electroshock therapy, it is woefully inadequate and yet overbroad. The bill never mentions or restricts any particular method of counseling.

Instead, it discriminates against the counseling aim of helping a teen reduce or eliminate unwanted sexual attractions to another person of the same sex.

The aim of the bill is not to curb practices, but to discriminate against families and youth who want to be “straight,” denying them—and only them—the right to choose their own sexual identity and future.

It also discriminates against all teens who struggle with same-sex attraction, by denying them— and only them —the judicially recognized right to have their important health and welfare decisions made with their parents and not by some agent or officer of the State.

In Calabretta v. Floyd , the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals declared, “The government’s interest in the welfare of children embraces not only protecting children from physical abuse, but also protecting children’s interest … in the lawfully exercised authority of their parents [emphasis added].”

HB 386 would rob only same-sex attracted youth of this vital legal interest.

Action Item

Please take a moment right now, before you close this email, and call your Virginia delegate. (You can find their contact information here .) Urge them to vote “No” on H.B. 386.

You can use your own words, use arguments from the above “Background” section or our earlier emails on this bill, or simply tell them the following:

“I am a constituent, and I’m calling to urge you to vote ‘No’ on H.B. 386. This bill discriminates against families on the basis of their counseling goals, without actually outlawing any particular counseling methodology. And it robs sexual minority youth of the right to make their own health-care decisions with their parents by imposing a one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter course of action predetermined by the legislature. This wrongs our youth and it wrongs our families.”

Thank you for making your voice heard and for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Exciting Interview Wednesday with U.S. Senator Lee

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 16:53:00 GMT

On Wednesday, January 29, at 10:30 a.m. EST, ParentalRights.org President Jim Mason will go on Facebook Live to interview United States Senator Mike Lee of Utah.

Lee, a constitutional legal scholar, has long been a friend to our mission and a supporter of the Parental Rights Amendment.

Jim and Senator Lee will discuss two bills the Senator has recently introduced in the U.S. Senate.

3138, “The PARENT Act,” would require hospitals and health-care facilities to post vital information about their policies regarding the provision, withdrawal of, and parental consent for life-sustaining procedures. These facilities would also have to notify patients about their policies related to parental notification and consent for do-not-resuscitate orders.
3137, “The Parental Right to Know Act,” would require those same facilities to include information on parental access to medical records of children under the age of 18 on their website and in print, upon request of the patient or parent.

While neither bill would change any hospital’s life-sustaining procedure policies (such a bill would have no chance of passage in the current divided Congress), both will inform parents of existing procedures so that they can make the best available decisions for their child.

Just last week, I sat down with leaders of the Teri Schiavo Network for Life and Hope to discuss the shocking ways parents of terminally ill or traumatically disabled children are robbed of their right to make best-interest decisions for those children, just when they need them most.

Lee’s bills will help strengthen parents in those unfortunate situations by giving them notice going in of what the hospital’s policies are and how the parents and patients can best exercise their rights.

So if you are able, take a moment tomorrow, Wednesday, at 10:30 a.m. EST, to tune in on Facebook and hear Senator Lee.

And if you haven’t already done so, you’ll want to check out our new Parental Rights Podcast as well. New episodes come out every Tuesday at 2 p.m. EST. You can find the latest installment here.

Finally, invite your friends to join you on both Facebook Live and the podcasts. Let’s work together to bring awareness to the cause of parental rights with these new tools!

Action Needed: Virginia Therapy Ban Threatening in the House

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 14:55:00 GMT

The faith-based counselling ban bill we alerted you to last week in the Virginia Senate (SB 245) has a companion bill in the House, HB 386, which is on the move as well.

HB 386 passed out of the Subcommittee on Health Professions on Thursday (1/23), and is scheduled for hearing TOMORROW, Tuesday, January 28, before the full House Committee on Health, Welfare, and Institutions.

If HB 386 passes this committee, it could be heard in the full House within a couple of days, meaning it could come up for its last meaningful vote this week .

Background

Traditionally, adolescents struggling through the many challenges of “becoming,” of sorting out who they are and will be as an adult, have turned to their parents for wisdom and guidance, and all the more when they face special struggles along the way. HB 386 would remove options from parents and their teens who may struggle with sexual feelings they do not want .

The U.S. Supreme Court declared in 1979 that while adolescents often lack the capacity for judgment to make decisions regarding their physical or mental health care, “parents can and must make those judgments.” Parham v. J.R. (1979). When it comes to addressing same-sex attraction, HB 386 would eliminate this important legal presumption that protects families.

HB 386 does not outlaw any particular kind of therapy, but only the aim of reducing or eliminating same-sex attraction. Even “talk therapy” with that goal in mind would be outlawed under this measure.

Action Item

Please call or email your Virginia Delegate today and urge them to vote “No” on HB 386. If they are on the committee, they could hear this bill tomorrow; if they are not, they still may hear it this week. So, call your Delegate in either case and urge them to oppose.

Your message can as be simple as: “My name is _______ and I am a constituent of the Delegate ( or a voter in their district). I urge you to vote ‘No’ on HB 386, a bill that would rob parents and their teens of the right to make the best treatment decisions for the child’s unwanted sexual desires or their choice of sexual identity.”

You might also add, “I am disturbed that this bill would outlaw a viewpoint rather than any particular method.”

Thank you for taking this stand today. Families throughout the Commonwealth are counting on you to speak up for them.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Action Needed to Preserve Parental Rights in Virginia

Wed, 22 Jan 2020 18:17:00 GMT

Virginia HB 580 , which would insert troubling language into the state’s child abuse provision, is scheduled for a hearing before the Social Services Sub-Sommittee of the House Health, Welfare, and Institutions Committee on Thursday, January 23 (tomorrow!)

UPDATE January 23, 2020: The Sub-committee did not get to HB 580 today. We will watch for the next time it is scheduled. Meanwhile, please contact your lawmakers to oppose this dangerous bill.

This bill would add to the current definition of an “abused or neglected child” one “ whose parent or other person responsible for his care creates or inflicts, threatens to create or inflict, or allows to be created or inflicted upon such child a physical or mental injury on the basis of the child’s gender identity or sexual orientation. ” This will widen the net and ensnare even more innocent families in unwarranted child welfare investigations.

Analysis

Growing children ask: who am I? What am I? Parents have the right to help answer those questions in an atmosphere free from the fear of being investigated for child abuse. Parents have the right to guide a child away from behavior that will be harmful to the growing child’s sense of identity.

This bill undermines those rights by threatening to treat loving, discerning parents like child abusers.

Currently, 83% of child welfare investigations nationally are closed as “unfounded” or “unsubstantiated.” CPS investigations are themselves traumatic events for many children. This bill is likely to increase the number of investigations, causing more harm to more children than it will help .

The statute gives no definition of “mental injury.” It is possible, or even likely, that anything a parent does or says that the child does not like would be construed as “mental injury.” But parents know instinctively that allowing a child to do exactly what they want all the time can lead to serious harm.

Mentoring a child through the growth process of discerning wants, needs, and emotions and preparing a child for independent decision-making as an adult are truly crucial parts of parenting.

Because children are children, they tend to think and act primarily with the short term in mind. Parents have the life experience to see and help their children grow to understand things from a long term and broader point of view. Children benefit from the parent’s more mature perspective and modeling of the decision-making process.

In order to preserve the right of parents to direct the upbringing of children, ParentalRights.org opposes this bill.

Take Action

The members of the Sub-Committee on Social Services are:

If your delegate is on the list, please call them today and urge them to respect parental rights by voting “No” on HB 580. Then, reach out to friends and family in your district and urge them to call, too.

If your delegate is not on the list , you can send them an email and tell them you oppose HB 580 on the grounds that it infringes parents’ fundamental rights. Urge them to vote against HB 580 should it come before them for a vote at any time.

Thank you for standing with us in Virginia as we fight to protect children by halting bad bills like HB 580 in their tracks.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Hot-Button Issues Come to Parental Rights

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 15:28:00 GMT

The new Virginia legislature didn’t waste any time launching an all-out assault on parental rights.

In the opening hours, the House of Delegates and the Virginia Senate took up four pieces of legislation that are troubling for families:

SB 32 would outlaw spanking with “an inanimate object.”
HB 386 would outlaw “conversion therapy” for minors.
HB 580 would expand the definition of child abuse to include parents who “inflict physical or mental injury on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.”
SB 104 would allow minors (no age restriction) to consent to CDC recommended vaccinations if a medical person thinks the minor has “the ability to understand at the same comprehension level as an adult the risks and benefits associated with vaccinations and immunizations.”

For ParentalRights.org, the bill to expand the definition of child abuse or neglect, which is still in committee, is a crisis point.

Historically, we as an organization have stayed away from the political hot-buttons in our effort to protect the unity around parental rights. A Zogby poll from 2010 showed that 92% of Democrats, 97% of Republicans, and 91% of Independents agree that “parents have the constitutional right to make decisions for their children without government interference unless there is proof of abuse or neglect.”

But these bills have brought the hot-button issues to us. They are not merely sexual orientation bills; they go right to the heart of parental rights.

HB 580 especially, which adds to the definition of child abuse, would widen the net of “child welfare” that is too broad already. As it stands, 83% of all child abuse investigations nationally turn out to be “unfounded” or “unsubstantiated.” Children are stripped from their parents or otherwise traumatized even though no wrongdoing has occurred.

HB 580 would add to the number of victims of this broken system.

The Supreme Court has held that “most children, even in adolescence, simply are not able to make sound judgments concerning many decisions, including their need for medical care or treatment. Parents can and must make those judgments. ” Parham v. J.R., 442 U.S. 584 (1979) at 603, emphasis added.

But both HB 580 and HB 386 seek to do away with this legal presumption.

In our current political climate, we’re not “supposed to” oppose sexual orientation bills. I have even been asked if ParentalRights.org is “anti-LGBTQ,” so let me state this plainly: We are not “anti-LGBTQ;” we stand for the right of all fit parents to make the best decisions for their own children, regardless of the sexual orientation or gender identity of the parent or their child .

If someone believes we should withhold support for a parent’s rights on the basis of these things, it is that someone who is discriminating on that basis, not this organization.

This is the battleground on which parental rights are being attacked today, so it is the battleground on which we must defend those rights. And we are proud to do so.

So I urge you to consider stepping up your support, whether it’s through a donation to the cause or simply stating your positive opinion on social media. We will have detractors and we will lose a few supporters, so it will fall to the rest of us to fill in the gaps.

Some Good News

Thankfully, Virginians have already been on high-alert since election day, and public outcry has already removed two of these threats. SB 32 on corporal discipline has been tabled until the 2021 session, and SB 104 on minors consenting to vaccines was pulled by its sponsor in committee. This means it is no longer under consideration.

That they were offered in the first place, however, shows the scope of control over children that this legislature wants to wrest away from fit, innocent parents.

The vaccination bill was especially telling.

While parents in Virginia are legally able to acquire an exemption from vaccinating their child on the basis of their religious beliefs, SB 104 would have allowed a medical professional to coerce a child into overriding their parent’s religious objection. Not unsurprising, however, the bill would not have allowed a child with a religious objection to vaccines to override a parent’s decision to give the child the inoculation.

So the child’s authority to grant legally binding consent (and this was a child of any age!) would only exist if the child wanted to give consent for, not if the child wished to withhold consent from, a vaccination. In short, there was to be no consent at all—just a power grab by the state. The sponsor was wise to withdraw this proposal.

ParentalRights.org opposes the remaining bills, Virginia HB 386 and HB 580, on the basis that they violate the time-honored, natural right of parents to make medical and mental health decisions for their children . We will continue to oppose similar bills in the future, in every state.

(Virginia residents oppose HB 386 companion bill SB 245 here ).

Thank you for standing with us, in Virginia or whatever state you’re in, as we fight to protect children by empowering parents even on the hot-button issues of our day.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

VA Bill to Ban Faith-Based Counselling Vote Coming Very Soon

Fri, 17 Jan 2020 17:02:00 GMT

ALERT: (Jan. 23, 2020) — HB 386, the companion bill to SB 245 (described below) will be heard before the Health Professions Sub-Committee of the House Health, Welfare, and Institutions Committee TODAY at 5 p.m. Please call your Delegate on the subcommittee and urge them to vote “No.”

SB 245 , a bill that would prevent parents from seeking counselling for their children who may struggle with their sexual identity or experience unwanted same-sex attractions, passed a senate committee Thursday morning and will go to the senate floor for a vote any day now. Here is a bulletin with additional details from the Virginia Family Foundation. (Note that it was written prior to the committee vote Thursday.)

Please take a moment right now to call your Virginia senator and urge them to oppose SB 245. (Find your senator’s contact information here .) A vote could take place as early as Monday, January 20, so it’s vital that they hear from you today.

Background

Traditionally, adolescents struggling through the many challenges of “becoming,” of sorting out who they are and will be as an adult, have turned to their parents for wisdom and guidance, and all the more when they face special struggles along the way. SB 245 would remove options from parents and their teens who may struggle with sexual feelings they do not want.

The U.S. Supreme Court declared in 1979 that while adolescents often lack the capacity for judgment to make decisions regarding their physical or mental health care, “parents can and must make those judgments.” Parham v. J.R. (1979). SB 245 wants to do away with this important legal presumption that protects families.

States Take Up Parental Rights Legislation

Wed, 15 Jan 2020 16:06:00 GMT

The new legislative year is underway across the country, and in Florida and Colorado we’re championing promising bills to protect parental rights.

(For more about the Florida bills and the Florida legislature’s committee challenges, check out this week’s Parental Rights Podcast with special guest, ParentalRights.org State Coordinator Patti Sullivan.)

Colorado HB 20-1063

In Colorado, Rep. Tim Geitner has introduced the “Fundamental Family Rights in Colorado” bill, HB20-1063 . As introduced, the bill would add a new section to Colorado law stating that “the liberty of a parent to exercise his or her parental rights is a fundamental right in the state of Colorado,” and that this right is to be protected by strict judicial scrutiny.

The bill further defines parental rights as “the right of a parent to direct the upbringing, education, and care of the parent’s child.”

In the face of so many assaults on parental rights across the country, this kind of protection for reasonable parental decision-making in Colorado will be a welcome change.

Rep. Geitner is also working with us and some of our bipartisan coalition allies to introduce a bill that would provide for due process before a name can be added to the state’s child abuse registry. That bill doesn’t have a number yet, but we fully support it (as we do the Fundamental Family Rights bill) and we’ll get you that number as soon as we can.

Florida HB 1059 / SB 1634

Meanwhile in Florida, Rep. Erin Grall and Sen. Kelli Stargel have introduced identical bills to create a “Parents’ Bill of Rights.” At twelve pages long, the bills would add a new Chapter to Florida law defining and protecting parental rights in detail.

“The Legislature finds that it is a fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their minor children,” the bill declares. “The Legislature further finds it is necessary to establish a consistent mechanism for parents to be notified of information relating to the health and well-being of their minor children.”

The bill then lists a number of specific parental rights and how they are to be protected, while also spelling out that parents’ rights include more than just those listed in this legislation.

This is not the first year parental rights legislation has been introduced in Florida. The Parents’ Bill of Rights last year made it through two committees in the House and one in the Senate before running out of time for a final vote.

This year, Grall’s HB 1059 and Stargel’s SB 1634 are “companion bills,” introduced concurrently to allow the measure to work its way through both houses at once. This is especially helpful in Florida, where a bill must pass three committees of each chamber in a limited amount of time.

While HB 1059 works its way through the House, SB 1634 will make its way through the Senate. If each one gets through its house of origin before the session ends, the bill will be ready for the governor to sign into law.

Coordinated War on Parental Rights Looms

Unfortunately, not all state legislatures are looking to protect parental rights this year. In next week’s email we will look at one state’s coordinated all-out war on parental rights, and what we are doing to stop it.

In the meantime, thank you for standing with us. It is only through the support of our individual partners that we are able to push for parental rights law in these positive states, or stop violations of those rights when “all-out war” breaks out. Consider giving today to fuel us to victory especially in Florida and Colorado this year (and to halt the many threats we will take on at the same time).

Then, keep watching these newsletters in the weeks ahead so you can respond as needed when action occurs in your legislature. Also, check out the podcast and share it with your family and friends to further spread the word on this vital issue.

Together we will win the war for our children by preserving our parental rights.

Season’s Greetings from ParentalRights.org

Mon, 23 Dec 2019 09:30:00 GMT

The ParentalRights.org team wishes you and your family all the joy and light, warmth and love of this holiday season, now and throughout the coming year.

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Shining the Light on Child Services

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 15:10:00 GMT

The Pardo family in Texas was finally reunited after several months, all accusations against the parents dropped. (They had been accused of seeking medical care their 4-year-old didn’t need, though the court would later find that every treatment he ever received had been prescribed by his attending physicians.)

A group in Minnesota is currently working out a settlement in a class action lawsuit against Hennepin County to correct unjust practices in the county’s Child Protection System.

And in Illinois another group of parents are advancing a lawsuit of their own against a hospital where babies were taken away and given the vitamin K shot without the parents’ approval, even though state law guarantees to parents the right to make that decision.

Such is the trend in America today: more and more eyes are being opened to the improper handling of children through the violation of parental rights. More and more people are taking a stand to demand the changes that need to be made.

The system has been broken for decades, but its dysfunction has been hidden in shadows. Things begin to change when more and more light reaches those recesses.

This year was ParentalRights.org’s twelfth year in being a huge part of shining that light.

In the first half of the year we coordinated with a bipartisan coalition and proposed real changes to Congress that could be employed through the reauthorization of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, or CAPTA.

Congress has so far failed to pass any meaningful change, but in the process we fine-tuned what it is we’re looking for, and discovered additional ways to go after it.

So over the summer we started drafting model state statutes that could have the same effect, a state at a time.

In the last quarter, we finalized that language in preparation for the 2020 legislative sessions.

In the last month, we spoke with lawmakers interested in prefiling these parental rights bills.

In the last two weeks, our president attended the policy summit of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to present our concerns and encourage state lawmakers to take a stance protecting families. His presentation has resulted in new contacts—new state lawmakers looking to take up our ideas.

Now, even as things wind down for the holidays, we are gearing up for the legislative session coming in January. States like Colorado, South Dakota, Kentucky, and Florida will be taking up bills to protect parental rights and save children from unnecessary intrusion and trauma.

Thank you for standing with us throughout 2019, and for continuing the journey together in 2020.

Together we are shining a light and making a difference!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Innocent until Proven Guilty

Wed, 11 Dec 2019 14:59:00 GMT

Innocent until proven guilty. Even elementary school students can tell you this is one of the cornerstones on which our nation is built.

So how is it parents can be added to a child abuse register without first having a hearing and a chance to defend themselves? To be listed as a sex offender, one must be found guilty of a crime in a court of law. But no such requirement exists to be labelled a child abuser. How can this be?

How is it an investigator can intrude into a family’s home with no evidence, no warrant, and only an anonymous phone call? For all they know, the caller was a teenage prankster. Or, more likely, an unhappy ex-lover or spouse.

These are rhetorical questions. We don’t need them answered; we need them stopped .

That’s why our president, Jim Mason, attended a policy summit of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) last week in Arizona.

He presented to lawmakers and other policy shapers our concerns about threats to parental rights, especially centering on these two concerns. And he took with him model language that will address both issues—due process prior to a child abuse registry listing, and eliminating anonymous hotline calls.

And we are already seeing results.

Before the ALEC conference concluded, before Jim could get on the plane to return home, a Colorado lawmaker had already contacted me expressing interest in filing family rights bills, including our model to require due process.

We’re talking with lawmakers in other states as well, including Indiana and Florida, to resume efforts to pass parental rights legislation that we started (or continued) last year but didn’t quite pass.

And we’re working alongside allies from across the aisle on these reform efforts. While the lawmaker I’ve spoken with is in the minority party, there is every reason to expect broad bipartisan support when the bills reach the legislature in January.

The Supreme Court has consistently upheld a “private realm of family life which the state cannot enter.” Prince v. Massachusetts , 321 U.S. 158 (1944), at 165. But that realm is no longer as secure as it once was or as safe as it needs to be.

Families in America—including, perhaps, many of yours—have experienced the trauma of an anonymous, false report, or even being added to the state registry without a hearing.

Working with allies from across the political spectrum and with lawmakers in a growing number of states , we are ready to turn the tide and see innocent families once again safe in their “private realm.”

Over the next few weeks, things will rightly slow down for the holidays—a slow down we welcome, along with many of you.

But when we turn the calendar to 2020, we will hit the ground running and continue the long struggle to preserve your family and your parental rights.

Thank you for standing with us for that “private realm of family life.”

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Thank you – you make it happen!

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 16:11:00 GMT

This year we set our most ambitious Giving Tuesday goal yet, and we missed it by only $3,400.

All told, this Giving Tuesday raised $26,600.00 for the Parental Rights Foundation.

Our goal for one-day giving was $30,000: half from matching grants secured in advance, and the other half from all of you.

While we fell a little short of our goal, we at the Parental Rights Foundation are incredibly encouraged by the support each one of you showed us . Through your generous donations and by sharing our content online, you all pulled together to show incredible support for this crucial cause. And your support has given us an encouraging push as we finish up this year’s goals.

As I look forward to starting the new year, I am overwhelmed with your out-pouring of generosity to empower parents to protect their children. We take seriously our obligation to make the best use of your gifts to continue to change the way families are treated throughout America.

I wish I could thank each of you individually and in person; you are simply the best.

Thank you so much for fueling the fight for parental rights!

Gratefully,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

#GivingTuesday is Here!

Mon, 02 Dec 2019 08:00:00 GMT

#GivingTuesday is here!

Will you support families by helping us reach our one-day donation goal of $30,000 to educate courts, policy makers, and the public on the need to preserve parental rights?

Today only, the first $15,000 given to the Parental Rights Foundation will be matched, right up to our $30,000 goal. Your contribution will be effectively doubled, dollar-for-dollar. But only for today.

What’s more, because the Parental Rights Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization for policy and education, your gift can be tax deductible under IRS guidelines.

And you know there’s no better way to protect children and preserve families than by opening more eyes to the cause of parental rights. Because the more people know what is going on, the louder our collective voice will be to change it.

So take a moment right now to stand with the thousands of families across America who say that enough is enough, through your donation to the Parental Rights Foundation. Your investment will automatically be doubled —and then you can multiply it yet again by sharing this message and asking your friends and family to give as well.

We also invite you to follow us online ( Facebook or Instagram ), as we’ll be going live from Washington, D.C., throughout the day to keep you updated on our campaign.

There’s no better time to support the protection of our children through the preservation of parental rights than right now, so click here and give today!

Thank You, and Come See Us!

Tue, 26 Nov 2019 18:44:00 GMT

Thanks to you, we have been able to speak up before the Texas Supreme Court through an amicus brief in support of parents. And for the second year in a row we got to call the Administration’s attention to the plight of innocent American families abroad, this time resulting in a meeting between a mom and the embassy in Norway.

And you have fueled our work with a bipartisan coalition to build model legislation for the states that will provide due process protection.

Imagine if an innocent parent could no longer be added to the child abuse register without credible supporting evidence. Your partnership with us is moving us toward that day!

So thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

Our Parental Rights Foundation family wishes you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!

Warmly,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

P.S. — Come and see us! Giving Tuesday is one week away, and we will be taking a video tour of the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. Plan to join us December 3 for the fun on social media and to be part of the giving to protect children by preserving parental rights.

And if you’re in the area, come out and join us in D.C. We’d love to interview you for our Facebook and Instagram audiences! If you’re interested, email Cory@parentalRights.org to coordinate when and where we can meet you!

NBC – Houston Chronicle Partnership Shines Light on Parental Rights

Wed, 13 Nov 2019 16:00:00 GMT

We’ve said it for months: If more people knew what innocent families suffer in the name of “child protection,” they would join us in doing something about it. Now NBC News and the Houston Chronicle are shining a light on that very thing.

In what has so far been a three-part series, the two news sources have highlighted the plight of families in Texas damaged by the work of “child abuse pediatricians,” a new subspecialty in medicine designed to spot and prosecute child abuse.

At least on the surface, the new subspecialty is well-intentioned, and we do not doubt there are many in the field who legitimately want to help. But detractors, including the Parental Rights Foundation, warn that the new specialty is more about the convenience of keeping pediatricians and specialists from having to attend court; let the new child abuse doctor do that.

The series began with the September 19 article, “A Devastating Diagnosis,” available at NBS News here . It was continued in “Imminent Danger” on October 10 (available at The Houston Chronicle here ); and again November 12 with “Parents Call for Reforms to Protect Families from Mistaken Child Abuse Allegations” ( at NBC News here ).

Put Yourself in My Shoes

The latest installment features families who testified to Texas lawmakers in a recent hearing to bring reform to the harmful system. One family, who was exonerated and finally got their children back from the state after several months, testified they’d spent $200,000 in legal fees to defend themselves.

Lawmakers “appeared shocked” by this, according to the article, but we hear about this all the time. It’s one reason some experts believe families in poverty face more child abuse investigations than families who are well-off: the impoverished can’t afford to fight back. (See, for instance, Dorothy Roberts’ Shattered Bonds: The Color of Child Welfare .)

“I urge this committee to put yourselves in the shoes of my family or one of the many other families here today,” parent Tim Timmerman told the panel, according to the article. “Think about how you would feel if your child or grandchild was taken out of your arms with no standard of proof other than the opinion of a single individual.”

The individual he refers to, of course, is the child abuse pediatrician. Privileged to be part of the “medical team” at the hospital with access to the child’s medical file, this “specialist” serves to gather forensic evidence, not look for a way to help the injured child.

The Child Abuse Pediatrics Racket

They put too much weight – too much trust – in these child abuse pediatricians.

As Diane Redleaf put it in They Took the Kids Last Night , “Unfortunately, the consumers of child abuse pediatric opinions—judges, State’s Attorneys, and CPS investigators—too often believe some child abuse pediatricians’ hype about their superior abilities to discern child abuse over that of orthopedists, radiologists, and neurosurgeons.”

Redleaf also points out that “[i]f ‘child abuse’ were a diagnosis…[it] seems to me it would be a legal diagnosis, not a medical one.” (Redleaf, p. 108)

And with no clear scientific evidence, no commonly accepted list of symptoms to look for, and little scrutiny from the system in which they operate, the power of these “specialists” to destroy innocent families is staggering.

“In this process,” the newest NBC/ Chronicle article quotes another parent, “you are guilty until [proven] innocent.”

This should not be the case.

Shining a Light of Hope

But there is hope. The fact that the Texas legislature is now listening to these parents is a starting point.

Even more promising is that the Houston Chronicle and NBC News covered these stories in the first place. The Arizona Republic has also made a concerted effort to cover stories like this over recent months, and I’m sure there are other sources doing the same.

They’re sharing stories of families torn apart over false allegations of abuse, with little or no evidence, on the word of a single doctor, or investigator, or even an anonymous phone call.

It is horrible and wrong that these stories take place, but as we expose these tragedies to the light of public scrutiny, pressure rises on the states to fix the problems and protect the innocent.

This is why ParentalRights.org exists, why we share these news stories with you in our newsletters, and why we post them on our social media platforms.

It’s also why we launched our White House petition last month urging President Trump to ask Congress to take up our Amendment. We don’t expect Congress to lay aside their impeachment tug-of-war and suddenly work together to preserve parent’s right, but we do hope to shine a public light on the need for them to do so.

Check out the stories linked above and share them with as many people as you can. Let’s open eyes to the problems with the system, and the frequency with which innocent families are caught in the nets laid out to catch real abusers.

Remember when you thought the only people who needed to worry about child services were child abusers? Some of your friends may still think that, and need to learn otherwise from you.

And while you’re at it, sign the White House petition and share that with all of your friends, as well. We have only ten days left, and a long way to go if we are to reach 100,000 signers and earn a response.

Thank you for taking action today, and for standing with us to shine the light, get the word out, and protect children by empowering parents!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Take Action Today

Now What Will We Do with It?

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 14:39:00 GMT

Are you ready to shine a new light on parental rights?

We have just launched a plan that will see President Donald Trump address the Parental Rights Amendment.

Love him or hate him, President Trump draws media attention. The press examines and reports on everything he does.

So we’ve launched a campaign to get him to weigh in on our Amendment, which we believe will help draw more attention to this vital cause. But it’s going to take all of us to make it work, and additional resources to support the follow-up. That’s why I’m writing you today.

On September 22, 2011, then-President Barack Obama launched a program on the White House website allowing anyone to set up a petition to the President. Under the program, any petition receiving at least 100,000 signatures within a 30-day time period would receive a response from the Executive Office.

President Donald Trump has continued this program—committing himself to speak to your issue—and we are going to take advantage of it.

The plan is simple.

We have posted a petition on the official White House website calling on President Trump to urge Congress to take up our Amendment.

Legally and constitutionally, the President has no role in amending the Constitution.

But that doesn’t mean the President can’t use his powerful influence to call Congress’s attention to the cause.

So that’s exactly what we’re petitioning him to do. And he will have to respond .

We launched our petition on the White House website at midnight Eastern time on Thursday, October 24. From that point we had 30 days to reach the required number of signatures.

We’ve already secured our first 5,000 names, and now we’re working to keep the ball rolling.

And that’s where you play a vital role.

It will take all of us working together—volunteers, donors, allies, friends, acquaintances, board members, and staff—to get the petition in front of enough people to reach 100,000 signers. And we only have 26 days left to do it!

It’s an achievable goal. But it will take a lot of work to get the signatures. And even if— when —we succeed, that won’t be the end of it.

Remember, the point of all of this is to draw attention to our cause.

Even with a successful petition, we don’t expect Congress to suddenly drop everything and take up the Amendment. But we’re not looking for a huge, immediate change in Congress. We’re looking to make changes in their constituents.

We want more people like you and me to be aware of parental rights.

They need to know what is happening in America, and why parental rights matter today.

Because when people know, they care, and when people care, they fight.

That’s why we’re calling attention to the plight of families across the country who have been ripped apart without cause by a “child welfare” system that has too much power and not enough oversight.

People need to know about the fit families being torn apart, and the innocent children who suffer years of trauma from even brief run-ins with wrongful social services cases. They need to know about children like Justina Pelletier, or Corey Widen’s eight-year-old daughter, and the innocent Arizona family. All of them have suffered greatly because parents’ rights are not protected.

These are families who should be able to take their child to the doctor without fear of their child being taken away. Who want to let their kids play outside without rigid supervision.

Families like mine. Families like yours. Innocent families who did nothing wrong, yet suddenly find themselves in the crosshairs.

You know it could happen to any of us. At this point, there is no rhyme or reason to who is accused and who isn’t.

And you know the underlying reason why these things happen: because parents’ rights are not protected, and that leaves children like Justina—or like your child—vulnerable.

Yes, there are good child welfare agencies out there who respect parents and preserve families.

But there are also maverick agencies with a cavalier attitude toward family and a calloused disregard for parental wisdom or wishes. These “follow their gut,” with no need for evidence and no concern for the trauma their intrusion may cause.

Meanwhile, the confidentiality of family courts keeps everyone in the dark, so there is no accountability or oversight.

Fortunately, social media and even mainstream sources are beginning to take notice. Parent groups are beginning to form all over the nation, with some filing lawsuits to call attention to unjust family court practices.

But there is still much work to do.

With this White House petition , we will add our own spotlight to the need for parental rights and child welfare reform.

But we won’t be able to take full advantage of this opportunity without your support.

You are a vital part of making the petition a success by sharing it with your friends and urging them to sign on.

Now is the time to tell the people in your life why you care about parents’ rights, to inspire them to carry the torch, too.

But sharing the petition is only one part in the journey to protect families.

Even when our petition succeeds, when more people are talking about parental rights and more people are signing up to support our cause, we will need you to stand with us as a steady voice of support for justice.

Because there is so much work to be done. And, together, we can do it.

We can’t afford to waste this opportunity to grab the attention of 100,000 new families—or even more!—and make them part of the parental rights community.

Can I count on you to stand with us today, as we take this next step?

Once we have their attention, we will keep it. We’ll show them the defenseless parents and their innocent children—taken from good, loving homes because poverty or disability are labelled “bad parenting.”

We’ll show them our efforts to pass parental rights laws in the various states through our renewed campaigns starting in January.

Perhaps most of all, we’ll show them the permanent solution: The Parental Rights Amendment.

We will show new followers that we can win if we don’t give up . But we can’t do it alone.

So will you seize the opportunity right now? Your best gift, whether it’s $5, $50, or $500, will empower us to make the most of this petition campaign.

Because as much as this next month will be fun, exciting, and full of online fanfare for the petition, it is the weeks and months after it is finished that will determine just how far this effort will take us.

With your partnership, we can take a huge step forward in the next 26 days.

Will you stand with families today?

Sincerely,

Jim Mason

President

P.S. — Our Parental Rights Petition is the next step in fighting for parents’ rights. We’ll have to put our best effort into it every step of the way, both during the petition and in the follow-up after it ends. Will you be part of this journey with us?

30 Days and Counting: Presidential Petition Is Live Now

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 09:00:00 GMT

It’s time!

As of midnight last night, our Presidential Petition to support the Parental Rights Amendment is live at WhiteHouse.gov.

We are now on the clock. We have 30 days to reach 100,000 signatures.

If we succeed, President Trump is committed to weigh in on our request. What a powerful means to raise awareness for innocent families!

Please take a minute right now to sign the petition and share it with your friends through email or social media.

Thank you for standing with us to draw attention to the plight of parental rights in America!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Petition Starts This Thursday at Midnight

Tue, 22 Oct 2019 15:53:00 GMT

Starting this Thursday at midnight (Wednesday night), we’re taking the issue of parental rights to the White House!

Too often, state agents invade innocent families without cause.

If a parent disciplines a child, it’s “child abuse.” If a doctor disagrees with a parent’s decision on a child’s treatment, it’s “medical neglect.”

And if there’s a hotline call, it doesn’t need to be anything at all. “We got a call, so we have to investigate. Let us in.”

This is not how our society is meant to operate.

So we’re using the White House petition system to draw attention to the issue and get the word out.

The challenge before us is to reach 100,000 signatures in 30 days—and the clock starts Thursday at midnight.

So watch your email Thursday morning for the link, and plan now to sign the petition and share it with your friends.

Thank you for standing with us, and with parents all over the country, to better protect our children and their future!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

P.S.— This email is just a reminder. Check out our petition page for more details.

The New Jersey Parental Rights Conference is Coming Up

Thu, 17 Oct 2019 14:45:00 GMT

Dear [First name],

There will be a Parental Rights Conference in Flemington, NJ, on October 26th from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. to oppose New Jersey Senate bill 1569. SB 1569, which would change the standards for sex education in New Jersey public schools, raises concerns for many whose beliefs may be offended by the new standards.

Most importantly for the cause of parental rights, it reduces the options available to parents as they direct the education of their children in this delicate and personal area of study.

ParentalRights.org State Coordinator Victoria Jakelsky is part of putting this rally together and will be on-hand for the event.

Other allies in the event are faith-based organizations, and the conference is expected to have a strong Christian atmosphere.

Our focus as an organization is on parental rights, not religious freedom, and certainly not any one religious viewpoint. Sometimes, however, these interests overlap, and this is such an event.

The conference will be on private property and registration is required. To register or to learn more visit the event’s website here .

If you have additional questions, feel free to contact me at Cory@parentalrights.org .

Sincerely,

Cory

President Trump on Parental Rights?

Tue, 15 Oct 2019 14:58:00 GMT

Big news!

Thursday, October 24, ParentalRights.org will launch a White House petition urging President Trump to use his considerable influence to push the Parental Rights Amendment in Congress.

This is how the White House petition site works: Once our petition goes live, we will have only 30 days to gain 100,000 signatures. If we reach that mark by the deadline, the Administration is committed to at least respond to our request.

There’s no guarantee the President will do what we ask. But even if he declines, he will still be drawing attention to parental rights when he does.

Of course, it could be bigger than that. He could be in favor of our request. And if he is, it will highlight our cause even more.

Is this going to force Congress to lay aside the last decade of growing dysfunctionality and take up parental rights? Probably not. But it will help us awaken the American people, and that in turn will lead to the change we—and our children—need to see.

So, please help us get the word out now , and especially once the petition goes live.

If you are a leader of an organization or group that supports parental rights, please prepare to share this petition with them as soon as it goes live . If we can help you with content or additional information, please contact cory@parentalrights.org , and she will be happy to help.

And let’s all plan to make a splash by sharing this on social media and other means throughout the 30-day window: October 24 to November 22.

Together, we can reach our goal and draw tremendous attention to the cause of healthy families and parental rights.

Thank you for standing with us in this effort!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

The Parental Rights Foundation Reviews “America’s Hidden Foster Care System”

Fri, 04 Oct 2019 00:55:00 GMT

The Parental Rights Foundation this week published a review of “America’s Hidden Foster Care System,” a brand new law review article by University of South Carolina law professor Josh Gupta-Kagan.

The paper looks at problems arising from kinship care placements outside the foster care system. Find the review and the link to Gupta-Kagan’s full paper on the Foundation website here .

ParentalRights Goes to Harrisburg

Thu, 26 Sep 2019 00:48:00 GMT

Photo credit: Parentalrights.org. Reps. Jim Cox (left) and David Zimmerman address concerned parents, children, and members of the press before the Parents Know Best Rally in Harrisburg September 24, 2019.

ParentalRights.org of Pennsylvania on Tuesday hosted the Parents Know Best Rally , their first gathering to support HB 508 at the Capitol in Harrisburg.

Led by State Coordinator (and ParentalRights.org board member) Vickie Suarez, the PRO of PA team also partnered with American Family Association of Pennsylvania and the Christian Homeschool Association of Pennsylvania (CHAP) to organize the event.

ParentalRights.org Contact Coordinator Cory Gibbons and I were on hand for the day’s activities.

Broad Diversity, One Voice

Speakers for the day included Suarez, Diane Gramley of AFA of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Councilman David Oh, Robert McClellan (M.D.), Homeschool Legal Defense Association attorney Dan Beasley, homeschool activist Maryalice Newborn, and ParentalRights.org board chairman Ethan Demme. Several parents also spoke of their experiences with “the system” that has invaded their families, including six moms who came our from Philadelphia to share their heart-wrenching accounts.

Councilman Oh has been making headlines of his own for taking a stand for child welfare reform in his city.

Rep. Jim Cox, lead sponsor of HB 508 (The Parental Rights Protection Act), and Rep. David Zimmerman also spoke to the gathered crowd of concerned parents and children. Both are strong supporters of parental rights and spoke of the important role parents play in their children’s lives.

“It’s been a slow erosion,” Cox cautioned, “and we’re not going to get it back overnight. But I believe this [HB 508] is an important first step.”

Attendees could have been divided into conservative, rural parents concerned with their right to homeschool and make medical decisions for their children, and urban minority moms who have had run-ins with the state’s Depart of Children and Youth Services.

Only, they weren’t. No, this crowd was not divided at all, but were of one mind and voice: Parents Know Best .

Parents the Experts

“Who understand children better than parents themselves?” Rep. Zimmerman asked rhetorically in his opening remarks. Ethan Demme provided the answer a few minutes later from federal data and statistics.

Studies show, Demme explained, that to become an expert in something takes roughly 10,000 hours. And the average parent spends 16,000 hours on their child by the time the child is six years old—more than enough time to become an expert. By contrast, it would take a school teacher, who focusses on that same child for six hours every school day, seventeen years to reach the level of knowledge of that child the parents have achieved by the child’s sixth year.

HSLDA attorney Dan Beasley echoed that sentiment based on studies of home schooled children’s academic excellence. He summed up his findings succinctly: “If we empower parents, children benefit.”

Yet the state looks to other “experts” for how children should be raised, discounting the invaluable knowledge parents hold.

Sadly, that’s the experience other parents were on hand to share.

Mothers with Stories to Tell

Several of the Philadelphia mothers explained that they and their children were victims of Judge Lyris Younge , a discredited Philadelphia judge recently suspended by the state’s judicial authorities. Her removal came in response to a 68-page complaint accusing her of “routinely and improperly jailing parents in child custody matters and stripping them of access to their children without giving them adequate opportunity to plead their case,” according to an August article in the Philadelphia Inquirer .

An historically large percentage of Younge’s cases have been overturned on appeal, but the mothers at our rally have not yet received justice by that means. Their families, and their hearts, remain broken by the system.

One grandmother shared through tears how a child services supervisor allegedly lied in court, presenting her granddaughter’s rapist as the girl’s father and helping him secure custody of the child he had abused. The little girl was five years old.

The abuse would not have happened if the child had been left in the care of her grandmother, who was already filling the parenting role in her life.

More to Come

The rally was well attended for being the first of its kind, though other issues drew larger crowds on what proved to be an especially busy day in the capital. But this was our first attempt, and we hope to raise larger support for similar efforts in the future.

“The opposition is not going to quit,” Rep. Zimmerman stressed in his early remarks. So we can’t afford to stop, either.

As an observer, I am proud of our team of volunteers and allies, and what they were able to accomplish. The content and quality of the event were excellent, and helped draw attention to parental rights concerns.

More than one person in attendance at the Capitol for other issues stopped to ask for more information on our cause.

So keep an eye out for more such events in the future, in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, as we continue to draw attention to the plight of families and the need to preserve parental rights. And thank you for standing with us in this and every endeavor as we strive to protect children by empowering parents together.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Open Arizona’s Courts!

Tue, 17 Sep 2019 01:13:00 GMT

It is the purpose of open courts to let in the light of outside scrutiny, to keep judges and child welfare agencies honest in their dealings with children and families. That’s what made one ruling in Arizona earlier this year both troubling and confusing. And it’s why we’re excited to see that ruling overturned.

A Midnight Raid to Take the Children

It started with a mother in Chandler, Arizona, taking her fevered child to the doctor. Unable to rule out a serious illness such as meningitis, the doctor recommended the parents take the child to the emergency room for more testing (which generally entails a painful spinal tap).

By the time mother and child got home, though, the fever had broken. The family consulted a family friend who is a nurse, and ultimately decided the test was not necessary.

It was a reasonable medical decision by an informed parent, the kind we all try to make every day.

But when the doctor learned the child hadn’t gone to the ER, she called the local Department of Child Safety, who called out the police to raid the home that very night. The Department had secured a warrant to take the child, and ended up taking two sick siblings, as well.

They didn’t take the children to have them forcibly tested. The court didn’t issue a warrant to get the test that seemed so important to the concerned physician.

No. The warrant was to completely remove the sick children from their parents’ care. The children would ultimately spend weeks in foster care, then months in kinship foster care.

Open Courts, Except When They’re Not

The family had a front door cam, and soon footage of the midnight raid was all over social media. And Arizona has “open family courts,” meaning anyone may attend, and any media may report, as long as the family’s identity is kept safe.

So when this particular case went to a hearing, several interested parties were there, including reporters for the Arizona Republic as well as state lawmaker Kelly Townsend, who recently championed a bill to shore up parental rights in just such cases as this.

But that’s when things took a turn for the weird.

After the first hearing, presiding Judge Timothy Ryan took issue with an article written by the Republic , and perhaps with comments made by Rep. Townsend. So at the second hearing, Judge Ryan ordered the Republic and Townsend removed from the courtroom. And he issued an order claiming they had “violated confidentiality provisions.”

For them, the open courts were officially closed.

For months, the eyes and ears of the public were cut off from a hotly controversial case.

Reversals…

In August, the family’s children were returned to their care, the case against the parents dropped. And how could it not be? It is perfectly legal for parents to make informed medical decisions for their children. In fact, it is their natural, fundamental right (and responsibility) to do so.

Only no one knew about that outcome, because the media were still gagged.

Lawyers for the Arizona Republic filed a “motion for reconsideration,” asking the court to explain how their reporters had violated state law, or else restore their privileges to attend.

On further review, the judge had no choice but to overturn his own earlier ruling. His final finding did not admit wrongdoing or provide any details, but it is clear he could find no justification to support his earlier decision in light of the paper’s properly filed legal appeal.

Yet, sadly, even that victory was not untainted. Due to a clerical error, the court at first refused to provide the paper’s lawyers the decision on their own case!

“There being no written objection from the Attorney General’s Office, the Guardian ad Litem, or Father, it is ordered granting the motions [to reverse the earlier ruling],” Ryan wrote in a minute entry dated Aug 7, according to this Arizona Republic article . But the ruling wasn’t revealed to the reporters until early September, a month after the family’s case was over.

… and Repercussions

“One of the problems when juvenile courts are closed to the press and the public is that judges often steamroll parents,” ParentalRights.org President Jim Mason told the Republic for their article last week.

Further, the paper’s attorneys wrote, the Republic “has no guidance on what portion of its news report ostensibly violated the confidentiality requirements,” and “[the paper] will be chilled from exercising its First Amendment rights in the future.”

But the public, the press, and even the integrity of the court are not the only victims here. Although the family have been reunited, neither the parents nor the children will soon forget this ordeal.

Studies show many children forced into foster care will spend years in therapy after, trying to regain some semblance of the security they once found at home. And many score higher on PTSD tests than soldiers returning from combat.

We hope that won’t be the case here, and we salute the parental rights champions at the Arizona Republic , along with Representative Townsend, for standing up for the rights of families and of the press.

Working together, we will continue to shine a light on the family courts to bring the changes we need to protect our children by empowering their parents.

Thank you for standing with us in this important crusade!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

The Parents Know Best Rally is Just Around the Corner!

Wed, 04 Sep 2019 14:51:00 GMT

Mark your calendars! On September 24th, Parentalrights.org Pennsylvania is hosting the Parents Know Best Rally in Harrisburg, PA.

We’re organizing this event to promote the passing of Pennsylvania House Bill 508 , the Parental Rights Protection Act. This legislation is sponsored by Rep. Jim Cox. The rally will take place at the Capitol Building in Harrisburg .

Here is the schedule for our day:

9:30 AM – 10 AM: Check in and Orientation
10:00 AM – 11 AM: HB508 News Conference
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Lunch Break and Meet and Greet
12:30 PM – 2 PM: Parents Know Best Rally

We’ll hear from knowledgeable parents and legislators at the news conference and the rally, including Councilman Oh of the Philadelphia City Councilman; Ethan Demme, member of the PRO board and foster dad; Daniel Beasley, HSLDA attorney; Robert McClelland, MD; Diane Gramley, AFA/PA; Maryalice Newborn, homeschool activist; Representative Jim Cox, prime sponsor of HB 508 (the Parental Rights Protection Act); Representative Gillen, co-sponsor of HB 508; Denise Phillips, foster mom; and Vickie Suarez, PRO board member.

The Harrisburg Capitol Building is located at 501 North Third Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120 . Parking is available .

You can support the event and get a great-looking t-shirt to wear to the event right here .

Please register for the event through the CHAP site , even if you are not attending the CHAP portion of the event, so we can prepare enough lobbying packets for everyone. (CHAP graciously approves of this use of their registration process.)

To find out more, contact Cory Gibbons at cory@parentalrights.org.

We look forward to seeing there!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Positive Change Coming: A Report from ALEC Conference

Wed, 04 Sep 2019 12:59:00 GMT

Changes are coming to a major legislative conference that will better protect your parental rights at the state level.

ParentalRights.org’s Government Affairs Liaison Maggie McKneely attended the annual conference of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in Austin, Texas, August 14-16, and came away with the encouraging news.

Changing the Structure

“There’s going to be a new subcommittee for [Health and Human Services] issues: CPS, parental rights, that sort of thing,” Maggie told me.

ALEC is a conference of conservative state lawmakers who gather to discuss legislation proposals they’d like to see promoted across the country. It’s a way for a lawmaker from Texas, for instance, to share his successful bill so lawmakers in Oregon, Oklahoma, and Mississippi can introduce it in their states as well.

To be presented to the council, though, a bill must first pass through the appropriate subcommittee, and this has been a sticking point for ParentalRights.org. Since ALEC is a conservative gathering, its committees are gathered around conservative-only themes, like fiscal restraint or pro-life legislation.

Until now, there hasn’t been a subcommittee that fits our issue. But that is about to change.

New Allies

A small number of other groups have also been pushing ALEC to make room for child welfare reform efforts. Maggie was able to meet a leader out of Arizona working on this same kind of legislation.

That particular group is focused on the needs of children in foster care rather than on instances where children shouldn’t have been taken in the first place, but like us, they are working to rein in the system to better protect and care for children. The focus is different, but the results are the same.

It was encouraging for Maggie to make contact with these groups, whose work complements our own.

Because of the presence and persistence of champions like these, including ParentalRights.org, ALEC is preparing a new subcommittee to take up our issue.

An “Everyone Issue”

ALEC hasn’t taken up parental rights or child welfare reform before because it isn’t seen as a conservative issue. And we have said it before ourselves: parental rights is not a conservative issue, nor a liberal one.

The truth is, it is an “everyone issue,” which ALEC is now beginning to see includes conservatives like them.

(If we can score an invitation to a similar exchange for liberal lawmakers, we will be happy to share parental rights with them as well!)

The down side is that ALEC is an annual conference. While we hope to make a presentation of our issue for their executive meeting later this fall, neither the subcommittee nor any legislative proposals we could make will be in place before next August.

But in the grand scheme of things, that’s a small delay for a major avenue to promote our cause.

Thanks to the work of colleagues like Maggie and the new allies she is meeting, meaningful change is on its way .

Thank you for partnering with us and believing in us as we work behind the scenes to make these changes possible.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Facing Our Biggest Threat to Parental Rights

Wed, 28 Aug 2019 11:00:00 GMT

[Editor’s note: The following is originally from our sister site, ParentalRightsFoundation.org .]

I’ve been fighting for parental rights for over ten years, and you might be amazed to hear what I’ve come to believe is the biggest threat to parental rights.

Because the biggest threat to the legal rights of families in America today isn’t that more than 2,000 children are removed from their families every three days over allegations of abuse or neglect.

It isn’t that an investigator can remove children and rip families apart without a judge first hearing the case or issuing a warrant.

It isn’t that five of every six child welfare investigations are ultimately unfounded or unsubstantiated.

The biggest threat to families in America today isn’t that so many hospitals accuse innocent parents of “medical neglect” just for wanting a second opinion.

It isn’t that hospitals routinely seize custody of children over disagreements with the parents regarding the child’s diagnosis or medical care, or that they’re licensing “child abuse pediatricians” to lend an aura of medical credibility to circumstantial evidence against parents of sick or injured children.

No. The biggest threat to the legal rights of families today is that people don’t know these things are going on.

In a moment, I’ll explain what we’re doing to fix that problem and how you can be part of the solution today.

The People They Don’t Know

Most people have never heard of Corey Widen , the mother who had DCFS called on her because she had the audacity to allow her eight-year-old daughter to walk their dog around the block. There were no signs of abuse or neglect, but that didn’t stop DCFS from interviewing family, friends, and neighbors in a process that would take weeks to resolve.

People don’t know about Hope , the New York mom whose name was on the state’s child abuse “central register” for more than a decade because of a false report of neglect stemming from an ugly divorce. They don’t know that, although her child welfare case and all criminal charges were quickly thrown out, her name was added to the registry anyway.

People don’t know about Isaiah Rider or Justina Pelletier : two teenagers, two hospitals, two different states. Two difficult diagnoses, and two families doing all they could to help them. Two innocent children who were harmed both physically and emotionally by our current child welfare system.

People don’t know how Lurie’s Children’s hospital in Chicago stripped sixteen-year old Isaiah from his mother because she wanted a second opinion on his care.

They don’t know how Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) kicked out Justina’s parents when they believed her existing diagnosis of mitochondrial disease instead of being cowed into BCH’s “somatoform” (psychological) disorder diagnosis.

They don’t know BCH called in the state of Massachusetts to take custody of the teen, who went from relatively healthy, walking and skating, to using a wheel chair during her sixteen months in state “care.”

People don’t know about the young cancer patients being removed from their parents over decisions regarding chemotherapy. They aren’t aware that so many children are being forced to face the scariest days of their lives alone, without the comforting presence and support of their parents.

People don’t know—often it seems even the judges don’t know—that judges can issue a court order to take the choice about chemo away from the parents without taking the parent away from her ailing, terrified child.

People don’t know about Tafida Raqeeb , a desperately ill 5-year-old in Great Britain whose mother is fighting to save her from “medical experts” who believe it’s in the girl’s “best interests” to just let her die. Just like Charlie Gard and Alfie Evans before her.

People don’t know these nightmares don’t just happen to ‘bad parents,’ but to normal, good, loving parents like you and me.

They don’t know the cause behind all this suffering: that our government’s refusal to protect their rights has left their family at risk.

What People Who Know Don’t Know

You know who does know these things happen to good parents? The ones who have been there. The innocent families living the nightmare right now .

But even they are equally harmed by the things they don’t know.

Too many of them don’t know that even when a child welfare investigator is banging down their door they still have rights . They don’t know that their instinct is right; that being forced to stand by while an investigator strip-searches your child without a warrant is wrong .

They hear “professional investigators” tell them their children are better off without them, and some of them begin to think it’s true.

Because they don’t know what their rights are, or how to defend them.

Worst of all, they don’t know that they are not alone, that people like us support them and are working to end their nightmare. They don’t know that you believe in their right to be a parent.

And what all these people have in common—those living the nightmare and those who have never heard it exists—is that they don’t know this is a huge problem in America.

When I talk to them, people are shocked that they know so little about such a big issue. I hear it all the time: “Why is no one talking about this?”

But this is exactly why the Parental Rights Foundation exists: to educate America on the threats to parental rights and on the best policies to preserve our families.

Because what you don’t know can hurt you.

And what so many Americans don’t know about parental rights is exactly what’s causing so much pain to so many children.

If They Knew What You Know

If more Americans knew our government removes children from homes at a rate of more than 2,000 every three days, there would be an outcry against it. If they knew more than 80% of trafficked children came from the foster care system, they would demand change.

If they knew a child abuse “central registry” is a list of people accused of abuse—often without any evidence—and not of actual abusers, they would stop using those lists in hiring practices. And they would demand a better list they could count on, one with due process built in.

But they don’t know, so they don’t care.

And that’s the problem.

Because until they care, we will never see the changes we need to preserve innocent families like Hope’s, and to save innocent children like Isaiah and Justina.

Until they care, we will not have the strength to stop the British atrocities against Alfie Evans, Charlie Gard, and Tafida Raqeeb from coming to our shores as well.

Until they care, families like yours and mine are not truly safe.

It is up to you and me to open their eyes, to educate them. If we do that, many will care and will take a stand to defend parental rights.

Do you remember when you first learned of the threats to parental rights in America today?

Remember that first moment you realized something must be done?

The truth is, an amazingly large majority of Americans still agree that parents generally know what is best for their child. We still recognize that, as a rule, “natural bonds of affection lead parents to act in the best interest of their child”—better than a teacher, a doctor, a bureaucrat, or any agent of the state.

That means if we can open their eyes, they’ll have the same kind of reaction you did.

Parents from across the political spectrum, from every race and creed, agree with us on the natural role of loving parents as a child’s first and best defense.

Americans of every stripe will stand with us to protect parents’ rights through good laws, good policies, even a good constitutional amendment. But we have to open their eyes.

Every month, the Parental Rights Foundation sends hundreds of thousands of emails and shares dozens of social media posts to raise awareness to the plight of families in America.

We write letters to policymakers and engage in debates and discussions with opinion influencers to defend the family by protecting parental rights.

We research and investigate new trends in parental rights and keep our supporters abreast of the latest parental rights news, both dangers and successes.

Through all these efforts we strive to raise awareness, to open eyes, to let people know .

But we cannot do any of these things without the partnership of great supporters like you, supporters who know and want to make a difference.

Parental Rights Champion, can I count on you today to make your best gift of $35, $50, or even $125 to strengthen our efforts to open more eyes? Your investment will further the work of the Parental Rights Foundation to bring discussion and awareness of parental rights into every home in America.

Standing together, we can help Americans know what they don’t know—then take action to bring real change for families.

Thank you for working with us to shine the light of knowledge and understanding in the area of parental rights!

Sincerely,

Michael T. Ramey

Executive Director

P.S. — America has a major parental rights problem because so many people just don’t know. They don’t know the dangerous trends of hospitals and child welfare investigators overriding parents with whom they disagree. They don’t know of the victims—Justina, Isaiah, Hope, and so many others—harmed by a system intended to protect. If we can open their eyes, we can build an army of people who care, who stand, who act to defend our families by preserving parental rights. Can I count on you to act – to give your most generous gift today and sustain our efforts to open their eyes?

When the Whole Court Can’t Be Trusted

Wed, 21 Aug 2019 20:36:00 GMT

A recent case out of Washington state was so egregious the appellate court not only rejected it, but sent it back to be heard again— in a different county .

Generally, when a case is appealed, the appellate court will either uphold the original decision or “remand” it, meaning they send it back for a do-over, with special instructions from the higher court.

But this case required the court to come up with a whole new option.

“The right to a fair trial before an impartial tribunal is a basic requirement of due process,” Justice Smith wrote for a unanimous Court of Appeals for the State of Washington. “The right to due process is especially critical in a proceeding to terminate parental rights, where so much is at stake for both the parents and the child.”

But the Appeals Court determined that the Snohomish County termination of parental rights trial for parents Nylysha Aradon and Carey Hayes was anything but impartial.

Background

It all began with the birth of a baby on February 24, 2013. When “A.H.” was born, her mother tested positive for methadone. Four days later, the Department of Social Services removed the baby from her parent’s custody and sent her to live with a foster family.

This situation—where a mother tests positive for methadone at birth—is one of the concerns we have with the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, or CAPTA. The mother’s positive drug test resulted in an automatic call to DSS as a result of CAPTA.

But testing positive for methadone isn’t always a bad thing. Methadone is often prescribed to help mothers with alcohol addiction get off alcohol, especially during pregnancy. And studies have shown that methadone use is safer for both mother and baby than quitting alcohol cold turkey during the pregnancy.

We don’t know this family’s details. We don’t know if the methadone was prescribed or if the mother was under her doctor’s care. We’re not taking a position on whether this baby was a “child in need of care.” Frankly, neither did the appeals court. They were simply concerned, as are we, with the parents’ inability to get a fair trial before their rights were terminated.

And there certainly is reason for concern.

According to the court’s finding, a Volunteer Guardian Ad Litem (VGAL) for the infant stood strongly opposed to returning the baby to her mother and “committed numerous breaches of confidentiality that benefited the foster parent.” In one example, she dug up case files from previous DSS involvement with the parents and gave a copy of the file to the foster family.

She misinformed the parents as the baby’s food needs changed based on new allergy tests, and she blocked the parents from access to the child’s medical providers.

When the VGAL passed away in early 2015, her former supervisor took over the case, and she was little better. The court discovered later that it was she (the supervisor) who illegally secured the case file and delivered it to the late VGAL in the first place.

VGAL system attorneys even advised the court’s own prosecutors in how to proceed against the parents in their termination of rights case.

And here’s the kicker: In Snohomish County, a little north of Seattle, the VGAL program “is an agency of the superior court.” So when the VGAL system took a stance against the parents and worked against reunification, the court through them became adversarial to the parents. When VGAL lawyers assisted prosecuting attorneys, they added to that adversarial nature without notifying the parents of those connections.

To make it worse, “employees of the VGAL Program, and therefore employees of the superior court, also engaged in retaliation against attorneys in the same firm as [the mother’s] attorney.”

Imagine having all of these players working against you, to separate you from your child and end your rights as a parent. Now imagine they all work for the judge who’s hearing your case.

It got so bad the judge actually recused herself. That is, she removed herself from the case because of the apparent conflict of interest.

But then she still entered the order to terminate the parents’ rights.

She made an order in the case, but afterwards she said she shouldn’t be in charge of the case

Finally, the parents’ lawyers appealed the whole mess, and the appeals court struck down the illegal actions of the lower court.

By now the baby is six years old.

The Appeal

How can parents get a fair trial when the entire superior court is working against them to make sure they never see their baby again?

The Appeals Court quoted from the original judge’s recusal memo that “[t]he Superior Court, its direct agents, and its own attorneys, all under the supervision of the judges repeatedly aligned with and literally became a party litigating this case against the parents …throughout the case.” (emphasis added)

Such conditions resulted in a violation of the parents’ rights to due process and the appearance of fairness, forcing the appeals court to reverse the termination order and demand a new trial.

But here’s the line that will make even experienced lawyers stop and read it again: “We remand for a new trial in a county other than Snohomish County ” (emphasis added).

It’s bad enough when the appeals court tells the trial court, “You have to do it over because you messed up.” But in this case the abuses were so bad they declared instead (I’m paraphrasing here), “We don’t even trust you to do it over. The parents can’t possibly trust you to do it over.”

“The parents get a do-over,” (I’m still paraphrasing the court), “but they will get it from literally anybody else.”

It’s Not Just Here

We know family courts like this don’t always play by the rules or produce just results. We know they often use “family privacy” as a “veil of secrecy” to hide their own unfair practices. But even in that dark world, this case stands out as especially egregious.

Yet it happened. And that means it may not be the only one. Who knows how many times Snohomish County courts operated like this before a family’s attorney decided to call them out? Who knows how many other courts have swept similar practices under the rug?

Sadly, some parents must lose their parental rights for the protection of their child. Still, every termination proceeding must be carried out with an attention to justice and fair play that matches the seriousness of the potential result.

Termination of parental rights has often been called “the death sentence of the family court;” it must never be taken lightly.

In our system of laws, even an unfit parent must be afforded their day in a fair and unbiased court. Anything less raises the specter of a system that steals children and gives them to favored parents looking for a child to adopt.

Our families—our children —deserve so much better than that.

Through the political voice of ParentalRights.org and the educational and policy voice of the Parental Rights Foundation, we strive to call attention to these abuses so more courts will respond as this appeals court has. We must demand, as the court did, that these wrongs must be fixed .

Your gift today can help us continue this mission of sounding the alarm and demanding better for our families.

Thank you for standing with us to protect the rights of parents, in the interest of protecting the future of our children.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

The Parents Know Best Rally is Coming Up in PA!

Fri, 16 Aug 2019 20:45:00 GMT

Mark your calendars! On September 24th, Parentalrights.org Pennsylvania is hosting the Parents Know Best Rally in Harrisburg, PA.

Here is the schedule for our day:

9:30 AM – 10 AM: Check in and Orientation
10 AM – 11 AM: HB508 News Conference
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Lunch Break and Meet and Greet
12:30 PM – 2 PM: Parents Know Best Rally

Knowledgeable parents and legislators will address the need for this legislation at the news conference and the rally, including Diane Gramley of AFA-PA , Daniel Beasley of HSLDA , and Philadelphia Councilman David Oh. The Harrisburg Capitol Building is located at 501 North Third Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120 . Parking is available .

For those who are interested, the Christian Homeschooling Association of Pennsylvania (CHAP) will host a meeting from 8:30-9:30 about homeschooling in PA. Speakers will include Rep. Mark Gillen, Daniel Beasley, and Brad Bastedo (Bucks County lawyer and CHAP Board member).

To find out more, contact Cory Gibbons at cory@parentalrights.org. We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Life or Death: Yet Another Charlie Gard?

Wed, 07 Aug 2019 21:22:00 GMT

The hospitals of Britain are at it again. The “medical experts” have deduced that somehow “death” is actually in the best interests of Tafida Raqeeb, just as they decided for Alfie Evans in 2016 and Charlie Gard in 2017.

That’s like a car salesman telling you to just walk. Everywhere.

It’s like a kindergarten teacher telling children to just look at the pictures.

This is not what we are paying them for.

To be clear, true medical experts are supposed to be about the business of saving lives .

According to reports , five-year-old Tafida suffered a traumatic brain injury in February arising from a rare, undiagnosed medical condition. A ‘tangle of blood vessels with abnormal connections between arteries and veins” resulted in a dramatic change in a single night. Tafida went from “a perfectly healthy, bubbly child” to being on life support.

There is hope. A hospital in Italy has offered to take over her treatment, just as in the case of Alfie Evans. But also similar to that case, the British hospital refuses to allow the little girl to be discharged.

“They kept on saying if we want Tafida out, then ‘you need to take us to court, we are not going to release her’,” Tafida’s mother, Shalina Begum, told Sky News. “But they were not prepared to budge.”

So far the state-run hospital is two-for two in court, and they have two dead children to show for it. Now they are prepared to fight once again, in an effort—an effort —to make that three dead children.

To be clear, this is not yet happening in the United States. Though we have seen a disturbing rise in instances of states taking custody of children from fit parents simply because the mom or dad disagrees with a diagnosis or treatment plan, we have not seen hospitals actively fighting for the chance to watch a child die.

Yet.

But this is exactly the kind of outcome one might expect when a child’s healthcare decisions are made by those with a primary interest in keeping costs low, rather than by those—parents—whose primary interest is in the life of their child.

Tragically, there are cases where a child’s prognosis is without hope, and there are parents in those cases unable to let go. There is a process by which a doctor or state actor can petition a court to override that parent’s grief-laden, denial-driven decision.

But the weight in those cases is on the hospital or state actor to prove the parent is being unreasonable. The law begins with the presumption that parents are acting in their child’s best interest.

In Britain, that presumption has been turned upside down, and the law assumes the hospital is right. This forces stressed, grieving parents to do the heavy lifting of proving the doctor is wrong.

As a result, the children are losing. And it’s no game; it’s literally a matter of life and death.

Cases like these demonstrate the importance of preserving parental rights in the United States and adding that protection into the very text of the Constitution.

Only by safeguarding the traditional decision-making role of parents can we protect children like Charlie, Alfie, and now Tafida, from death at the hands of a calloused state.

As the cost of healthcare becomes a bigger and bigger political football, so increases the need to make sure the value of a child’s life is never weighed in dollars and cents .

And you know who’s good at keeping that from happening, at keeping the child’s life and interests front-and-center?

Parents.

Parents will not just sit by and watch their child die because her care is “too expensive.” Parents will not give up when there are still viable options to be explored.

Loving parents will never say of a child with a future, “I simply think dying is in your best interest.” How can these doctors even stomach doing this to yet another child?

Clearly, loving parents are much better equipped to represent their child’s interests than the British medical system, or even our own.

Please take a moment today to support the Parental Rights Foundation through a generous donation or by passing this email on to interested friends and family. Together we are working to educate America on the fact that discarding parental rights literally places children’s lives at risk.

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by defending parents’ rights.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

We’re Going Around Congress

Wed, 31 Jul 2019 20:51:00 GMT

If we can’t get through, we’ll go around.

That’s our plan for protecting parental rights relating to child welfare investigations. We won’t give up. We won’t quit.

Because if Congress won’t protect families, we’ll find another way.

Right now we can’t afford not to. Not when a good parent can spend ten years or more on a child abuse registry even after the judge cleared her of all suspicion of abuse.

That’s what happened to Hope, a New York mom targeted for an abuse investigation by an anonymous phone call during a heated divorce.

There was never any abuse, never any reason for the call. Hope was quickly found innocent both in family and criminal court. But her name went on the register anyway, and stayed there for ten years.

She was suspended from her job when this black mark showed up on her background check. She couldn’t pursue a dream of working with children, or even help with her daughter’s mentoring program.

Unfortunately for Hope and parents like her, the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (or CAPTA), which created the hotline and registry systems in the first place, didn’t call for any “due process” protections before parents like her could be put on those lists.

That’s bad news for good, loving parents everywhere.

So when we learned CAPTA was going to be up for reauthorization this year, making use of the opportunity to fix these problems became our top priority.

CAPTA works by providing much sought-after federal funding for state child welfare investigation agencies. In order to get those funds, every state will jump through the hoops CAPTA sets for them.

So we knew right away: if we can improve parental rights in CAPTA – changing the hoops they have to jump through – we can improve the way families are treated all over the country. We can keep other parents from suffering as Hope has.

Fixing this one act was the most efficient way to protect all our children. So, we went all-in.

We didn’t just email, write, call, and visit members of Congress. We plugged in with family rights allies from across the political spectrum and asked them to go with us.

Whenever we visited a Democrat lawmaker’s office, we were sure to have an expert with us from the left side of the aisle. And every time we visited a Republican, we went with an expert from the right side of the aisle.

Whichever party we needed to talk to, we could almost guarantee they would meet with us.

Sadly, Congress proved (as they so often do) that “meeting with us” and “hearing us” are two different things. So when the House presented their version of the bill, our improvements hadn’t made the cut.

We weren’t pushing for anything crazy. We just shined a light on a few troubling matters that have had a clearly negative impact on child welfare outcomes through the years. We even presented reasonable solutions for those problems— solutions our allies on both sides of the aisle agree with.

We pushed for an amendment to CAPTA that would protect a parent’s right to due process before their name is put on a child abuse registry. It was CAPTA that first required those registries, but its lack of a “due process” provision means parents in most states can be put on the list simply on the whim of the investigator assigned to their case.

This happened to Hope even after she was cleared of all charges in both criminal and family court!

If CAPTA had included our edit—or something like it— then Hope wouldn’t have spent ten years under the black mark of shame that comes from being falsely labelled a “child abuser.”

CAPTA created that mess, so it’s the perfect vehicle to fix it. But the House apparently doesn’t think there’s a problem to be fixed.

We also pushed for an amendment to replace anonymous reporting with confidential reporting. With its call for the establishment of 24/7 anonymous child abuse hotlines, CAPTA created another problem: national statistics show that a shocking 96% of all anonymous reports are unreliable.

Just like the anonymous call that did so much to destroy Hope’s life for a decade.

Under CAPTA, every call must be investigated. That means for every one valid anonymous tip, twenty-four are wasting the agency’s time— time that could be spent finding and helping victims of actual abuse.

We told Congress that by replacing anonymous reporting with confidential reporting we could empower the system to recognize and act on trends of abusing the system. If a jilted ex keeps calling in false reports to build his or her custody case, the agency can spot that behavior and report it to the courts. Innocent families could be saved.

But the House didn’t seem to think that was a problem, either.

And we asked for the inclusion of a removal standard—a level of evidence or expectation of imminent harm that must be met before a child can be removed from their family home without a court order.

As it is, innocent families are torn apart every day on the whim of a child welfare investigator with little or no evidence of abuse. And too many of these removals happen under “emergency circumstances,” with no prior review by a judge. A standard of removal would correct this error.

Sadly, while the members and staff we talked to all nodded in agreement and understood these concerns, they apparently didn’t understand them enough to be sure they were addressed in the reauthorization bill.

Still, we weren’t finished trying to make these crucial changes. And we aren’t giving up now, either. But we are looking at another option.

We’re not giving up, because there’s still a chance to fix CAPTA in the Senate. They could take any or all of our recommendations and insert them in their own version of the bill, then iron out the differences in “conference committee.” (That’s where members of the House and members of the Senate come together to create a version both chambers can agree on.)

But we’re not holding our breath on those efforts being any more successful in the Senate than in the House. With each chamber under the leadership of a different party, there are more closed-door politics than open, respectful discussions taking place on Capitol Hill.

With the House looking to make CAPTA worse, it may be all the Senate can do to be sure we break even.

If that proves true, none of these fixes will make it into CAPTA in any meaningful way.

No changes will be made and no families will be helped.

But what if there is another way? Another way we could keep children from being needlessly harmed by invasive investigations?

Well, we think we’ve found one. It’s just going to take a lot more time and effort.

Since Congress won’t fix these issues in CAPTA for all fifty states, we’ll go to the states themselves.

Instead of using CAPTA to help families by changing the hoops that every state has to jump through, we’ll make each state get a hoop.

It could be a while before we get all fifty. But we’ll start with a few right away and encourage the movement to grow.

On the matter of due process, for instance, a few states already have some minimal protection. CAPTA requires a registry, and it doesn’t require protections for innocent parents. But that hasn’t stopped North Carolina, Vermont, Idaho, and Connecticut from passing laws of their own to protect those rights.

Sadly, a recent review shows that only these four states currently provide any due process protection at all. And the protection these states offer varies from “lukewarm” to “scant.”

But the fact that they offer protection at all proves every other state can follow their example—and better—if they want to. We just have to get them started.

This may be a tough fight, and it’s going to constitute a significant shift in our immediate focus. We are certainly not giving up on the Parental Rights Amendment, but that is a long-term project that is going to require a kind of bipartisanship not to be found in D.C. today.

And we’re not giving up on securing parents’ rights through CAPTA, either. We will continue to fight its harmful content by visiting and educating Senators and their offices.

But both the Amendment and our recommendations to CAPTA are top-down goals. They would fix our country’s abuse of parental rights on the federal level. But they require Congress to act. And that means they will take time to achieve.

Addressing this in the states is a more immediately achievable, bottom-up fix. But we have to start now.

If we wait to see what the Senate does with CAPTA, it will be too late. State lawmakers are deciding their agenda for January right now. If we wait and the Senate doesn’t come through, we will lose the entire 2020 legislative session.

And let’s face it; we’re just not likely to see these long-term improvements come from Congress this year.

On the other hand, we’re excited by what we can achieve with this focus on state efforts. Most of the fixes we wanted in CAPTA are still within reach by this new approach.

Each state can pass a high-bar removal standard and still be eligible for CAPTA funds. Each state can adopt due process protections before listing parents on their registry, without surrendering those federal grants. We can draft model language to accomplish that and give it to state lawmakers to run with.

What’s more, last year’s Resolutionary campaign built our network in the states, while this year’s congressional efforts built relationships with new partners across the spectrum. These are huge points in our favor.

We’re ready to plunge forward into this fight.

But it’s still going to take a lot of time, effort, and resources to succeed.

Will you partner with us to take on this new task? Your generous contribution will empower us to keep our presence in Congress even as we take our fight for families to the states.

We can’t afford to stop now. Families like Hope’s are counting on us to secure the rights of innocent parents any way we can.

Sincerely,

James R. Mason

President

P.S. — The ideals we have for the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, including due process, a standard of removal, and other family-protecting measures, are still achievable in the states, even if Congress won’t “play ball.” And parents are counting on us to secure these rights and hold their families together. Children need the security these simple rights can provide. Please partner with us through your best gift today as we take this battle from Congress to the states!

School to Moms: Your Money or Your Child

Tue, 23 Jul 2019 20:42:00 GMT

A Pennsylvania school district came under fire last week for a letter sent home to parents who owed debts for their child’s school lunch program. Unable to collect for the breakfasts and lunches certain students had consumed, the Wyoming Valley West School District threatened to have the families reported to “dependency court” and have their children taken away.

“Your child has been sent to school every day without money and without a breakfast and/or lunch,” the letter charges, based on a photo taken from Facebook and shared in a Yahoo! Lifestyle article .

“This is a failure to provide your child with proper nutrition and you can be sent to Dependency Court for neglecting your child’s right to food. If you are taken to Dependency court (sic), the result may be your child being removed from your home and placed in foster care.”

Proper nutrition is extremely important to the health of your child.

According to reports, the average debt is $22.47 per child.

“I found it very disturbing. Upsetting,” Executive Director Joanne Van Saun of the county’s Children and Youth Services (DCFS) told Yahoo’s reporter. “It is a total misrepresentation, a gross misrepresentation of what our agency does.”

Additional comments quoted in that article demonstrate that the county’s DCFS has a much healthier view of its intended role in the community than the one presented by the school.

Unfortunately, the school shows little remorse for the ill-conceived threat.

“Hopefully, that gets their attention and it certainly did, didn’t it?” the school’s lawyer, Charles Coslett told U.S. News and World Report . “I mean, if you think about it, you’re here this morning because some parents cried foul because he or she doesn’t want to pay a debt attributed to feeding their kids. How shameful.”

Shameful? Shameful is taking a system designed to be a last resort for child victims of abuse and weaponizing it to collect a simple monetary debt.

“Give us our money or we’ll take your kids” sounds more like something from a Liam Neeson movie than from a public school.

And it’s a bad idea in the movies, at that.

Not surprisingly, the school has been forced to walk back its hollow threat and is expected to issue a new letter this week to apologize.

Perhaps the saddest thing about this whole event (apart from the implication that your family is worth less than $25) is that the threat was available to the school in the first place.

But school administrators, like some child welfare investigators, know the score.

They know that thanks to fifty years of mandatory reporting laws, the system is rigged to pay close attention to any report of neglect or abuse coming from a professional such as a doctor or your child’s school.

They know it’s rigged to take children first and ask questions later. That’s partly because federal monies depend on the number of children in care, and partly because no investigator ever lost their job for taking a child from a healthy home unnecessarily.

And it’s certainly rigged because police and judges are trained to side with the agency first, and only return your children after you’ve been through “the process.”

This case in Pennsylvania will end well. Parents cried foul, the media sided with the families, and even DCFS refused to defend the school’s actions .

But that’s not always the case. Federal provisions like anonymous reporting, child abuse registries without due process, and the mandatory reporting laws mentioned above make it very hard for innocent families to protect their children.

That’s why federal laws like CAPTA (the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act) need to change, and why we’re working hard to change them.

Will you stand with us? Encourage your family and friends to sign up for our newsletters and alerts at ParentalRights.org. And consider making a generous donation today to help protect America’s families.

Then, maybe the next time an overreaching official claims they’re going to take your child without grounds, you can respond with laughter at their lunacy, rather than fear that they really might do it.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Breaking: Attorney Arrested for Standing for Families

Wed, 17 Jul 2019 20:12:00 GMT

This morning Tennessee attorney Connie Reguli turned herself in to the Brentwood, TN, police in response to news yesterday that a warrant had been issued for her arrest.

Reguli is founder of the Family Forward Project , an ally in the fight to protect parental rights and call attention to the need for family court reform. I had the privilege of meeting Connie at the State of the Children rally hosted by Families and Children’s Justice in Detroit last Fall.

Today she stands accused of “facilitating custodial interference,” apparently only for her actions as a lawyer on behalf of her client in pushing back in family court.

On Tuesday Reguli told a video blogger, “I have never broken the law, …never had a single criminal charge, and here we are, because I tried to get a parent due process, which means notice and opportunity to be heard. I am now going to be criminally charged for that.”

The mother has also been arrested on the same charge.

The situation arose from a DeKalb County child welfare investigation case for which Reguli was the mother’s legal representative. Reguli claims the arrest warrants are in retaliation for her recording conversations with investigators and case managers and pushing back against the agency’s “harassment” of her client.

The timing of the arrest, after the children have been returned and the original child abuse case against the mother dismissed, is likely because the case “is a civil rights lawsuit just waiting to happen” and “Tennessee has a very short statute of limitations,” Reguli suggests.

Arresting a lawyer would seem to be a convenient way to keep her from filing her client’s lawsuit in time.

Reguli takes issue with the county’s normative use of ex parte orders to seize children from their homes without first giving parents a hearing, or even notice of the accusations against them. An ex parte order is supposed to be an emergency measure employed to gain permission to remove a child where “there is imminent risk of irreparable harm before a hearing could be held,” explains Reguli.

Instead, they are used all the time in DeKalb, the only apparent purpose being to catch families at a disadvantage.

Perhaps because she is an attorney, Reguli received more courtesy than that. She got a phone call from a sheriff’s deputy on Tuesday and was allowed to make arrangements to turn herself in Wednesday morning.

Reguli was processed, then released on her own recognizance at 2:00 p.m. local time. We will continue to follow her story and keep you posted in future newsletters.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Photo credit: Connie Reguli with the Family Forward Project

[Note: This article originally said Reguli was charged with “custodial interference,” which was in error.]

New Hope for Due Process

Thu, 11 Jul 2019 20:05:00 GMT

This week a blog called “Rethinking Foster Care” features a post by Hope Lyzette Newton , a mom falsely accused of child abuse who spent the last ten-plus years on New York’s State Central Register (SCR).

Under the title “Branded,” Newton explains that for the entire time she was on the register, she felt like she wore “a brand on [her] chest—invisible perhaps, but searing, and [she] felt as though people could see it.”

By her account, Newton had done nothing wrong . She was the subject of a false report stemming from a bitter divorce. Cases against her in both child welfare and criminal courts were quickly dismissed. But her name on the registry has caused her years of anguish and shame.

Her story is exactly the sort of tragedy we had in mind last winter when we began to approach lawmakers about making changes in the “ Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act ” to ensure due process for parents before they’re put on a registry like the SCR.

Too often, as in Newton’s case, a name is added to the list on the mere word of a child welfare investigator, with no court decision or conviction required. In some instances, a name is even added contrary to a court decision that finds a parent not guilty.

Newton’s name was probably added to the list before her cases were dismissed, but it could even have been added after the fact. There’s nothing in New York law to prevent it.

In her recent book, They Took the Kids Last Night , Chicago-area attorney Diane Redleaf shares just such an account, where the registry listing was added four days after a court decision, by a welfare investigator who simply refused to agree with the judge’s ruling.

And that, as we told any congressman who would listen, is a problem.

The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution declare that no one “shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law,” a guarantee seemingly lost on many states with child abuse registers.

The child welfare system claims the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments don’t apply because parents aren’t being deprived of “life, liberty, or property.” But experiences like Newton’s prove otherwise.

These registries are often used in background checks that can prevent innocent parents from securing jobs in fields working with children—like nursing, teaching, and childcare—thus depriving them of a livelihood.

That was true for Hope Newton, who temporarily lost her job in admissions at a community college because her name was on the list . “My fingerprints came up ‘dirty,’” she says in the post.

Fortunately for Newton, her sixteen-year-old son pushed her to get her name expunged and a law group she was working with by then was able to help her navigate the treacherous waters to see that happen.

But too many innocent parents remain listed.

This could all be fixed with the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, or CAPTA. CAPTA provides funding for any state that will agree to its federal guidelines on child welfare agencies. It is also the federal law that pushed states to create registries in the first place. So it would be fitting to insert due process protections in the bill as well.

And it would be a simple fix . Just require that to be eligible for federal dollars, a state must require due process protection for any parents before they are put on the registry, including a chance to defend one’s self in a fair hearing before an impartial adjudicatory body. And require states to provide a quick and accessible means to appeal.

Such a protection would have allowed Newton’s name to be expunged from the roll years ago.

Unfortunately, the House rejected our proposals to provide due process. And the Senate doesn’t look hopeful on that point, either. We haven’t given up. But we have found a new source of encouragement.

A few states—tragically few—provide worthwhile protections of the sort we’d like to see. In the weeks ahead, we’ll be going over their laws and drafting model legislation we can introduce in additional states. If we can’t win from the top down, we’ll fight this battle in the states – from the bottom up.

It will be a long road. CAPTA would be a simpler route to take, as it would fix all 50 states at once. But if Congress won’t play ball, we’ll take the matter to those who will.

What we won’t do is give up on the rights of innocent parents. So thank you for standing with us as we forge ahead to make Hope Newton’s story one of the last of its kind.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Save the Date for the Parents Know Best Rally

Wed, 10 Jul 2019 20:31:00 GMT

Mark your calendars! Parentalrights.org Pennsylvania is hosting the Parents Know Best Rally in Harrisburg, PA on September 24 ^th .

This event is organized to promote the passage of Pennsylvania House Bill 508 , the Parental Rights Protection Act, sponsored by Rep. Jim Cox. It will take place at the Capitol Building in Harrisburg .

The tentative schedule for the day is as follows:

9:30 AM – 10 AM: Check in and Orientation
10 AM – 11 AM: HB508 News Conference
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Lunch Break and Meet and Greet
12:30 PM – 2 PM: Parents Know Best Rally

Knowledgeable parents and legislators will address the need for this legislation at the news conference and the rally. The Harrisburg Capitol Building is located at 501 North Third Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120 . Parking is available.

To find out more, contact Cory Gibbons at cory@parentalrights.org. We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Video Reveals CPS Critical Flaw

Tue, 25 Jun 2019 15:45:00 GMT

A new video from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) reveals a fundamental problem with Child Protective Services (CPS).

When CPS gets a call, their first move is to send an investigator to look around. This “first-responder” role is often portrayed as social work: a stranger stepping in to help needy families.

In reality, the investigator must observe the family and home around them, gathering evidence and separating possible abuse victims from potentially dangerous homes.

Social work— providing aid to the needy— is a far cry from this kind of evidence-based decision making, which is more closely in line with law enforcement.

More importantly, “social workers” often argue in court that as “service providers” they are not subject to the Fourth Amendment , which protects families from “unreasonable searches and seizures.” We have long argued that is not the case. They are investigators who must have a warrant based on probable cause before raiding a home or taking a child.

Good Ideas

Last week, AEI released a new video that highlights this problem with the child welfare system and encourages changes in how one sees the investigator’s role. And we couldn’t agree more with their suggestions.

“To improve our child welfare system, we have to improve the recruitment of the people working in it,” says AEI Resident Fellow Naomi Schaeffer Riley in the one-minute video.

Far too often, agents are not equipped to investigate and must rely on personal bias and “gut” instinct instead. It’s damaging to families and can be heart-wrenching to those who thought they were getting into social work.

The video cites a national study showing a 30% turnover rate at CPS, with some agencies experiencing turnover rates as high as 65%. No wonder the employees leave so fast, if agencies are hiring the wrong people to begin with.

As a solution, Riley suggests, “We should consider recruiting applicants for CPS who are interested in law enforcement, not just social work.”

A Good Fit

Obviously, a carpenter will be miserable in a computer programming job, just as a computer programmer won’t like reroofing your house. But with both in the right place your roof won’t leak and your computer application will serve its intended purpose.

Having the right people in the job—people trained in investigations—will reduce the number of unnecessary removals. That’s because an investigator will follow a process of deduction and not break families apart without hard evidence.

This highlights one reason we’re working in Congress right now to guide pending changes to the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. This bill, which funds and determines how CPS works in the states, must include basic privacy protections for families and recognize these agents not as “warm fuzzy” service providers, but for the investigators they are.

It’s a change that can save families. Eliminating unnecessary trauma to children while lowering caseloads for investigators sounds like a win-win to me.

We are preparing to launch a major grassroots effort regarding CAPTA coming up in July, and it would be wonderful to add as many voices as possible to stand with us.

So watch the one-minute AEI video here , then share it with your family and friends. Urge them to sign up at ParentalRights.org for more updates and to join our efforts to amend CAPTA and protect parental rights.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Parental Rights Briefing Held for U.S. Senators

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 18:39:00 GMT

Last Thursday we had the honor of presenting a briefing on the matter of the CAPTA reauthorization to staffers from several Senate offices. (We have chosen not to identify the specific offices for politically strategic reasons.)

CAPTA is the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, a federal law that provides funding to the states if they meet certain standards relating to child abuse treatment and prevention. First passed in 1976, CAPTA has been due for reauthorization since 2015, and this spring both political parties are committed to getting that done.

Three weeks ago, a senior staff member from a Senate committee determined a briefing on the proposed changes to CAPTA could be helpful for himself and his colleagues, and he thought of us . So he asked ParentalRights.org and Home School Legal Defense Association to present to select, invitation-only Senate staffers a briefing on CAPTA.

We were happy to seize the opportunity to express our concerns with CAPTA and share our ideas for improving the law to help families.

During the hour-long briefing, ParentalRights.org president Jim Mason had no trouble answering every question with a first-hand account from his own experience as a litigator.

From his years defending home schooling families on behalf of HSLDA, Jim has seen all the tricks and hurdles child welfare agencies sometimes employ to override the rights and wishes of fit and loving parents.

While their base is limited to home schoolers, HSLDA has a history of representing families from the time a child investigator is on the doorstep all the way though court findings and even appeals, so Jim has seen hundreds of cases in his years there.

On the strength of Jim’s experience, we were able to present to those Senate offices many of the same concerns we have shared with you in this newsletter throughout the first half of this year, including:

CAPTA encourages states to set up child abuse registries with little or no due process. It is too easy to get on a list and far too hard to get one’s name removed.
Anonymous reporting leaves the child welfare system ripe for abuse by vindictive exes or other bad actors, who weaponize child welfare investigations for personal gain.
CAPTA lacks a standard of removal , allowing children to be removed without a warrant and without a showing of imminent harm.
CAPTA fails to require states to differentiate between poverty and neglect .

We also warned against the suggestion coming from other quarters to insert a mention of “child abuse pediatricians” in the bill.

In our experience, this newly licensed field is used disproportionately to harm healthy, loving families by providing unscientific evidence of abuse under a veneer of medical expertise. Recognizing the “specialty” in federal law would serve to legitimize their claims and increase the damage they can cause in court.

The briefing was well-received by staff members of some key Senators and opened a door for future contact with those offices.

While we cannot claim to know the future, we are hopeful this is a good start toward keeping the Senate from adopting the version of CAPTA that came out of the House. That version incorporates none of our fixes but would leave these harmful problems intact. Worse, it would triple the funding for the next five years.

And one thing worse than continuing decades of bad ideas is continuing decades of bad ideas at three times the current rate.

We were humbled and excited to get this invitation, to be the organization, in partnership with HSLDA, to represent the family side of the CAPTA equation for these key Senate offices. And we got that opportunity thanks to you.

It is thanks to your generous support, whether as a donor , a volunteer, or part of our broad Congress-calling army, that we have earned the reputation we have on Capitol Hill—a reputation as an important voice for families in the halls of Congress .

So let me just take this opportunity to say, “Thank you,” and to encourage you with this exciting development.

Together we will be heard, and we will make a positive difference for America’s families!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

State Victories, but Challenges Remain

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 19:13:00 GMT

So far 36 state legislatures have wrapped up their 2019 legislative sessions, with six more to adjourn by the end of the month. So, what has 2019 brought at the state level? And where do we stand in the remaining eight states?

To sum it up, we have seen a number of victories—mostly defeats of bad bills, but a couple of positive changes, too—but several challenges remain .

Bad Bills Died

Bills in several states would have removed the religious or philosophical exemptions regarding childhood vaccinations. Such exemptions are important in allowing parents to exercise the right of informed consent on behalf of their minor children.

HB 19-1312 in Colorado and HB 3063 in Oregon died with the adjournment of their respective legislatures. ( HB 1520 in Minnesota is in a similar position, except the legislature can take it up again if called into special session later this year.)

Unfortunately, similar bills passed in Washington ( HB 1638 ) and Maine ( LD 798 ), over our efforts and objections.

But in other areas we saw key victories.

Nevada’s AB 430 would require home visits for the parents of every newborn . However, champions of familial privacy and parental rights forced lawmakers to amend the bill to remove that requirement. In its amended version, the bill authorizes a study of early childhood home visits by the Legislative Committee on Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice, but does not mandate that families participate.

Iowa’s HF 272 also sought in-home visits for the parents of new infants, but was killed in committee.

New York’s S 298a would require that all children born after January 1, 2008, receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine . That bill died in committee, too.

Finally, a Texas bill ( HB 575 ), which would have opened the door for more grandparents to sue fit parents for access to child visitation, failed to pass before the session adjourned. (We support the role of loving grandparents as an aid to or in the absence of fit parents, but where the parents are fit, their authority trumps that of other relatives. This bill would have put a strain on that parental role.)

Good Bills Also Died

Unfortunately, most of the positive bills put forth this year also died when the session ended.

Two separate “Parents’ Bill of Rights” efforts ran out of time , including HB 1171 in Florida and SB 152 in Kentucky.

Each of those states also introduced but failed to pass a resolution (Florida SB 1726 and Kentucky SCR 106 ) that would call on Congress to pass the Parental Rights Amendment.

But the same kind of resolution was adopted in Oklahoma, whose House passed SCR 1 on April 3. This makes Oklahoma the seventh state urging Congress to take this important step to protect parents’ rights permanently.

Challenges Remain

While most of the country can therefore breathe a sigh of relief (at least most of the parental rights you had in January are still intact in June) there remain seven states with year-round legislatures and another—California—that adjourns in September.

And in those states, there are still some challenges to be faced.

First, Pennsylvania has a proposed Parental Rights Amendment resolution ( HB 508 ) similar to the one passed in Oklahoma in April.

Pennsylvania also has two proposals that would support parental rights, including HB 286 (to provide for informed consent related to vaccinations) and HB 1022 (limiting the things child welfare agencies can call “neglect).

HB 1022 was referred to the House Committee on Children and Youth on April 2, and HB 508 (the resolution) was sent to the same committee a week later. HB 286 has been in the Committee on Health since January.

While the lack of movement on any of these may seem discouraging, plans on in the works to hold a rally this summer urging lawmakers to advance these measures in this session.

AB 248 in Wisconsin, which would remove religious or philosophical exemptions for vaccinations , was referred to the Committee and Constitution and Ethics upon its introduction on May 29. We will watch this bill closely as it threatens a parent’s right to make decisions for their child’s welfare.

And then there is SB 276 in California, the most draconian proposal we have seen in the area of vaccinations.

California passed a bill in 2014 (then SB 277 ) that removed all philosophical and religious exemptions for vaccines. Under SB277, evert child must be vaccinated before they can exercise their constitutionally-protected right to a public education, unless they receive a medical exemption.

But for some in the legislature, the government still doesn’t have enough control. So this year Senator Pan introduced SB 276, which would allow only medical exemptions approved by the State Department of Health. Even a parent and their child’s pediatrician together would not be worthy to make the best medical decision for the child.

Since California’s legislature is in session until September 19, the battle over SB 276 will likely rage all summer. But as we have written to the legislature there, we remain committed to the right and ability of fit and loving parents to make the best medical decisions for their own individual children.

Stay Alert

So if you live in California or one of the seven states with year-round legislatures (Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin), stay alert for additional notifications whenever action may be needed to preserve parental rights.

Together we can be victorious in empowering parents, protecting children, and preserving families. Thank you for standing with us!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

The House CAPTA Bill Would Harm Families

Wed, 29 May 2019 18:47:00 GMT

Betrayed.

That’s how I felt when I read the House’s version of a bill to reauthorize CAPTA, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act . It’s how we all felt.

And by “we all,” I mean our allies and coalition partners from all across the political spectrum. I mean partners I just met at the National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect a few weeks ago, and friends we’ve been working with for years.

Betrayed by the House

We felt betrayed, not simply because the House proposal will nearly triple the funding while preserving the same failed system that has been damaging families and traumatizing children for decades, but by how they did it.

You see, we gave them our opinion. We told them our concerns. We showed them how “business as usual” traumatizes five children for every one who actually needs help. We educated them on ways preventive measures can reduce child abuse instances without the need to invade families, least of all families where no abuse has occurred.

We gave them specific input, and even provided model language. And they thanked us.

They not only thanked us, but in certain instances they led us to believe we could count on them to take our concerns to heart.

And then they threw it all out the window for six more years of status quo.

Well, that’s not entirely true. They didn’t throw it out the window. They threw most of it into a “study” provision of the bill, so we can spend the next six years funding studies to prove what we already know: preventive rather than reactive services make stronger families, healthier children, and more vibrant communities.

Their purpose for including them was not because we need to study these things. The science is already there, the tools already tested and proved.

They included them in the study section specifically to quiet our concerns while buying six more years for the same failed system that is abusing children at far higher rates than our society at large.

Fortunately, they alone do not get the last word.

On to the Senate

We expected from the start there could be contention between the House and the Senate on this bill because the House is ruled by the Democrats, who have the majority and exercise leadership there. In the same way, the Senate is governed by the Republicans.

As it turns out, though, we may have been wrong in our assessment. In the House, Democrats and Republicans came together to make radical, family-threatening changes at the last minute, and to keep out all the protective measures we had recommended over the last four months.

More than ever we need the Senate to oppose the House on these details. But that won’t just happen because of partisan politics. Both parties worked together to rob our families in the House version; they can do it again in the Senate.

That’s why last Thursday our president, Jim Mason, along with Maggie and me, went back to Capitol Hill to talk with key members of the Senate.

We didn’t just talk to our friends, but rather targeted members of the specific Senate committee through which the bill must pass. Jim and Maggie were back in D.C. on Tuesday making even more of these strategic visits.

Sadly, we can’t make any promises on how that’s going to go. Every sign said the House was listening to our concerns and ready to turn the page to a new way of doing child abuse prevention. Then they betrayed our trust.

It’s Up to Us

We can’t promise what the Senate will do, but we can promise you what we will do. We will continue to speak to Senators, and to members of the House as well, and urge them to promote child abuse prevention strategies that keep families together rather than tear them apart. We’ll urge decisions that protect as many children as possible from the trauma of an unwarranted government investigation.

And we will stand for basic rights, like the right of due process for parents accused of abuse or neglect. Too often, parents are added to a “child abuse register” just because they disagreed with a child welfare investigator. Such registers should be reserved only for those parents found guilty in a court of competent jurisdiction.

The House version wants to not only keep those registers—without due process—but to link them together on a national scale.

We will be back in D.C. as often as possible, talking to every Senator possible, to make sure the House’s nightmare version of CAPTA doesn’t see the proverbial light of day.

But we need you to partner with us. You can visit ParentalRights.org/donate to support us as we shoulder the cost of these additional trips to D.C.

And please continue to watch our emails or social media pages for opportunities to call Congress. Once we’ve made these initial visits, we’ll be ready to make sure the Senate hears from as many of us as possible in favor of reasonable changes to CAPTA to protect both children and families.

Thank you for standing with us, even when the government doesn’t. Your faithful support of families fuels us even on the days we feel betrayed. You give us the power to keep going.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Parental Rights Case Law on Vaccines Is Not Settled

Mon, 20 May 2019 18:54:00 GMT

Note: We were disappointed to see a recent opinion piece in which an admired legal professor claims the case law is settled, that parents have no right to make vaccine decisions for their children. We offered an opposing opinion to the Sacramento Bee, who published the original piece. They declined to print our opinion, so we’re sharing it with you here:

Parental Rights Case Law on Vaccines Is Not Settled

In his Sacramento Bee Op-ed of May 6 , Professor Erwin Chemerinsky posited that “[t]here is no constitutional right for parents to refuse to have their children vaccinated.” But the issue is not nearly as cut-and-dried as he would have readers believe.

Two Lines of Cases

The subject of parental rights in the face of mandatory vaccination is not settled in one single set of cases. Rather, two lines of cases must be considered: parental rights cases, and mandatory vaccination cases.

In 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized that “[t]he liberty interest…of parents in the care, custody, and control of their children is perhaps the oldest of the fundamental liberty interests recognized by this Court.” Troxel v. Granville , 530 U.S. 57 (2000), at 65. The Court cites a long list of cases covering a wide range of parental decision-making, dating back to 1923’s Meyer v. Nebraska .

By contrast, the Supreme Court case law on vaccine mandates underpinning Chemerinsky’s argument is sparse and outdated. A Note in the Harvard Law Review from May 2008 asserts that “[b]iomedical advances are pushing the foundational public health law case Jacobson v. Massachusetts toward obsolescence.” Yet according to the Congressional Research Service (“Mandatory Vaccinations: Precedent and Current Laws,” May 21, 2014), the extent of significant case law involves Jacobson v. Massachusetts (1905) and Zucht v. King (1922).

In Jacobson , the Court held that the police power of the state includes authority to mandate a life-saving vaccine in the face of a deadly outbreak. “The state legislature proceeded upon the theory,” the Court summarized, “which recognized vaccination as at least an effective, if not the best, known way in which to meet and suppress the evils of a smallpox epidemic that imperiled an entire population.” The Supreme Court upheld the legislature’s decision.

This state power was extended by the Zucht decision to allow mandatory vaccination for public school attendance: “Long before this suit was instituted, Jacobson v. Massachusetts had settled that it is within the police power of a state to provide for compulsory vaccination.”

Like the opinion piece, neither case addresses the question of mandating vaccines for diseases, such as HPV, that cannot be spread through airborne particles. Sexually communicable diseases simply were not deliberated in Jacobson v. Massachusetts .

Balancing Risks

In addition, Chemerinsky claims “[p]arents do not have the right, no matter what their belief or religion, to put their children at risk of a communicable disease that is preventable and that sometimes has devastating consequences.” But this misstates the options.

Parents do not have a right to abuse or neglect a child; no one does. But vaccines have never been shown to be 100% safe or 100% effective. This is why vaccine package inserts are pages long and fraught with warnings. It is also why the Office of Special Masters of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, or “vaccine court,” has paid out $1.7 billion in vaccine injury claims since 2006.

The vaccination decision involves balancing risks. And on the matter of parents balancing risks for their own children, the Supreme Court has already spoken.

Admittedly, the Parham case was not addressing vaccination decisions. Neither was Jacobson v. Massachusetts addressing vaccines for minor childhood diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, or non-communicable diseases. The vital point is that Supreme Court precedent exists on both sides to recognize that the balance between modern vaccine mandates and fundamental parental rights remains unsettled.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Preventing Bad Ideas in Federal Law

Tue, 07 May 2019 20:08:00 GMT

Dear Parental Rights Champion,

You know the power of a good idea. Or a bad one.

Corey Widen’s eight-year-old daughter had just returned from walking the dog around the block—most of which Corey could see from her windows—when there was a troubling knock at the door. It was the Wilmette (IL) police, responding to a call of a pre-schooler out unsupervised.

Corey cleared up the false information the police had gotten from an anonymous hotline call, and the police concluded their investigation: no signs of abuse or neglect.

Corey was unsettled to find the police at her door, but it wasn’t a big deal once it was done.

Then the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) showed up.

Yes, they knew the police had already investigated. They knew the police found no evidence of abuse or neglect. But DCFS policy requires that they themselves investigate every call that comes in to the hotline.

And that’s a bad idea .

In Widen’s case, that involved entering the home, talking with the children, and interviewing the family’s neighbors and pediatrician. The full-scale investigation invaded the family for a period not merely of hours, but of weeks —and found no abuse, just like the police.

Sadly, this is how the system works in most of America today. And it’s funded by the federal government through the Child Abuse Prevent and Treatment Act (CAPTA).

So when the Civil Rights and Human Resources subcommittee of the U.S. House Education and Work Force Committee met recently to discuss CAPTA, which is due for renewal, we watched with bated breath.

Both political parties in D.C. had expressed a will to renew it this Spring.

But will the ideas they introduce help families, or hurt them?

Sometimes the only thing scarier than Democrats and Republicans clashing in Congress is when they don’t —and we know this could be one of those times.

Rumors were flying before the hearing about a few nightmare provisions that might be added. Provisions that would make child welfare programs worse. Provisions that would violate innocent homes . Provisions to target home schoolers or other minority-viewpoint families.

We were on high alert.

But we didn’t just wait to see what would happen.

Alongside a bipartisan group of family advocates, we took our positions to the members of the committee. We gave them a report in writing of the changes we would like to see—and some we would urge them to oppose.

We even asked our friends on the committee to look into getting our coalition a spot on the four-person witness list. We wanted to provide one of the voices that would define the hearing.

We didn’t get a spot this time, but it turns out we didn’t need to .

The hearing was held March 26, and we were there . Hanging on every word, we looked for the first clues on Congress’ goals in amending CAPTA.

We were pleasantly surprised.

Though the speakers came from opposing sides of the aisle , all four agreed —and agreed with us—on some critical issues.

They agreed prevention is better than intervention, that efforts to support families are more cost-effective than efforts that divide
They acknowledged that separating families causes trauma to children.
They noted in crystal clear terms that “poverty” does not equal “neglect.”

And the members of the committee seemed to agree with them . It was refreshing to see.

When we checked back with our friends on the committee, they confirmed what we were beginning to suspect:

Our report had been instrumental in calling attention to certain important parental rights issues, and in swaying members to address them.

The impact of that report is no small thing. Without your consistent partnership over the years, our report would not have gotten so far. Your support gave weight to our report and ensured that our concerns were heard.

It was a great day.

But it was only one day.

Those rumors that had been flying around? Those came from somewhere.

Somewhere, someone really was promoting ideas to threaten your parental rights, your family . Someone has suggested a special section of CAPTA just to address home schoolers. Someone else—or likely several “someones”—proposed “predictive analytics,” to target certain families because they meet a “profile” that may indicate abuse is coming (though no abuse has occurred ).

Still others are encouraging Congress to spend more money on the same bad ideas that are destroying innocent families, supporting the system that invaded Corey Widen’s family for weeks because she let her daughter walk the dog. The over-worked system that keeps missing the children who really need help.

We don’t know specific names or proposed language. But we know the threats are there.

And we know from experience that the threats whispered about in this round will be argued in the next, and maybe adopted in the one after that.

The only way to stop bad ideas once they’re introduced into the discussion is to pass better ideas in their place. So that’s what we’re trying to do. While Congress is united to address CAPTA, we need to persuade them to make changes for the good.

But it won’t be easy.

One bad idea already made its way into the hearing—the concept of a national child abuse registry.

It wasn’t put into so many words. And it sounded so reasonable. Surely it would help if one state could know whether a family was under investigation or even substantiated for a previous case of abuse in another state. Right?

But child abuse registries are not that simple .

The biggest problem is what it takes to get on one (or what it doesn’t take). If a child welfare investigator decides you are guilty of abuse, they can list you on the registry. No charges. No trial. No ruling by the court.

In fact, in her new book They Took the Kids Last Night , Diane Redleaf relates one case in which the judge determined the child abuse accusation was unfounded—and still the parents were listed on the registry.

Each parent had a career potentially working with children. One was in insurance, the other a trained social worker. What would happen when a potential new employer ran a background check and found them on the registry for child abusers?

Imagine if you lost your job because someone decided – contrary to the decision of a judge – that you were guilty of abuse. Your whole life affected because one investigator decided they don’t like you.

Fortunately for that couple, their current employers knew what was going on, and neither of them had to change jobs during the process. But what a process it was!

It took the parents a costly months-long appeal to get their names removed. By then, though they managed to avoid the destruction of their careers, their reputations had still been irreparably harmed. Think of how much worse the harm would be if that registry had been national rather than just in their state !

Fortunately, no one pushed the national registry idea too loudly in the CAPTA hearing. There was just a mention that states need to be better able to communicate with each other.

But it is something we will keep an eye on. It’s an idea that can put innocent parents at risk.

It’s an idea that can put your family and mine at risk.

Fortunately, thanks to your generous past support, we were able to be there . We were able to listen, to bear witness, to monitor, and to respond.

And we were able to make our concerns and preferences known going in, with a voice that the committee respected and chose to hear.

The difference we have made so far is all because of you . You have enabled us to move forward.

But we’re a long way from finished.

Though the subcommittee had a hearing, CAPTA hasn’t been renewed yet. There are a lot of steps that need to happen first, including multiple hearings, debates, and votes.

And every step creates an opportunity for some of those dangerous ideas to creep in, as well.

The Democrats and Republicans are unified on passing CAPTA. So, if bad ideas squeeze their way in, there will be no one left to stop them.

That is what we’re standing guard against.

The force of both parties working together makes this a crucial time, for good or for bad. There is so much at stake.

Will you stand guard with us? Your donation of $25, $50, or $100 can enable us to protect families from potentially dangerous ideas in this key federal legislation.

We have to be vigilant . We have to be both proactive and responsive.

We have to be the eyes, ears, and mouthpiece for innocent American families.

We have to make sure the new law makes experiences like Corey’s rarer —or even unheard of—and not more commonplace .

With your help, we will do just that.

Sincerely,

James R. Mason

President

P.S. Families like Corey’s have already suffered because CAPTA has created a system that fails to respect their rights. And while the first hearing has passed, there is still so much work to do. Every step in the legislative process is another chance for enemies of your family to include bad ideas in the reauthorization bill.

But we are banding together—with parents and with other organizations—to ensure that children no longer suffer because their parents’ rights have been ignored. Will you be part of their defense? [First Name], will you stand with us to protect our families from even more abuses at the hands of Child Welfare? The time has come to mend the broken system— for all of us.

Take Action to Oppose SB 276 in California

Mon, 22 Apr 2019 20:01:00 GMT

Senate Bill 276 in California is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Health Committee this Wednesday, April 24, at 1:30 pm in Room 4203 of the State Capitol. A rally in opposition to the bill has been scheduled to follow the hearing.

Background

Senate Bill 276 in California is designed to greatly reduce the number of families who can take a medical exemption to vaccine mandates. Since Senator Pan’s SB 277 passed in 2014, medical exemptions are the only form of exemption left to California parents who want to place their children in schools but are concerned by the warnings and possible side effects that accompany all vaccines.

In its original version, SB 276 would remove from medical providers the authority to issue a medical exemption; only the State Department of Health could issue an exemption.

In its currently amended form, the bill allows medical providers to submit a state-approved form as a means to file for a medical exemption, but it still falls exclusively to the Department of Health to approve or deny every application.

ParentalRights.org strongly opposes SB 276, and has laid out reasons for our opposition in a letter addressed to the California legislature and available online here .

As we point out in the letter, declaring the exemption to be the exclusive purview of the Health Department sends a vote of “no confidence” against every medical professional duly licensed by the State.

The licensing board has deemed these professionals capable of practicing medicine, including diagnosing illness, prescribing forms of treatment, and even performing necessary surgery. But now the state says these same doctors cannot be trusted to know, in concert with concerned parents, what is the best medical care for their individual patients.

It is also worth noting that these patients have likely seen their doctors countless times, and their pediatricians know their health history. The decision-makers at the Health Department will not know one child from another.

Ultimately, ParentalRights.org opposes SB 276 as a violation against the right of parents to make informed medical decisions for their own children. The idea that not even doctors, but only the State itself can make these decisions for your child is troubling in the extreme.

Action Items

If you are able, plan to attend the hearing and the rally to follow. The hearing is in Room 4203 of the Capitol and the rally will be on the Capitol’s west steps. Those with a Facebook account can find more information at https://www.facebook.com/events/316742062289731/ .

Remember that many who receive this email will not be able to attend, so if you can, please do so to represent all of those who cannot.

2. Contact your state senator , especially if they are on the Heath Committee, and urge them to vote against this dangerous legislation. Find their contact information here .

Conclusion

The scheduled rally is not an event of ParentalRights.org, but we are grateful to stand with those who are organizing this opposition to a bill that threatens your children by removing your parental right to protect them.

Thank you for standing with us this Wednesday!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Legislative Update and a Big Surprise

Tue, 16 Apr 2019 19:50:00 GMT

This legislative season has been something of a mixed bag, with some victories, some disappointments, some challenges, and one particular story that took us by surprise.

Some Victories

In Oklahoma , the Parental Rights Amendment (PRA) resolution, SCR 1 , passed the House of Representatives by unanimous consent on April 3, making Oklahoma the seventh state to urge Congress to take up the PRA. The resolution already passed the Oklahoma Senate on February 13.

In Nevada , AB 430 would require home visits for any family of a newborn determined by the Divisions of Child and Family Services to be “at risk,” the definition of which includes “any other risk factor identified by the Division.”

Fortunately, we and several allied organizations were able to sound the alarm, and Nevada residents responded. Their outcry resulted in an amendment to the bill that will make sure these visits are voluntary and not mandatory. (We are still wary of the bill and will continue to watch it closely, but this change is a significant victory.)

Another Nevada bill, AB 295 , would require comprehensive sex education in public schools and replace the current opt-in requirement with an opt-out, allowing schools to include any child if they don’t hear an affirmative refusal from the parent. But the outcry against that bill was sufficient to keep it from going anywhere–another win.

Breaking News from Florida

In Florida , the Parents’ Bill of Rights ( HB 1171 ) was unanimously approved by the House Education Committee on March 21. BREAKING: HB 1171 just passed the House Health and Human Services Committee today (April 16) in a 2 p.m. hearing. The bill still has one more committee and a floor vote to make its way through the House, but this is an exciting start.

Meanwhile, its companion in the Senate, SB 1726 , passed the Senate Education Committee on April 10 by a 5-3 vote. SB 1726 still faces two more committees and a floor vote, and the legislative session is scheduled to end in less than three weeks.

In short, the Parents’ Bill of Rights has a long way to go and a short time to get there, but it remains alive in both chambers of the Florida legislature.

Some Disappointments

In Kentucky , unfortunately, that is not the case. Both the Parents’ Bill of Rights (SB152) and a Parental Rights Amendment resolution (SCR 106) failed to pass the Kentucky legislature before it adjourned for the year.

While disappointing, this year’s attempt has brought allies together and hopefully paved the way for success in the future. We appreciate so much the work of Senator Steve West and several of our organizational allies in championing these measures, and we look forward to working with them again in 2020.

Some Challenges

Meanwhile, efforts are still underway in Pennsylvania , whose legislature meets year-round. HB 1022 , led by Rep. Kortz (D-38), takes pieces of last year’s Utah law protecting parents’ decisions regarding child supervision. This will allow for training children to grow in independence without threatening parents with charges of neglect.

Pennsylvania Rep. Cox (R-129) plans to introduce another bill soon that will preserve parental rights with “strict judicial scrutiny” in the courts. Obviously, we support both of these bills.

We are also facing some negative challenges, including bills across the nation to rob parents of the right to make informed medical decisions for their children. Bills to remove religious or philosophical vaccine exemptions include Iowa’s HF 206 and Oregon’s HB 3063 .

Iowa’s HF 272 would require home visits for any family who chooses to home school. (A similar bill proposed in Illinois was quickly defeated by public outcry.)

Obviously, all of these bills threaten children by threatening parental rights. Sadly, they are only a sampling of the many bad bills out there this spring.

One particularly heinous bill, California’s SB 276 , would limit medical exemptions so that not even doctors licensed by the state, but only the actual state department of health, can authorize medical exemptions for vaccines. (California has already outlawed every other kind of exemption.)

Giving the State unchallenged control over your child’s health decisions? Over the objections of not only parents but even their doctors, too?

It is difficult to see how this idea is even American. It threatens parental rights, medical rights, and most of all, our children.

Fortunately, even vaccine mandate proponents in the legislature are shying away from this one. But we will be watching it closely, and urge California residents to contact your lawmakers and make your opposition known.

A Big Surprise

But then there’s Indiana .

When our call went out for Resolutionaries last August, we were pleasantly surprised by the response from Indiana, a state where we’ve had no real activity in the past. Then our U.S. House sponsor on the PRA lost his reelection bid in November and we found a new champion in Rep. Jim Banks—from Indiana.

Then the session started, and our (new) volunteers began in earnest to pitch the parental rights resolution to legislators.

We found a few interested parties, but it was looking like next year would be the earliest we could hope to make any progress. We found ourselves late in a session that only lasts through April.

Then in late March we had one remarkable week.

On Monday, we had nothing. One volunteer had scheduled a meeting with three or four lawmakers, including state Senator Dennis Kruse, that Tuesday. Her hope was to introduce the idea of a 2020 resolution, since it was already so late in the current session.

With others, the volunteer had also arranged for Rep. Banks to speak at a state home school convention that Saturday.

But Sen. Kruse looked over the resolution proposal and asked, “Why don’t we have something going right now?” His colleagues readily agreed.

For a couple of days, there was even hope Rep. Banks would be able to announce the resolution’s introduction to the convention that very week.

The resolution didn’t move quite that fast, but it was certainly moving. Senate Resolution 63 ( SR63 ) was introduced in the Senate on April 1 and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

SR 63 only has until April 29 to make it through both houses, so it remains a long shot for this year. But we went from “nothing on our radar” to drafted and introduced in under two weeks. It suddenly felt like anything was possible.

Especially, for some reason, in Indiana.

Thank you for standing with us. Not only your financial support , but your alerting us to these bills and taking appropriate concerted action in your state makes all of these victories possible.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Parental Rights Conference Coming to Detroit April 27th

Mon, 15 Apr 2019 20:23:00 GMT

The Second Annual Maryanne Godboldo Forum for Parental Rights will be held at the Hartford Memorial Baptist Church located at 18700 James Couzens Highway in Detroit, Michigan . The event is scheduled for Saturday, April 27, from 8 am to 3 pm .

Maryanne Godboldo is the Detroit-area mother who faced a SWAT team through a 10-hour stand-off in 2011 when child services came to seize her daughter over a medical disagreement. Though her daughter was taken that day, Godboldo was eventually exonerated and the family reunited. Godboldo died of a brain aneurism in 2017, and her sister started this forum last year in her memory.

The conference is an opportunity for parents to learn valuable information about their rights, and will help parents make informed choices to preserve their children’s medical, educational, and spiritual wellbeing. ParentalRights.org board member and Detroit area family and defense attorney Allison Folmar will be a featured speaker at the event.

Come out to hear from leading experts on parental rights and join the discussion on this critical issue. Be sure to say “Hi” to Attorney Folmar while you’re there. To RSVP or find out more information, please call 313.717.0521 or visit justice4maryanne.org .

Immediate Action Needed in Nevada

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 18:16:00 GMT

Dear Parental Rights Champion,

Your immediate action is needed to protect parental rights in Nevada. Two bills that threaten your family are currently making their way through the Nevada legislature and need to be stopped.

Background

Nevada Assembly Bill 430

AB 430 calls for a “family home visitation system,” which would require a state investigator or other child welfare employee to visit the home of every “at-risk” newborn child. Characteristics that would label a family as “at-risk” include, among others, “parents who are less than 20 years of age,” “parents who have reduced cognitive functioning or a significant disability,” “insufficient financial resources to meet the needs of the family,” and “any other risk factor identified by the Division.”

AB 430 is discriminatory, insulting, and unfair. It blatantly discriminates on the basis of age, disability, and poverty, while “any other risk factor” serves as a “fill-in-the-blank” opportunity for the Division to make its way into any home they choose .

The bill would also place too great a demand on a system that is already overworked, to the detriment of children in actual need of intervention. Now these investigators, who already can’t handle their caseloads, will have to schedule home visits for every infant as well? That is not a good idea.

Further, opening this sort of investigation into every “at-risk” home, without any showing or claim of abuse or neglect, violates the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The bill ostensibly provides a “voluntary service,” but the one performing that service will in every instance be a “mandatory reporter,” required to report back to the child welfare agency anything they see in the home that suggests to them abuse, neglect, or other wrong-doing.

Nevada Assembly Bill 156

AB 156 would require the court, in any case where a child is alleged to be in need of protection, to “appoint an educational decision maker for the child.” While it establishes a rebuttable presumption that the decision maker would be the child’s parent, the presumption can be overcome by a simple showing that “it is not in the best interests of the child” (in the court’s opinion) “for the parent or legal guardian to act as the educational decision maker for the child.”

This could be interpreted to replace the correct rebuttable presumption, which is that a fit parent does act in the best interests of their child. The court’s opinion of what is “in the best interests of the child” should not come into play without a showing first that the parents are unfit (that is, abusive or negligent).

AB 156 could do away with this appropriate presumption which favors parents.

A literal, plain-meaning reading of this provision would render any alternative to public schools unacceptable. There are costs involved in home schooling, and private school costs even more. Neither could conceivably qualify as a “free and appropriate education.”

Frankly, we fail to see the point of AB 156, unless it is to pave the way for someone else to override the wishes of fit parents in how their children should be educated.

Action Items

1) Leave comments on the legislation comment page . Use the simple online form to let lawmakers know you oppose AB 430 and AB 156. Lawmakers read these comments; if we can get enough opposition posted on the page, we can kill both bills before they go anywhere.

2) Contact your (state) assemblyman. Call their office and urge them directly to oppose AB 430 and AB 156 as violations of your family and your parental rights. Tell them it is an affront to suggest the government can make better decisions for your child than you can.

Thank you for standing with us to protect children by empowering parents in Nevada!

Sincerely,

Cory Gibbons

Contact Coordinator

Breaking News! PRA Resolution Passes

Wed, 03 Apr 2019 20:52:00 GMT

Just this afternoon we received word from the floor of the Oklahoma House of Representatives: Senate Concurrent Resolution 1 (SCR 1) passed the House by unanimous consent!

This makes Oklahoma the seventh state to pass a resolution calling on Congress to pass the Parental Rights Amendment to the states for ratification.

SCR 1 passed the Senate on February 13, so today’s passage in the House was the final step in its adoption by the state. Resolutions do not require the governor’s signature.

In the resolution, the Oklahoma legislature, on behalf of the people of the state, urge Congress, and especially Oklahoma’s delegation, to support the proposed PRA so the States can vote to add it to the U.S. Constitution.

The proposed Amendment would ensure, “The liberty of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their child is a fundamental right.”

Many Thanks

We are grateful to our volunteer leaders in Oklahoma who coordinated efforts there and kept us informed of the resolution’s progress. We especially salute Tracey Montgomery and Allison Ruggs for their efforts in making this victory possible.

We are also grateful to all of you for standing with us and supporting the effort all over the country. Together we continue the march forward to protect families by preserving parental rights in the text of the Constitution.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Immediate Action Needed in Oklahoma

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 19:16:00 GMT

Parental Rights Oklahoma urges you to take action right now to protect your parental rights.

THIS Wednesday afternoon SCR1 , Oklahoma’s resolution to support the Parental Rights Amendment, will be heard on the floor of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. We need to let our representatives know to support this resolution, and we want to pack the gallery for the vote, as well.

Background

It is absolutely crucial that we no longer watch from the sidelines and that we stand up and take action!

It is painfully apparent that a steady erosion of support for parental rights has been gaining momentum, leaving the child-parent relationship vulnerable and exposed to the eminent danger of government intrusion. Supreme Court rulings and current news headlines show us how at-risk our parental rights are now, perhaps more than ever.

It’s time to install protection of parental rights into the US Constitution.

Oklahoma could be the seventh state to pass a resolution to support the historic Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which will further safeguard our children, our families, and our freedom.

Action Items

1) If you are able, plan to attend the session on Wednesday, April 3 , at the State Capitol. Remember that many cannot attend due to work or school, so if you have the chance, please go on behalf of those who cannot.

Parental Rights Oklahoma will gather in the House gallery lobby on the 5th floor at 1:00 . If you plan to attend, contact us at parentalrightsok@gmail.com to let us know you’ll be there.

2) Call or email your representative , whether you can attend the vote or not, and urge them to support SCR1.

Simply explain that you expect them to act in favor of protecting your family, your freedom, and your parental rights. If you will be attending, tell them you will be at the Capitol on Wednesday at 1:00, watching from the gallery to see how they vote. (If you can’t attend, you might still mention that other parents will be there with Parental Rights Oklahoma to witness how they vote.)

Your Voice Needed in Florida for Parental Rights

Fri, 29 Mar 2019 18:03:00 GMT

Hello!

The proposed Florida Parents’ Bill of Rights has just passed a major roadblock in the Senate. But we need your help today to keep it moving forward.

Background

Four weeks ago the “Parents’ Bill of Rights” was introduced as HB 1171 in the House and SB 1726 in the Senate. Parentalrights.org staff and volunteers, led by state coordinators Jim and Patti Sullivan, have worked hard to get these bills introduced, and it is a major victory to get this far.

What’s more, we just learned the bill has been put on the agenda of the Senate Education Committee in week six (week of April 8). This is a major break-through. Any bill not on an agenda in the next few days would be dead for this session.

We squeaked in under the wire, but we need to make our voices heard now.

Senate President Galvano, Senate Majority Leader Passidomo, and Education Committee Chair Senator Manny Diaz need to hear from you. They have the power to support SB 1726, or to block it from being brought up in the other two Senate committees it needs to pass. And of course it needs to pass the Education Committee as well.

Action Item

Call or email Senate President Galvano, Senator Majority Leader Passidomo, and Education Chair Senator Manny Diaz today. Thank them for putting SB 1726 on the week six agenda, and urge them to support the bill. They wield a tremendous influence, and have the power to see this bill pushed or ignored. You can also reach out to the members of the Senate Education Committee and request they support the bill.

The first hearing is only days away. Please contact them now!

President Galvano: (850) 487-5229; Email him here .

Majority Leader Passidomo: (850) 487-5028; Email her here .

Education Chair Senator Manny Diaz Jr.: (850) 487-5036; Email him here .

Contact the whole Education Committee (or as many as you can–every call helps) here .

We would especially urge you to contact your senator if he or she is on the list.

What To Say

When you call, say something like this in your own words:

If you are a constituent, be sure to mention that when you introduce yourself, as well.

Things to Remember

Here are a few things to remember when calling the Senators’ offices:

You will most likely not talk to the Senator.
More often than not, you will speak to their legislative assistant or an intern, but they will convey your message to the Senator.
Always be polite and pleasant on the phone.
Often the person you will be talking to will not be the most agreeable. As the “first line of defense,” they take calls all day, many of which are not nearly as friendly as we strive to be. Give them a little grace; they will greatly appreciate it.
One of the easiest ways of sounding more pleasant on the phone is to smile as you talk. It comes through on the other end, and they will be able to “hear” you smile.
Don’t be stressed making calls.
Remember that you represent an amazing cause.
Also, remember that there are other people in your state calling these senators as well. You are not alone in the fight.

Please take a moment to contact them now. Thank you.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Cory Gibbons at cory@parentalrights.org!

I am calling to thank [President/Leader/Senator______] for putting SB 1726, the Parents’ Bill of Rights, on the Senate Education committee’s Week Six agenda. Parental rights are close to my heart, and I truly believe we need to protect our children by preserving parental rights in state law. The enduring American legal tradition that parents can best care for their children should be protected once and for all. Please support this measure in your committee and as it makes its way through the Senate.

House Hearing on CAPTA – Good News?

Wed, 27 Mar 2019 20:20:00 GMT

The U.S. House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Resources held a hearing on Tuesday, March 26, regarding efforts to reauthorize CAPTA—the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act.

While we were not able to get onto the witness list, our D.C. liaison Maggie McKneely was on hand for most of the hearing in person. I was able to watch the entirety on the YouTube channel of the House Education and Work Force committee, of which this subcommittee is a part.

Perhaps more importantly, we were able to share our thoughts and concerns with members of the committee before the hearing even began.

CAPTA Change Is Coming

First passed in 1974, CAPTA has since been reauthorized several times, always with amendments and changes to try to make the law more effective (with at best mixed results). With Democrats controlling the House and Republicans controlling the Senate, CAPTA is one of the few issues both parties favor working on this spring.

Fortunately, it seems everyone is aware that the current system is broken and must be fixed .

The hearing on Tuesday was the first opportunity to catch a glimpse of what changes lawmakers might be considering this time around. The signs were positive for at least some of the changes ParentalRights.org and our allies are working for.

For starters, the whole hearing was cordial. Anyone not “in the know” would have a hard time guessing which witnesses were enlisted by the Democrat majority and which was invited by the Republican minority. All four were largely in agreement on most of the issues addressed by CAPTA.

They were especially unified around the idea that prevention measures to keep families together are better than reactionary or punitive measures such as those employed by child welfare agencies under the current system. On this we agree.

More than one witness made the assertion that prevention involves educating and supporting parents , as opposed to looking for ways to “catch” them and take their children.

Poverty Is Not Neglect

And we found one exchange particularly encouraging.

Rep. Hayes (D-CT), who was a classroom teacher (and mandatory reporter) before her political career, expressed the need to know that when a report is called in, the actual underlying issues will be addressed. She wanted it clear for the record that abuse or neglect can happen anywhere, not just among poor minority families.

Dr. Yo Jackson of Penn State, one of the witnesses and a researcher by profession, gave a welcome response.
“We are much better now, where we are in our science, at knowing what are the causal factors for child maltreatment,” she declared. Now that we have been tracking for a few decades, we have a lot more data. Families where abuse occurs have certain things in common, certain warning signs, like stress, lack of outside support, or conflict within the family. We are able to identify underlying issues, Jackson went on, and “[p]overty is not one of them” (Jackson’s emphasis).

Obviously, such research can be taken too far. Over-zealous investigators may spot one or two “warning signs” and begin harassing innocent families without cause. Such “predictive analytics” are not an idea we would endorse.

On the other hand, testimony like Jackson’s bodes well for our “poverty is not neglect” language. Far too many families have been destroyed because parents lacked the resources to provide for their children at a level an investigator feels is necessary. Children are taken and placed in wealthier families, at a greater expense to the state than just helping the parents pay the rent for the month.

While we won’t know until a draft is available in a few weeks, we have cause to hope this “poverty is not neglect” provision will make it in.

Having a Voice

We have heard from members of the committee that the memo we have shared, alongside our allies in the United Family Advocates bipartisan coalition, has been instrumental in bringing at least some of our issues to the forefront . We won’t know to what degree until we see the CAPTA draft, but it is exciting to know we’re affecting the discussion in favor of parents and families.

Thank you for standing with us and for supporting our efforts with your donations . Because of you we are able to be on hand, not only to monitor and report, but to educate and influence committees just like this one.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

P.S. — I am aware some of our readers will hold that CAPTA should be defunded altogether. Our best estimate of the political reality, however, is that CAPTA will be reauthorized in the coming months. Our best chance at protecting children, then, is to be sure the law is modified in a manner that helps, and does not harm, our families.

CAPTA Coalition to Offer Testimony

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 13:55:00 GMT

The newly formed House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services will meet on Tuesday, March 26, to discuss CAPTA reauthorization. CAPTA is the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, the vehicle by which the federal government grants money to states if they will follow federal guidelines regarding child welfare organizations.

What’s the Rush?

We were given very short notice of this hearing, but are working frantically with the bipartisan United Family Advocates coalition to secure an opportunity to provide written testimony on this vital issue. Our testimony would largely mirror our written CAPTA reauthorization statement, available online here .

If we succeed in securing the opportunity, we will tell the committee that the law needs to be updated to respect and protect the rights of innocent families . We will urge them to end anonymous reporting, halt the confusion of poverty with neglect, and ensure due process for parents.

Because of the immediate nature of this opportunity—if the subcommittee will accept our testimony, we have to get it to them in a matter of hours—our regular weekly email has been put on hold for this week.

Stay Tuned

Stay tuned for further updates on this and other parental rights issues as both the Congress and state legislative sessions continue through this spring.

Our ability to respond so quickly when opportunities like these arise is funded entirely by donors just like you. If you haven’t donated lately, please consider doing so here .

Thank you for standing with us in the fight to protect parental rights, and thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Report on the HELP Committee Hearing on Vaccines

Tue, 12 Mar 2019 15:22:00 GMT

Note: This week’s newsletter is an eye-witness report from Federal Relations Liaison Maggie McKneely. Here’s Maggie:

The well-publicized measles outbreaks In Washington, New York, and Texas have inflamed the debate over vaccines.

In recent months, we’ve seen a number of states introduce legislation that would either partially or entirely remove vaccine exemptions. California Congressman Adam Schiff introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives stating the importance of vaccines. And in the latest chapter, last week I attended the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing on preventable disease outbreaks.

Fortunately, there is still no proposed bill that would mandate vaccines from the federal level, but the pressure is climbing for lawmakers to act.

Our Position

We at Parentalrights.org do not take a position on the medical efficacy or safety of vaccines. What we do believe is that medical decisions should be made by families – not politicians on Capitol Hill.

There are few rights as fundamental as a parent’s right to direct the upbringing of their children. Whether that’s in regard to education or making informed medical decisions, when it comes to kids, parents know best – not the government.

The “fact-gathering session” titled “Vaccines Save Lives: What is Driving Preventable Disease Outbreaks?” was, as the name suggests, primarily a pro-vaccine hearing that focused on the effectiveness of certain vaccines. It featured five witnesses, four of whom were either licensed medical doctors or have decades of medical experience.

The fifth was Ethan Lindenberger, a high school student who has captured the attention of the media for getting vaccinated against his mother’s wishes. All five testified in favor of vaccines.

While no one suggested mandating vaccines from the federal level, the tone of the hearing was clear: the committee members and witnesses believe vaccines are an unequivocal societal good and anyone who disagrees poses a threat.

Sen. Alexander (R-TN), Chairman of the HELP committee, opened the hearing by saying that “we know that some Americans are hesitant about vaccines, so today I want to stress the importance of vaccines: not only has the Food and Drug Administration found them to be safe, but vaccines also save lives.”

Sen. Murray (D-WA), ranking member on the HELP committee, echoed Alexander’s statement. “These outbreaks are a clear sign we have to do more to address vaccine hesitancy and make sure parents have the facts they need to understand the science: vaccines are safe, effective, and life-saving.”

Much of the discussion between the committee members and witnesses focused on the benefits of vaccines and possible ways to increase vaccination rates, such as funding for vaccine education programs and solutions to make expensive vaccines more readily available. No one was seemingly interested in what may make some parents “vaccine hesitant,” just in how to make them less so.

The most alarming part of the hearing was the testimony and questioning of Lindenberger. Once he turned 18, he decided to get vaccinated, despite his mom being against vaccines. As a legal adult, it was fully within his right to make that decision. But the committee chose to elevate his testimony to the same level as the expertise of longtime-medical professionals, simply because his choice to go against his parents’ beliefs agreed with the committee’s agenda.

In so doing, the Committee communicated that parents’ opinions are only valid so long as they conform with the government’s.

The lone voice clearly in favor of liberty was Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), himself a licensed medical doctor . While he believes in the benefits of vaccines and has vaccinated all of his own children, he disagrees with the notion that it is up to the federal government to make that decision. He stated that “I believe that the benefits of vaccines greatly outweigh the risks, but I still do not favor giving up on liberty for a false sense of security ” (emphasis added).

He pointed out that “this may be the only medical procedure in the modern world where informed consent is not required.”

Had the HELP committee been interested in a true fact-finding hearing, they could have listened to opposing opinions from individuals just as highly qualified as those present at the hearing.

For example, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons recently sent a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, stating their opposition to federally mandated vaccines. The letter suggested that “a public health threat is the rationale for the policy on mandatory vaccines. But how much of a threat is required to justify forcing people to accept government-imposed risks?”

Instead, the hearing was entirely one-sided.

As Federal Relations Liaison, it is my job to keep an ear to the ground in the halls of Congress, and that includes what is said in a committee hearing related to parental rights.

In combating those we disagree with, it is crucial to have accurate information. The alarmist rumors that Congress is about to pass a vaccine mandate are overstated. As I mentioned, there is currently no bill in Congress that would mandate vaccines.

But conversations are happening, and many are not favorable to parental rights. We are prepared to stand with you whenever the freedom to be a parent is threatened.

-- Maggie McKneely
Federal Relations Liaison

The Hearing

Opening Positions

Invalidating Parents

One Voice for Liberty

Conclusion

Take Action to Protect Children and Parents in Maine

Wed, 06 Mar 2019 15:03:00 GMT

LD 798 , a bill that threatens children and parental rights, is scheduled for a hearing next week. The measure comes before Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on Educational and Cultural Affairs on Wednesday, March 13, at 1:00 pm in Room 208 of the Cross Building in Augusta.

LD 798 would remove the right of parents to opt their child out of immunizations on the basis of a philosophical or religious belief exemption, dangerously shifting the power to make major medical decisions for a child from the parents to the state.

In its 1979 Parham v. J.R. decision, the Supreme Court declared, “Simply because the decision of a parent…involves risks does not automatically transfer the power to make that decision from the parents to some agency or officer of the state.”

LD 798 in Maine would trample parental rights and turn that Court decision on its head.

While ParentalRights.org does not have a position on the safety or efficacy of vaccines, we are adamant in our support of the right of parents to make informed medical decisions for their children.

Action Items

We and our allies at Homeschoolers of Maine (HOME) are encouraging concerned parents to show up on March 13 to attend the hearing. You will not be called on or have to testify, but your presence alone will demonstrate to lawmakers that parents are watching this vote closely.

Bear in mind if you are able to attend that many cannot due to work or other obligations, making it all the more important for you to be there. You can stand on behalf of those of us who cannot—and on behalf of the children this bill would affect.

If you are among those unable to attend, please take a moment to email the members of the committee and urge them to vote “No” on this bill. You can find their contact information at legislature.maine.gov/committee/#Committees/EDU .

Vaccines themselves are a controversial issue, but the natural and inalienable right of parents to make decisions that children are not yet capable of making for themselves should not be.

Thank you for taking the time to stand up for children and for parental rights.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey

Executive Director

Legislative Update: Parental Rights Around the Country

Wed, 27 Feb 2019 19:36:00 GMT

Our Resolutionary Campaign is in full force, currently pursuing passage of Parental Rights Amendment Resolutions in six states. In addition, more than a dozen battles are looming in other states, most over bills that would threaten everything from vaccine exemptions to the privacy of your own home.

There’s a lot to cover, so I’ll dive right in.

Parental Rights Amendment Resolutions

Resolutions calling on Congress to send the PRA to the States for ratification are on the table in six states, though only two have been introduced so far. In the lead is SCR 1 in Oklahoma which passed the state Senate on February 13. If the House adds its approval in the coming weeks, Oklahoma will be the seventh state to call on Congress to support the Amendment. (Six states passed resolutions in 2010-2013.)

SCR 106 in Kentucky was introduced by Sen. Steve West on February 14 ^th . Because Kentucky has deadlines for bills but not for resolutions, the latter often sit until near the end of the session, so “no news” at this point is not necessarily bad news; we’ll have to be patient. Resolutions in Kentucky have been known to pass in as little as three days.

In three other states— Florida , Texas , and West Virginia —we have lead sponsors but have not yet seen the resolutions introduced. And an effort in South Carolina is under way, but we don’t have a sponsor there yet.

Parental Rights Statutes

The lead sponsor for our resolution in Florida is also looking to champion a bill that would preserve parental rights under Florida law. She plans to introduce both together once they are properly drafted and ready to go.

In Kentucky , the same Sen. West introduced SB 152 , the Parents’ Bill of Rights, which passed the Senate Judiciary Committee last Thursday (Feb. 21). Some of the language is still being ironed out through anticipated floor amendments before the final Senate vote, after which the bill will move to the House. ParentalRights.org does not have volunteers “on the ground” in Frankfort, but we are actively working with key allies to promote this work.

Vaccine Exemptions

Vaccines are perhaps the most contentious aspect of the parental rights issue. We do not hold a position on the medical efficacy or safety of vaccines, but we are passionate about the liberty of parents to make informed medical decisions for their children.

The following states are currently considering legislation that would end vaccine exemptions or make them more challenging for philosophical or religious reasons:

Minnesota SF 1520 would remove all exemptions for “conscientiously held beliefs,” meaning religious or philosophical exemptions. (Photo above shows families at a rally in St. Paul on Feb. 25 to oppose SF 1520. Photo credit: Angie Gallagher.)

Vermont HB 238 would eliminate religious exemptions for all vaccines.

New Jersey SB 3818 would make it more difficult to claim a religious exemption for vaccines.

Kentucky SB 133 would eliminate vaccine exemptions for college students. (This is outside our normal focus, but the intersect is those students who are still under the age of 18 and who, with their parents, oppose the vaccines.)

Maine LD 798 would eliminate all philosophical or religious exemptions. Our allies at Homeschoolers of Maine (HOME) just alerted us that it is scheduled for committee on March 13 at 1:00 pm in Room 208 of the Cross Building in Augusta. (Be watching for further updates.)

Nevada AB123 would not eliminate philosophical or religious exemptions, but would require parents to file a letter of exemption every year instead of just once, which may create an additional inconvenience for parents who choose to exercise that right.

Oregon HB 3063 would remove philosophical or religious exemptions to any vaccinations.

But Wait…

Although Iowa’s HF 206 , filed by Rep. Mascher, would eliminate religious exemptions, SF 239 , filed by Sens. Guth and Zaun, would preserve these exemptions and allow for philosophical exemptions as well.

And Arizona ’s legislature is considering HB 2470 , HB 2471 , and HB 2472 , a series of bills by Rep. Nancy Barto that would strengthen the right of parents to make informed decisions for their children regarding vaccination and antibody titer testing (used to identify whether a child has antibodies for a particular disease). Two of these bills (HB 2471 and 2472) appear poised for a vote in the House soon.

Home Visitation Programs

Another troubling trend on the rise is home visitation programs around the country. Where these programs are voluntary, they do not threaten parental rights. In some states, though, the intention seems to be to put a government agent into the home of every newborn child, whether the parents want it or not. And these agents are, of course, mandatory reporters, which renders their visit a forensic search.

The home visitation bills we are watching, whether for voluntary or mandatory visits, include the following:

Iowa SF 111 and New Hampshire SB 274 provide newborn home visitation for any child or family under Medicaid.

Oregon SB 526 calls on the Oregon Health Authority to study home visits and report to an interim health care committee of the Legislative Assembly later this year. Study bills are often precursors to actual changes in law, and Oregon Governor Brown already communicated in her budget proposal that she would like to make these visits “universal.”

Washington ’s “Welcome to Washington Baby Act,” SB 5683 , would establish universal home visiting programs to link families of newborns to state services and resources. At present the measure is voluntary, but the trend especially in Washington and neighboring Oregon seems to be toward more and not less intrusion.

Conclusion

In summary, there is a lot going on throughout the states that would affect your right to make the best decision for your child. As we watch these and other threatening or promising bills, we invite you to watch with us and alert us if you learn any of these are moving. We would also ask you to standby for alerts that might call on you to contact your lawmakers to support any good bill or oppose the bad.

Thank you for standing with us as we look to protect your children by empowering you, their parents, to make the vital decisions that will shape them for life!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

P.S. — ParentalRights.org relies entirely on donations from supporters just like you in order to fight for your parental rights. Could you take a moment today to start a monthly investment, or even a one-time donation, to help us continue to monitor and report on these major parental rights issues?

The post Legislative Update: Parental Rights Around the Country appeared first on Parental Rights .

Great News!!

Fri, 15 Feb 2019 15:00:00 GMT

Dear Champion of Parental Rights -

I received word Wednesday night that the Oklahoma State Senate passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 1 (SCR 1) , which calls for the US Congress to support the Parental Rights Amendment!

On Thursday the resolution moved to the Oklahoma State House of Representatives. I will keep you posted on its progress, especially in case the need arises to call your Representative and give them a little push.

Thank you for standing by. I will be sure to keep you updated as I receive information.

Thanks so much!

Cory Gibbons

Contact Coordinator

Legislative Session Off to a Good Start!

Wed, 13 Feb 2019 14:42:00 GMT

Dear Champion of Parental Rights -

We can’t rest now.

With the achievement of two major goals, this legislative session is off to a great start. But our work is only just beginning.

The Resolutionary Campaign we revealed last August called for the Parental Rights Amendment (PRA) to be introduced early in this Congress, and we have hit that target. Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) introduced the PRA on January 30, 2019 with the support of more than a dozen cosponsors. This is a huge step.

Our other goal was the introduction of PRA resolutions in as many states as possible, and that is happening, too, thanks to the tremendous work of some exciting new volunteers (and staff!).

In short, January brought tremendous victories.

As a result, we see amazing opportunities before us, made possible through careful planning, hard work, invested time, and the generosity of partners like you. Your continued support will help us keep this momentum.

And we’re going to need it.

On Capitol Hill, two distinct parties who cannot seem to work together tend to relegate our issue, our proposed Amendment, to one side or another—and, as a result, only that side will support it.

We know better. We know parental rights is neither a Democrat issue nor a Republican issue. Rather, it affects us all.

From inner city minority single moms to rural homeschooler farming couples, and every demographic in between, parental rights are crucial to your everyday life.

Those broken by Child Protective Services (CPS), or raising a child with a disability or a chronic illness, or seeking alternative sources of education; those too poor to defend themselves in court, or working two or three jobs to make ends meet, or raising their child in a faith the local government seems unwilling to accept…. We know we are all in this together!

And the good news is America knows it, too.

Polling indicates that more than 90 percent of all Americans, regardless of party affiliation, agree with the traditional position that, absent a showing of abuse or neglect, parents have the right to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children.

For this reason, we are not a Democratic or Republican organization; this is not a Democrats- or Republicans-only cause.

Families of every stripe are best served when parents are protected from government intrusion and allowed to make the best decisions on behalf of their children!

The bottom line: Your children deserve to be cared for by you—the people who love them most.

We all understand that. It doesn’t matter where you live, how much you make, or who you voted for on Election Day.

No demographic matters as much as your children do.

That’s why this Amendment is so important. It’s not just about protecting our rights, but protecting our families. It’s about protecting our children. Still, the fact that we are trying to pass an amendment to the U.S. Constitution means a simple majority vote in Congress is not enough. We need a two-thirds vote in the U.S. House and two-thirds in the Senate.

We will never reach those numbers with only one party’s support.

The bad news is that, unfortunately, experience shows that Congress lacks our understanding on this issue. They don’t see it as the full-spectrum, bipartisan issue we know it to be.

And that’s why these January victories—early Amendment introduction and the promotion of parental rights resolutions—are so important.

First, resolutions demonstrate to a stubborn Congress that people in every political party support the Parental Rights Amendment.

In 2011-2013, our early resolution efforts resulted in strong bipartisan support at the state level, including in Louisiana, where a split legislature voted overwhelmingly—in both houses—to call for the Parental Rights Amendment.

The resolutions we are promoting today can send this same message to Congress.

Second, getting the PRA introduced this early maximizes our time to gather additional cosponsors, push for committee hearings, and otherwise advance the Amendment on Capitol Hill.

Perhaps most significantly, this early start allows us to take advantage of an opportunity from this most recent Congressional election: several freshman lawmakers from the Democratic party have voting histories and constituencies back home that are favorable to parental rights.

This means there’s a chance they will support our Amendment.

One of these was the first Democrat to cosponsor a parental rights bill in his state legislature. Once he signed on, other Democrats followed, and the bill now enjoys the kind of widespread bipartisan support we need for the PRA.

That’s why it’s so important to secure the support of these freshman Democrats in Congress, as well. This new class offers a unique opportunity to finally build a bridge across the proverbial aisle.

We believe that, as in the case of that state bill, once one Democrat signs on, many will follow.

Towards those ends, January has given us a terrific start in every respect, and we are thankful for what has been accomplished.

The early introduction of the Amendment provides the bill number state resolutions needed in order to move forward.

It also gives us time to reach out to new members of Congress—including Democrats—and bring some of them on board in this term.

And the early introduction comes from a passionate champion of your rights, Congressman Jim Banks, who is actively pursuing support for our effort among his colleagues from either party.

All the pieces are in place, and the doors lie open before us.

But we still need your support to advance.

Would you take a moment to make your best gift of $25.00, $50.00, or even $100.00 today? With your support we can see victories upon victories in the days and weeks ahead.

Having seen so many resolutions introduced, we want to see as many of them as possible cross the finish line. Only then do they send the clear message to Congress that the states support your rights.

And every Democratic freshman in Congress offers a potential victory as well. For that matter, every new cosponsor, regardless of party, strengthens the chances of the Parental Rights Amendment in Congress.

Your investment in this cause has fueled our Resolutionary Campaign through these crucial January accomplishments.

Please double down on this winning strategy, and let’s push these victories all the way to Amendment adoption!

Sincerely,

James R. Mason, Esq.
President

P.S. — January has been a month of significant victories, paving the way for a powerful legislative session both in Congress and the States. Your generous investment today will allow us to build on that foundation to protect our families—our children!—by preserving parental rights.

Protect Children, Families, and the Constitution in CAPTA

Thu, 07 Feb 2019 16:19:00 GMT

UFA Letter on CAPTA Reauthorization 2019 (8)

Bipartisan Coalition Letter to Protect Parental Rights

Wed, 06 Feb 2019 17:45:00 GMT

Dear Champion of Parental Rights,

This morning United Family Advocates, the bipartisan coalition with whom we are working on family law reforms, put our finishing touches on a letter to Congress outlining things we hope to add and to avoid in the upcoming re-authorization of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA).

The 16-page document will be ready for public presentation in the next day or two, and when it is it will be posted on this page of our website. PDF Here

Letter Highlights

In the meantime, here are the highlights of the positions we have taken, joined by activists on both sides of the political aisle:

The current system takes too many children from innocent families. “[A] child abuse investigation is, itself, a trauma.”

Foster care, though sometimes necessary, compounds the trauma.

CAPTA should be amended to expand protections for innocent families, including insuring fairer investigations, providing a notice of rights, and ceasing intervention against reasonably prudent parents. Further, services offered to help families in poverty or in other areas of need should be voluntary.

Of special importance, the standard for child removal must comport with the guarantee of Due Process provided in the U.S. Constitution.

“Safety Plans” should be presented as voluntary unless they really are legally binding. The current practice of initiating such “agreements” under threat of taking children must be corrected.

Innocent parents should not be added to child abuse registries, and should be able to have their name expunged from such registries through appropriate appeal and a fair hearing.

Poverty should never be confused with neglect. Parents should not lose their children simply because they are poor.

“Confidential” reporting should replace “anonymous” reporting, which will severely curb the abuse of child abuse hotlines. The hotline should not be a means for an embittered ex to accuse a fit parent of abuse when there is none. Requiring the caller to provide basic identifying information to the hotline (though still not to the accused) will go a long way to curing this problem.

We also rejected ideas of a national child abuse registry and of using predictive analytics to try to forecast who will be abusive or negligent, a system ripe for bias and abuse.

Broadly Diverse, But United

The coalition includes such conservative organizations as the Texas Public Policy Institute alongside such liberal champions as Richard Wexler and NYU Law Professor Martin Guggenheim.

Working together, we are able to find a welcoming audience in both the Democrat-led House and the Republican-led U.S. Senate, allowing us to make a difference in support of these family rights principles we all hold in common.

In short, it is our hope this effort will effect real change for parents in child abuse investigation situations for years to come.

Thank you for standing with us as we stand with respected allies from across the spectrum to promote the protection of your family through your parental rights.

Sincerely,

Michael

Parental Rights Amendment Introduced Today!

Wed, 30 Jan 2019 17:11:00 GMT

Dear Champion of Parental Rights,

Rep. Jim Banks (IN-3) is introducing the Parental Rights Amendment in the U.S. House today, joined by fifteen cosponsors.

Maggie McKneely is ParentalRights.org’s federal relations liaison on Capitol Hill.

“Despite the negative, partisan atmosphere in DC right now,” Maggie reports, “the Parental Rights Amendment has garnered a lot of positive discussions. Our friends and supporters on Capitol Hill still consider the Parental Rights Amendment a priority and continue to champion it in the face of higher-profile issues.”

An early adjournment this week could easily have delayed introduction to Tuesday, but Rep. Banks recognized the need to send a message regarding the importance of this issue.

Through the work of Rep. Banks’ staff, Maggie’s contacts, and your many calls and emails to your congressmen’s offices, the Amendment has already garnered 15 cosponsors, including six who were not cosponsors of the prior Amendment effort from 2018.

“We’ve been able to talk to the offices of freshman members and those who have never cosponsored and gotten people interested who haven’t been before,” Maggie tells me. “Parental rights is an issue all Americans can support, regardless of party, and many on the Hill recognize that.”

Who’s on First?

Fifteen members of Congress have signed on as “Original cosponsors,” meaning their names will already be on the PRA resolution when it is first introduced this afternoon.

Original cosponsors include: Rep. Alex Mooney (WV-2), Rep. Bill Posey (FL-8), Rep. Vicky Hartlzer (MO-4), Rep. Jeff Duncan (SC-3), Rep. Doug Lamborn (CO-5), Rep. Brian Babin (TX-36), Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22), Rep. Steve Watkins (KS-2), Rep. Debbie Lesko (AZ-8), Rep. Ron Wright (TX-6), Rep. Mark Meadows (NC-11), Rep. Ted Budd (NC-13), Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA-1), Rep. Ted Yoho (FL-3), and Rep. Tim Walberg (MI-7).

Take Action

If any of the above is your congressman, send them a short email thanking them for their support. Don’t call their office , as that ties up their time and resources. Our practice is to make phone calls (emails when necessary) to request or demand action, but to always send our thanks by email. Believe me: your congressman’s office will appreciate this!

If your congressional representative is not on the above list, it’s not too late to call them and ask them to sign on as a cosponsor. They won’t be “original cosponsors,” but they can still sign on to show support for parental rights.

You can find their contact information here .

When you call, tell them you are a constituent and that you are calling to encourage your representative to sign on with Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana as a cosponsor of the Parental Rights Amendment he is introducing this afternoon. (They can contact Tanner Spencer in Mr. Banks’ office.)

Your phone calls, coupled with Maggie’s visits and the tireless efforts of Rep. Banks and his staff, gained fifteen original cosponsors in only three weeks. Together we can gain even more support in the days ahead.

Rep. Banks’ strong leadership has put us in a great position for a strong showing in this new Congress.

Thank you for standing with us as we prepare for exciting days of Amendment progress ahead!

Sincerely,

Michael T. Ramey
Executive Director

Mandatory Home Visits Coming to Oregon?

Wed, 23 Jan 2019 16:33:00 GMT

Dear Champion of Parental Rights,

Are the headlines true? Are universal mandatory home visits coming to Oregon in the near future?

At first read, it appears Oregon Governor Kate Brown’s latest budget proposal would introduce over the next six years a program of mandatory in-home visits for every family with a newborn child. Not just adoptive homes, or foster homes, or homes under investigation. Every home.

Every New Parent

“This isn’t something for people in trouble. This is stuff all kids need. Stuff my kids needed,” says Patrick Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority, in an interview with the Beaverton (Oregon) Valley Times published January 3.

Should the plan be adopted—and should it be universally mandatory—it would call for every new parent in the state to “receive a series of two or three visits by someone like a nurse or other health care practitioner,” according to the Times article.

Some 40,000 babies are born in Oregon annually, though certainly not all of these are to new (or “first-time”) parents.

The big question, though, is whether the visits would be mandatory. Providing universal home visits for all who want them is a far cry from requiring universal home visits of every family celebrating the birth of their firstborn.

Cause for Confusion

The confusion seems to arise from page 42 of the budget proposal, which states that the budget includes funds for “universal home visiting.” The idea is expanded on pages 56-57:

“ Universal Home Visiting — Home visiting programs are a proven way of creating a safe and healthy environment for children by supporting parents and families with information and services that provide the foundation for a lifetime of physical and mental well-being. The Governor’s Budget recognizes this through an $8.7 million investment for a Universal Home Visiting program to complement existing home visiting services by helping families enter into their community system of care.”

So, does “universal” mean “universally available?” Or does it mean “for every family without exception?” The latter is the literal meaning of the word, and thus the cause for much alarm. But is that as the governor’s office intends?

Ultimately, we do not know.

The Budget on pages 20-21 expresses support for “the Early Learning Council and the Early Learning System Director” whose responsibilities include “preschool, childcare licensing and regulation, and voluntary home visiting” (emphasis added), which could be a good sign. But uncertainty remains.

The Oregon Senate has recently taken up SB 526 requiring “The Oregon Health Authority [to] study home visiting by licensed health care providers in the state [and] submit findings and recommendations for legislation to an interim committee of the Legislative Assembly” by the end of the calendar year.”

This is no doubt connected to the governor’s budget, but this too does nothing to reveal the extent to which “universal” home visits are intended to be universal.

Bad Policy

The Parental Rights Foundation has found mandatory home visits of innocent families to be simply bad policy. In addition to raising Fourth Amendment and parental rights issues, they do nothing good for families. Any benefits that voluntary visits may offer are easily offset in mandatory visits by the trauma a child experiences in finding at too early an age that their parents aren’t capable of protecting them from intrusion at all.

Studies have shown that children develop their sense of trust in part from the impression they hold in their formative years that their parents are, as one mom put it to us, “Superman or Superwoman,” able to defend their child from anything bigger than the little one can handle. Children robbed of this sense of safety (delusional though it may be) are also robbed of their ability to form trust bonds and lasting relationships for years, if not for a lifetime.

And make no mistake: home visits, even by licensed medical personnel, would constitute a violation of family privacy if the visit is unwanted. Licensed medical practitioners are by law mandatory reporters; once they are inside your home they are a de facto investigative agent of the State. That may create an adversarial medical relationship and introduce a level of stress unhealthy for any family.

In conclusion, this whole matter hinges on Oregon’s definition of “universal.” Truly universal home visits, including to families who do not want them, are bad policy and will reap serious negative consequences for children. But making sure the service is available to any who want it—and only those who want it—poses no direct threat to our parental rights.

Until Governor Brown’s intentions are clear, we will monitor her proposal with great interest.

Sincerely,

Michael T. Ramey
Executive Director

Parental Rights To Be Addressed in State Legislatures

Thu, 17 Jan 2019 17:43:00 GMT

Dear Champion of Parental Rights,

State legislatures all over the country reconvened this week (or last), and in some of them the issue of parental rights is, if not front and center, at least high on the agenda .

Sadly, in recent years many states have taken up bills that would further erode parental rights, such as California’s law to force a one-size-fits-all vaccination schedule on every child. Fortunately, while these bills have been introduced all over the country, they have been defeated far more often than not so far. But be warned: their advocates will not give up easily.

On the other hand, some states are about to introduce bills that defend parental rights. Utah’s new parenting law from 2018 covers a laundry list of fixes, from “free-range parenting” to clear language providing that family poverty does not constitute child neglect.

This year we are adding to the mix not only additional statutes, but state resolutions calling for Congress to adopt the Parental Rights Amendment. These resolutions are not legally binding, but add urgency and legitimacy for a U.S. senator or representative to cosponsor or vote in favor of that measure.

A Solid Start

It is very early in the state legislative season, so we don’t have actual introductions or bill numbers yet. But ParentalRights.org volunteers are already active all over the country to bring those victories about, and they are reporting real progress.

Our leader in Pennsylvania has talked with multiple potential sponsors and narrowed the field to two particularly interested (and effective) lawmakers. Meanwhile, sponsors in other states assure us that a statute or resolution introduction is imminent—including measures in Nebraska, Texas, Florida, and Indiana.

Of these, Indiana is especially exciting because we did not have any grassroots presence there six months ago. Now our small but passionate team has come together to bring a resolution nearly to the point of introduction. That is a major step!

But the other efforts are just as encouraging. In fact, as I write this I just got off the phone with a possible lead sponsor for Florida, who expressed her passion to protect families not just on paper, but with a bill that will “have some teeth.”

(While I’m keeping sponsor names “close to the vest” at this writing, we will provide those details publicly as bills and resolutions are introduced over the next couple of weeks.)

I’ve also heard from allied and like-minded organizations in other states who will be introducing parent-friendly, family-protecting bills in their legislatures in the days ahead—bills we will not shepherd ourselves, but which will support your rights. We will work with these organizations to secure victories for their bills, as well.

Exciting News Yet To Come

In summary, while we’re short on the details we can provide publicly just yet, I wanted you to know we are seeing a lot of exciting movement in states all over the country. With your continued partnership, whether as a donor, a volunteer, or a follower on our supporter list, we are poised to see advances big and small all over the country in 2019.

So thank you for standing with us! Be sure to keep an eye on your email over the coming weeks as we will update you not only on cosponsors of the Parental Rights Amendment, but also of strong, effective efforts to protect parental rights in your state!

Sincerely,

Michael T. Ramey
Executive Director

The post Parental Rights To Be Addressed in State Legislatures appeared first on Parental Rights .

We Have A Sponsor for Parental Rights Amendment!

Mon, 07 Jan 2019 16:22:00 GMT

Dear Champion of Parental Rights,

It’s time! Today is the day to call Congress in preparation for the introduction of the Parental Rights Amendment (PRA) in the U.S. House.

Last month we met with Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), and he agreed wholeheartedly to become the lead sponsor of the Parental Rights Amendment in this new session of Congress.

The new Congress convened on Thursday, January 3, and Rep. Banks is ready to hit the ground running. He is already enlisting original cosponsors so he can introduce the PRA later this month with a strong showing of support. He’s waiting a couple of weeks before introduction to give your congressman the opportunity to join him.

But we need you to let your congressman know that!

Right now we need you to call your representative and invite them to sign on with Rep. Banks as an original cosponsor of the Parental Rights Amendment in the House.

Here’s all you need to do:

1. Find your congressman’s contact information here .

2. Call their office and tell them the following, in your own words:

“I am a constituent and I’m calling to ask my congressman to support my family by protecting our parental rights. Right now Rep. Banks of Indiana is gathering initial cosponsors on a proposed Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I would encourage my representative to become one of those initial cosponsors. You can sign up by contacting Tanner Spencer in Mr. Banks’ office.”

If they ask for a bill number (which many will do out of habit), gently remind them we’re looking for original cosponsors, so there isn’t a bill number yet.

3. Spread the word to your family and friends and urge them to reach out to their congressmen, too!

For many of you, your congressman has sponsored the PRA in the past. Call and urge them to do so again; they will be grateful to you for telling them who to contact to make that happen. (Again, that’s Tanner Spencer in Rep. Banks’ office.)

For others, your congressman has never been part of the PRA effort. But this new Congress gives them the perfect opportunity to start fresh in showing their commitment to you and your family’s rights.

So please take a moment to call.

Together we can launch the Parental Rights Amendment early in this Congress with a strong showing of bipartisan support. So let’s get on the phone and make it happen!

Sincerely,

Michael T. Ramey
Executive Director

We Are Changing the Culture!

Tue, 11 Dec 2018 20:37:00 GMT

Dear Champion of Parental Rights,

Thanks to you, we are doing something very few non-profits have accomplished in all of history: we are changing the culture for families in America.

When a child services investigator knocked on my door on April Fool’s Day 2003, it was no joke. We had no idea who “called us in,” or what their concerns were supposed to be. But we knew one thing for sure. Fifteen years ago, if CPS was investigating your family, you didn’t tell a soul .

After all, if you’re under a child welfare investigation, something must be going on, right?

That was the assumption fifteen years ago. It was the assumption ten years ago when I started with ParentalRights.org.

But today, more and more families know the truth. Thanks to the work of the Parental Rights Foundation and ParentalRights.org, the facts are getting out.

Today we know nearly 40% of all American children will be involved in a child welfare investigation before they reach the age of 18.¹ We know more than 400,000 children will spend time in foster care this year.²
We know more than 2,100 children are removed from their homes every three days in this country—removed by government agents due to accusations of abuse or neglect.³
We know that in many states, minority children —sometimes African-American, sometimes Native American, sometimes Hispanic—are removed from their homes at double or even triple the rate of white children, a phenomenon likely due in part to nothing more than “good old-fashioned” bias.⁴
We know that 83% of child welfare cases will ultimately be closed as unfounded or unsubstantiated, that 5 of every 6 children will have suffered the intrusion for no reason. And we know that 100% of them will be traumatized by the experience.⁵
We know, conversely, that only 17% of child welfare investigations uncover evidence of abuse or neglect. And we know that number drops to only 4% when we look only at those investigations that spring from anonymous reports.⁶

Thanks to the work of ParentalRights.org and other non-profit organizations and coalitions that have arisen in our wake, Americans are waking up to the true nature of this epidemic. Families are being destroyed, not by abuse, but by the system we have put in place to protect the children from abuse.

Our families are being torn apart for want of good laws that protect the right of innocent families to live in peace, free of government intrusion.

With this knowledge, we are changing the culture. And it’s a good thing we are. Because every day more families are torn apart, and they need protecting.

Because nothing short of a cultural shift will enable us to pass the Parental Rights Amendment, the ultimate defense to protect families from this government invasion.

Until we succeed, the threats still remain.

The Threats Still Abound, but Americans Are Taking a Visible Stand

There are still “experts” like Professor James Dwyer who teach that parental rights are conferred by the government at the birth of a child. And what the government gives, the government can withhold or take away, not because you’re guilty of abuse or neglect, but simply because the government believes it can do better by that child.

There are still doctors like those at Boston Children’s Hospital who took Justina Pelletier from her family a few years ago simply because they disagreed with her medical diagnosis. They imprisoned her in the hospital’s psych ward and withheld the medical treatment she needed, all backed by the authority of Massachusetts’ Department of Children and Families.

Sadly, such cases seem to be on the increase.

It shouldn’t be surprising, I guess. Often when the truth starts to come out, those who oppose it will double down. But I am hopeful that’s not going to fly in America.

In other nations, threats to parental rights have been obvious:

We watched in horror as this year in Britain little Alfie Evans followed the same path as Charlie Gard the year before. Struck with a rare and unknown illness, Alfie was held in a London hospital that ultimately decided to end his care. Like Charlie, his parents were cut out of the decision. Offers to take up his care came from other hospitals—even other nations—but all went unheeded. The public raised tremendous funds and raised their voices, but the outcry was ignored. The British courts backed the hospital instead of recognizing the parents’ right to save their child. Just like Charlie Gard, Alfie Evans was laid to rest, a victim of the State’s power over his parents.
In Norway, Amy Jakobsen lost her rights to her son, Tyler , five years after the Barnevernet took him from her custody because she dared to breastfeed him at 19 months. He was healthy, and Amy was monitoring his weight closely to make sure he stayed that way. But the government seized him anyway, and even changed his name multiple times to keep his parents from finding him.
And in Canada, Toronto’s SickKids hospital unveiled a policy to allow terminally-ill teenagers to opt for euthanasia, or “assisted suicide,” without a parent’s consent. This policy ignores the vital role of parents not only as a safeguard to help their adolescent child make the best decisions, but also as a safeguard against any dishonesty on the part of the hospital. Under this policy, what is to keep a hospital from ending a child’s life at the doctor’s convenience, then telling the family it was the child’s decision? There are reasons children have parents to protect their interests.

Sadly, threats to the parent-child relationship continue in America as well . Doctors and hospitals have taken so many children from innocent parents that the practice has given rise to a new term in our vocabulary: medical kidnapping. And a counter-scientific belief in the now debunked “Shaken Baby Syndrome” has birthed an entire new field of “child abuse pediatricians,” whose entire purpose seems to be diagnosing a guilty verdict.

But, thanks to you, the culture is shifting. Though threats still abound, Americans are starting to take a visible stand.

This last year when 16-year-old Alyssa was medically kidnapped by the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, her parents did a little digging and discovered this kind of thing happens all the time. They learned they were not alone. But they also learned the deck was stacked against them. So they sprang into action, rescuing Alyssa from her prison before the nurses could realize what was happening.Of course, the hospital called in law enforcement. But the police were a little skeptical, and Alyssa’s father had a plan.First, he drove out of Minnesota to neighboring South Dakota. Once there, he took Alyssa to another well-respected hospital, where they got a second opinion: his daughter did not need the care the Mayo Clinic was forcing on her.Armed with this new diagnosis, the Minnesota police, who seemed less than enthusiastic about persecuting the family in the first place, were quick to stand down.
Also in Minnesota this year, a class-action lawsuit was filed against the state’s child welfare division because of the vast number of innocent families harmed by state intrusion. Despite the agency’s best efforts to get the case dismissed, it went to trial in a federal court in October. It is too early yet to know the outcome, but the fact that the court is hearing it at all shows a change from just a few years ago .
Another refreshing change just came in Texas, where a Houston judge in November ordered CPS to pay $127,000 in damages to a family for illegally removing children from their parents’ custody without legal cause. What’s more, the court issued a “do not contact” order prohibiting the agency from bothering the family again.
And in Indiana, mother Stefanie Thomas, whose rights were terminated in a July hearing so secret even Stefanie didn’t know about it, got those rights reinstated. When she got a lawyer and attempted to take CPS to court for their failure to grant her due process, the agency back-pedaled, conceded her point, and returned her child, rather than face the very real possibility that a judge would rule against them.

Glimmers of hope. That’s what these cases represent.

They are not yet a new normal in America, as much as I’d like to report otherwise.

But these cases do offer hope. They are clear signs that the culture is changing.

Fifteen years ago, my wife and I suffered in silence and shame, knowing no one would believe we were good parents if they learned we were “under investigation.” (We were eventually exonerated, our case closed. But the case remained open for an agonizing ten months, eight months longer than Virginia law allows.)

Today, parents are filing lawsuits, rescuing daughters out of hospital prisons, and even talking to the press in an effort to push back.

Because they know the truth. They don’t have to feel guilty, and they know they’re not alone.

You have been a crucial part of changing that landscape.

When I started with ParentalRights.org ten years ago, no one we talked to understood what “parental rights” were or why anyone would need to fight for them. But now, people know what our name is about. They have seen their own rights limited or taken away. They have seen a neighbor’s family destroyed by a gratuitous invasion.

They understand that parental rights aren’t rights over children, but rights for children against the government. They understand it’s about protecting the child’s right to be represented and protected by loving parents, not impersonal bureaucrats.

And they understand these things because of the faithful work we have been doing for more than a decade.

It has been a slow climb.

We have lobbied Congress, especially to pass the Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
We have urged changes to the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) and the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), two federal laws that pay states to take children unnecessarily and return them only at a snail’s pace. We have lobbied (and continue to lobby) for doing away with “anonymous reporting” (remember, only 4% of such calls have any merit anyway!) and replacing it with “confidential reporting,” where at least law enforcement knows who called.
We have lobbied states across the country to change their laws for the good of families, and a dozen states have done so. Utah’s brand-new law, which makes clear not only that parents can choose to give their children a reasonable measure of freedom as they mature, but also that poverty does not constitute neglect, sets an example for many other states to follow.
And just last month, for the first time in our history, we lobbied a sitting President when we urged President Trump’s Administration to act on behalf of Amy and Tyler Jakobsen in Norway.
We have been instrumental in connecting volunteers and organizations, and in making people aware of legal resources to defend their families. We have seen countless other organizations form to defend parents as well, their own successes fueled by our research and lobbying efforts.
And we have educated everyone who will listen on the plight of parental rights. We’ve talked with distraught parents on the streets of Detroit, and with members of Congress in the halls of the Capitol.

Thanks to you, we have opened a lot of eyes.

And the more eyes we open, the more parents stand up for themselves.

The more eyes we open, the more lawmakers understand the seriousness of the situation. No one wants an Alfie Evans or Charlie Gard situation here in America (except perhaps Professor Dwyer).

The more eyes we open, the louder the outcry grows for the Parental Rights Amendment.

But we can’t do any of this important work without your continued, vital support.

In 2019, we will

be pushing for resolutions in as many states as possible, resolutions that call on Congress to pass the Parental Rights Amendment.
continue lobbying , as part of a bipartisan coalition (which means we’ll have a friendly audience in both the Democratic House and the Republican Senate), to fix the problems in ASFA and CAPTA that have resulted in so many traumatized homes.
develop model language, based on Utah’s new statute, to encourage every state to decriminalize good parenting and draw a clear line between poverty and neglect.

We will do all these things because they must be done if the culture is to continue to change in our families’ favor.

But we can only do these things with your generous support .

That’s why today, as we wind down 2018, I am urging you to give your best donation to support this vital cause into the next calendar year.

Together, we can see states urging Congress to pass the Parental Rights Amendment. We can change the law to protect a child’s right to walk to school with her parent’s permission, or to play “unattended” in his own back yard.

With your help, we can continue to inform and inspire “investigated” parents to stand up for their rights—and their child’s rights—to get the justice they deserve.

And as the victories stack up, so do our chances to protect these rights permanently in the U.S. Constitution .

Some of the victories listed in this email were our direct doing; many were not. But we are proud to play a vital educational and networking role that makes more and more victories like these possible.

With your ongoing financial support , we will faithfully continue to play that role in the coming year, and I believe we will see some of the greatest victories ever for innocent families nationwide.

Thank you for your time and for your generous loyalty to this vital effort.

Sincerely,

Michael T. Ramey
Executive Director

P.S. — Real threats remain as enemies of parental rights double down on their heavy-handed, pro-intrusion policies. But every family who pushes back creates a chance for victory, and every victory moves us closer to the goal of preserving our families’ rights permanently. We are seeing the culture change. We are fueling the culture change. And with your help, we can continue the work in 2019 and beyond. Thank you for standing with us through your generous donation today!

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We’re Getting Through!

Wed, 05 Dec 2018 01:48:00 GMT

What do

a California school of social work,
a vaccine apologist, and
the government

have in common?

No, it’s not just that they’re the traditional enemies of parental rights. Rather, in the last two months ParentalRights.org has been invited into conversation with all of them!

As a nation we see too many children suffer unnecessary removal from loving parents in perfectly good homes. Too many families live in fear rather than freedom.

It is high time we had some serious conversations as to what we’re going to do about it. Fortunately, we are not the only people who think so.

Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe

Last month I received a call from the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe , or the “U.S. Helsinki Commission.” (From their website, the Commission “monitor[s] compliance with the Helsinki Accords and advance[s] comprehensive security through promotion of human rights, democracy, and economic, environmental, and military cooperation in the 57-nation OSCE region.”)

The Commission planned to address parental rights and family integrity at an upcoming briefing, and they called us to learn our concerns. What is the pulse of family rights not just in Europe, where Norway’s Barnavernet is taking children away without cause, or where Germany and the Scandinavian countries prohibit home schooling, but here in the States, as well?

We talked about the 83% of child welfare investigations that are ultimately unfounded or unsubstantiated. We talked about how easily children are “medically kidnapped” if parents disagree with their health care provider, and about the lack of due process in “Shaken Baby Syndrome” cases, where a child abuse “expert” proclaims guilt or innocence.

Social Work Professor

Then last week I spoke with a social work professor from one of California’s state universities. She is putting together a program to provide her social work students with the parents’ perspective so that when they become professional investigators, they will be better prepared to respect parents and serve the needs of the families, instead of just taking children. As she put it, she wants to “re-professionalize child welfare,” to “stop repeating the same mistakes that have led to so much friction” between the system and the families in it.

Pharmaceutical Manufactures

Lastly, at a recent D.C. conference I had a wonderful conversation with a former pharmaceutical marketer. Now with a large biotechnology trade association, she represents many of the companies who manufacture the vaccines our lawmakers are mandating without exemption today. Yet she and I were able to have a warm and constructive conversation about the concerns of parents and the non-transferable responsibility we have to make the best medical decisions for our individual children.

We talked about the road blocks to conversation when it comes to vaccines. We share a concern that parents in some locations are denied quality health care simply because they oppose vaccinating their child or choose not to vaccinate on the doctor’s schedule.

Mostly, we talked about the need to have the conversation. We talked about the need to protect our common interests in health, for instance, without demanding that families give up their rights to privacy and self-determination.

We’re Having the Conversations Because of You!

To be fair, these relationships are all in their infancy. I have no stunning conclusions to share, no amazing breakthroughs to pass along. But these are very much the kind of conversations we want to be a part of!

Through perseverance and your faithfulness, we have caught the attention of organizations with influence to change the way parents are viewed in some crucial situations. They in turn have reached out to hear what we have to say about your children, your families, and your rights.

What an amazing privilege to come to the table with the traditional enemies of parental rights — the government, the vaccine industry, and a school of social work! What a powerful opportunity to speak into the issues on your behalf!

We would not have been invited apart from your faithful support through the years. So thank you for standing with us.

I can’t wait to see what fruit will follow in 2019!

Sincerely,

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As I write, I’ve just completed a special year-end message asserting that we are changing the culture for the better. These conversations were too new to make it into that letter, but they perfectly exemplify its point.

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Thank you! We Did It!

Thu, 29 Nov 2018 18:58:00 GMT

Thanks to you, we once again exceeded our goal for #GivingTuesday, and I don’t mean by a little.

All told, this Giving Tuesday raised $30,733.50, including $2,140.00 to our educational arm, the Parental Rights Foundation.

(Gifts to the Foundation can only be used for education regarding parental rights and policy, while the remaining gifts to ParentalRights.org can also be used to directly fuel our lobbying and law-changing efforts in the states.)

Our goal for one-day giving was $20,000: $10,000 in matching grants secured in advance, and $10,000 from all of you.

Instead, you nearly reached the $20,000 by yourselves, raising more than $18,500 even without the matching grants!

I am overwhelmed with your out-pouring of generosity to empower parents to protect their children. We will take seriously our obligation to make the best use of your gifts to continue to change the legal landscape for families throughout the country.

View our final wrap-up on Facebook.

I wish I could thank each of you individually and in person, but realistically this email will have to suffice.

Thank you so much for crushing our goal and fueling the fight for parental rights!

With deepest amazement and gratitude,

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P.S. – This message should have come yesterday, but I was at a conference to network with state lawmakers who can further our Resolutionary campaign. I will be back at that conference tomorrow, too, but today I needed to tell you how very thankful we are for your tremendous support on Tuesday!

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Last-Minute Matching Grant

Tue, 27 Nov 2018 21:16:00 GMT

Clarification: The last $2,000 grant earns money for Parental Rights Foundation , which means the money will go to education, not lobbying. However, we can earn that grant through your donation to either ParentalRights.org (which we can use to lobby) or the Foundation .

Every three days, roughly 2,000 children are taken from their homes over allegations of abuse or neglect. Statistically, nearly 1,700 of those are taken unnecessarily. So we went on the road today to help put a stop to it .

As I write it’s 3:50 pm on the East coast, and our #GTRoadTrip is well underway. Maggie and Shellby are at this moment making their way from Harrisburg, PA back to our Virginia office for the final stop on their state capitals tour.

Our #GivingTuesday campaign is well underway, too. So far we have raised $7,880, plus the same amount in matching funds, bringing us to 79% of our $20,000 one-day goal.

If you’ve already given today, we want to thank you so much for your generous support!

But we’re not finished yet. In fact, we received a last-minute matching grant of $2,000 more, meaning every dollar will be matched not up to $20,000, but up to $24,000.

Please, if you haven’t given yet (or even if you have but can afford to give a little more), don’t let us leave those grants on the table!

Check out all of the updates from different states on Facebook!

It’s not too late to win a ParentalRights.org bundle featuring t-shirts, DVDs, and a stylish ParentalRights.org mug. It’s also not too late to share this post with your family and friends and urge them to give as well. And it’s not too late to take advantage of the matching grants, meaning for every dollar you give, ParentalRights.org will receive $2—now up to $24,000!

Every three days: We’ve mentioned it several times in the last six months. Like you, we understand that there is no greater protection for children in America than their parents—and the best way to protect that relationship from unwarranted intrusion is through the Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which our state resolutions will help bring about.

So take a moment to protect the children through your gift to ParentalRights.org. Then post a selfie with your family (or a picture of your family) and encourage your friends to give, too.

Sincerely,

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Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Breaking: Grammy Winner Going Live at 3:00 Eastern

Tue, 27 Nov 2018 19:17:00 GMT

We have just received word that multiple-Grammy-winning singer/song writer and Motown Pastor Marvin Winans will be going live from Detroit with a special parental rights message at 3:00 today.

The message will be in the form of a Facebook Live video from our ParentalRights.org Facebook page , the site also hosting our #GTRoadTrip throughout the day.

(Right now, Maggie and Shellby are on the road from Annapolis, MD, to Harrisburg, PA, where they will report live at about 2:30.)

And thanks to matching grants plus the generous donations of supporters just like you, we have raised just over $9,000 toward our one-day $20,000 #GivingTuesday goal.

So tune in to see Maggie’s latest update at 2:30, then again at 3:00 to hear from Marvin Winans. And take advantage of the matching grants by giving your best donation today to support our efforts for parental rights. We will receive $2 for every $1 you give. And post your “family heart selfie” to share about the cause on social media so your friends and family can take part in this #GivingTuesday, too.

Thank you for all you do to protect children by empowering parents!

Sincerely,

Share This

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

Today Only! Gifts Count Double.

Tue, 27 Nov 2018 00:01:00 GMT

It’s here! #GivingTuesday has arrived!

Will you “remember the Children” by helping us reach our 1-day donation goal of $20,000 to fuel state resolutions that promote the Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?

You recognize, as we do, that the very best way to protect children is by preserving their right to be raised by the parents who love them. Every day, more than 700 children are removed from their homes, in many instances just because someone else thinks they know better.

Today is the day to remember these children and raise both awareness and support for parental rights!

Here’s What We’re Asking You to Do.

1. Give whatever you can. We have been blessed with donors offering matching grants totaling $10,000. That means for every dollar you give, ParentalRights.org will receive $2—all the way up to our $20,000 goal!

2. Post a “family heart selfie” — Post a selfie of yourself with your family (a drawing or picture works!) with a heart on social media. Caption the photo with a note that tells your friends that you supported ParentalRights.org this #GivingTuesday.

Please take a moment right now to stand with us through your donation to ParentalRights.org . And then multiply your investment (again!) by posting your “family heart selfie” and asking your friends and family to give as well.

Free Incentives for Those Who Give!

We’re even offering a few free incentives for those who give.

First, we’re giving away 5 free ParentalRights.org bundles (including our popular mugs) throughout the day to randomly chosen donors who give through our online donation form. (We’ll give away one from each stop on our road trip, and one in our wrap-up report Wednesday morning.)
Second, we’re offering a special gift for the highest donation we receive from Pennsylvania. Watch for Pennsylvania State Coordinator Vickie Suarez to go live with Maggie from Harrisburg this afternoon (around 2 or 2:30) for more details.

Follow the #GTRoadTrip Live on Facebook!

We invite all of you to follow us online, as Maggie and Shellby, along with some surprise guests, will be going live on Facebook from various stops on our #GTRoadTrip throughout the day to keep you updated on our campaign.

There’s no better time to support the protection of our children through the Parental Rights Amendment than right now, so give today!

Sincerely,

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Michael Ramey
Executive Director

#GTRoadTrip and #GivingTuesday Are Almost Here!

Sat, 24 Nov 2018 00:05:00 GMT

It’s almost here! #GivingTuesday and our #GTRoadTrip are right around the corner!

We hope you had a great Thanksgiving, with time to pause and reflect on all you are thankful for. We are so thankful for all that YOU have done over the past year in supporting Parentalrights.org.

Now as we begin to look forward with anticipation to what the new year will bring, we have set a 1-day donation goal of $20,000 to fund our efforts in the protection of #ParentalRights, including promoting and passing Parental Rights Amendment resolutions in several states in 2019.

We’re excited to announce that, thanks to matching grants, every dollar given will be matched …all the way up to the $20,000 goal! This means $20 counts as $40…and $50 as $100!

Share a “Family Heart Selfie” to Raise Awareness and More Funds!
For those on social media, you can further increase your gift by turning it into a chance to share about #ParentalRights with your friends! Simply share a “family heart selfie”—a selfie of yourself and your family (or a picture or drawing of your family) with a heart. Then tell your friends that you supported ParentalRights.org this #GivingTuesday.

Win a Gift Bundle!
In the Spirit of thanksgiving, and in time for Christmas, we’re offering a few free incentives to say an extra special “Thanks-for-giving” to some lucky partners, as well.

We’re giving away 5 ParentalRights.org gift bundles throughout the day to randomly chosen donors who give through our online donation form. Each bundle features two ParentalRights.org t-shirts, a stylish ParentalRights.org mug, and two DVDs. You will want to be sure and follow us on Facebook as we announce the winners LIVE from state capitals and other stops on our #GTRoadTrip!

So if you haven’t already, be sure to follow us online, as Maggie and Shellby will be going live from three state capitals throughout the day to keep you updated on our campaign.

See you Tuesday!!!

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Join Our “GT Road Trip” to Protect the Children

Wed, 14 Nov 2018 21:20:00 GMT

According to U.S. government statistics , up to 83% of children taken from their homes by the government this year were removed on allegations that ultimately proved unfounded or unsubstantiated. Studies consistently show that children fare better in their own homes with their own parents, but states continue to remove more than five times as many children as are actually abused.

That’s why we’re continuing to fight for the Parental Rights Amendment, and for changes in state and federal law that will keep families together.

In our case GT stands for #GivingTuesday , the new and growing social media holiday that closes out the Thanksgiving Season with donations to your favorite cause or charity.

They’ll be joined along the way by some exciting surprise guests, too.

Goal: To Raise Both Awareness and $20,000

Our goal is to raise awareness for the need to protect parental rights, as well as $20,000 in one day to fuel support for vital parental rights efforts in the upcoming legislative session both in Congress and in the several states.

Every Dollar Counts Double!

What’s more, thanks to generous matching grants, every dollar will count double, right up to the $20,000 goal.

It’s the one day this year you can give $2 to ParentalRights.org with only $1 coming out of your bank account.

So as you plan your giving, plan to protect children by empowering parents with your generous donation to ParentalRights.org.

Then tell your friends and get ready to follow Maggie and Shellby’s GT Road Trip progress on Facebook or Twitter (#GTRoadTrip).

Be part of the giving on November 27!

Sincerely,

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So this Giving Tuesday (November 27), our own Maggie and Shellby are taking a GT Road Trip to multiple state capitals to draw attention to the cause.

In automobile parlance, a GT, from the Italian gran turismo, is a luxury performance car built for high speeds over long distances. That’s not the kind of Road Trip we have planned. (Sorry, Maggie.)

We’re Heading to Three State Capitals…and You Can Join in Live!

We’re planning fun giveaways and other events throughout the day , and the ladies will be reporting in via Facebook Live from Dover, Delaware; Annapolis, Maryland; and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, before finishing out the drive back here at our Virginia office.

Thanks to You, We Alerted President Trump

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 19:27:00 GMT

Dear Champion of Parental Rights,

ParentalRights.org recently sent a letter to President Trump on your behalf. The following explains how that unusual event came about and what it means.

When a Norwegian family court in September ruled to terminate Amy Jakobsen’s parental rights to Tyler, her son, friends, and legal advisors went looking for additional help. And they came to ParentalRights.org.

You may have seen the story in our email or on our social media posts . Amy, an American citizen, lost custody of her son for no other reason than that she was still breastfeeding him at 19 months. He had shown no interest yet in solid food, so Amy let him continue to nurse while she carefully monitored his weight. At a pediatric appointment which (perhaps significantly) immediately followed her return to Norway from a visit to the U.S. with her son, the boy weighed 9.6 kg, barely below the “ideal” weight of 10.0 kg.

That’s still in the acceptable range; the difference is less than a pound. But it was enough for Barnevernet, Norway’s child protection agency, to accuse Amy of neglect and take her son.

Now, five years later, a court has terminated Amy’s parental rights and she has lost her son forever.

No other accusations have been added and no charges were ever filed. And while it might have been understandable under the circumstances, Amy never lost her cool in the courtroom or make irrational threats of violence against government officials. She was just a good mom trying to take care of her son.

Tyler, an American citizen himself, has been held by the government of Norway for the past five years.

When Amy’s lawyers and friends started looking for international assistance, for pressure from her homeland, they turned to ParentalRights.org. And thanks to partners like you, we were able to step up and add our collective voice to Amy’s plea for justice.

International matters are not a normal part of our focus. We work to protect children by empowering American parents, usually right here in America, through the Parental Rights Amendment, and through state and federal statutes.

But this “international matter” posed a unique situation. Amy and Tyler are American citizens whose right to be a family has been stolen. And there is no other nationwide organization solely focused on standing up for the parental rights of American citizens.

Amy and her friends knew this. That’s why they urged us to share Amy’s story here in America, which we were happy to do.

Other organizations knew this, too, and a few days later they asked us to pen a letter to the White House on Amy’s behalf.

You see, your partnership with us through the years is having an effect we don’t often look for or highlight: you have empowered us to build a name for ourselves. And when I say “for ourselves,” I don’t mean for this organization alone.

I mean for the entire parental rights movement this organization’s name has come to represent.

I mean the collective voice for parental rights that you and I raise together all the time.

Thanks to you , we have seen statutes passed in nearly a dozen states to solidify the role of parents in the lives of their children.

Thanks to you , we have educated countless lawmakers who believed in parental rights but didn’t realize how much these rights are threatened today.

Thanks to you , we were invited to form a new bipartisan coalition to take on the injustices funded by federal tax dollars through laws like the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act and the Adoption and Safe Families Act that give incentives for state governments to abuse or ignore the legal rights of parents, something we are working to change.

Thanks to you , we have become an effective, respected organization so that when a family in Norway needed a voice for parental rights back home in the States, they knew to reach out to ParentalRights.org.

And when other organizations aware of this international case saw that someone needed to alert the President to what’s going on, they believed the name of ParentalRights.org— rather than their own name! —should be on that letter.

Frankly, a letter to the President in a case like this is a “Hail Mary,” a last, desperate effort. It is possible the President could instruct the State Department to file a complaint with their contacts in Norway. They could recognize this matter for what it is—an American citizen taken by a foreign power without legal cause.

Our letter could also end up as just one more cry for help among many the Administration receives.

But thanks to you , ParentalRights.org was honored to be the organization throwing that “Hail Mary” pass.

Our list of friends and allies—which continues to grow in all corners of the political spectrum— is recognizing us as a “go-to” name in defending America’s parental rights.

And that is all because of you.

Your past partnership has fueled all the seemingly small efforts that have helped us to build a big reputation.

And if the President steps in and helps Tyler come home, that will be because of you as well.

Your faithful partnership helps American families, both in the present and into the future.

While we have made great progress, gaining a solid reputation and becoming internationally recognized as the best voice for parents’ rights, many families still suffer because their rights are not protected by the U.S. Constitution. As an organization, we have much work to do; we must keep this important mission moving forward.

But we can’t do any of this without your support.

Would you consider giving your best gift of $25, $50, $75, or even $150 today?

It is only through the generous support of partners like you that we have built up the name and reputation we now have, a name that lets us speak up for America’s families in trouble.

Can you take a moment today to invest once more and keep our name and effort going strong?

Gratefully,

James R. Mason
President

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BREAKING: In a recent development, four European nations sent letters to Norway shortly after our own letter went to the White House. Belgium, Bulgaria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic issued formal complaints, just as we have requested of our own Administration, against the injustices Barnevernet has inflicted on innocent families.

P.S. – Thank you for all you have done. Your interest, support, and encouragement over the years has enabled us to make a name for ourselves that can make a difference for families like Amy’s. A letter to the President is no small thing, and it is your partnership that made it possible. I eagerly look forward to partnering with you again and seeing what new successes the coming years will bring!

P.P.S. — Watch for a special email on Wednesday about our #GivingTuesday campaign coming to social media on November 27!

2018 Election Report: What It Means for Parental Rights

Wed, 07 Nov 2018 19:03:00 GMT

Editor's note: The email version of this article said "It's time to call Congress." That was an error; instead, it is time for Resolutionary volunteers to contact state lawmakers. Read on for details.

It may take some time for the dust to settle on the 2018 mid-term elections, as some races are still too close to call this morning, but a few things are clear even this early. Here are six big takeaways regarding the election and your parental rights. (If you’re short on time, be sure you at least read #4.)

The U.S. House of Representatives will be led by Democrats in 2019. Though the exact number of seats for each party is still uncertain due to a few closely contested races, the Democrats have already won a majority of seats, which will bring a change of leadership for the entire chamber and every one of its committees.
The U.S. Senate will remain under Republican leadership for the next two years. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who has championed the PRA in the Senate for the last six years, is in position to continue to do so.
The Parental Rights Amendment (PRA) will get a new lead sponsor in the House. Current lead sponsor Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL) lost his reelection bid. We certainly appreciate Rep. Hultgren and his leadership, and we wish him and his family all the best in whatever opportunity comes next for them.
None of this forces any change in our course. We have already identified and contacted another congressman to take up the mantle in the House, so our efforts won’t be slowed there. More significantly, unless one party were able to achieve an unprecedented two-thirds majority in both parties (290 in the House, 67 in the Senate), passing the PRA was always going to require support from members of both houses. Not surprisingly, this year’s election hasn’t changed that, either.
Races all over the country—not just in Congress—have now been decided. Republican, Democrat, or Independent, we can now know who will be holding office in January in your state senate and assembly or house. That means…
Our Resolutionary Campaign is ready to move to the next phase .

Resolutionary Campaign “Full Speed Ahead”

In the early weeks, we connected with new and existing volunteers to plan PRA resolutions in their states. We sent model resolution language for each state legislature to consider in the coming session.

But we couldn’t effectively get the model language to lawmakers until we knew which ones will take office and which ones have been voted out. As of this morning, those questions are answered; we can move forward once again.

If you are not yet a volunteer but would like to take an active role in your state, email Michael@parentalrights.org with the subject line “Resolutionary” and I will help you get plugged in. (If I get a lot of responses, it may take me a little while to get back to you; I appreciate your patience.)

As we now look ahead to January, we are ready to go full speed ahead into this next great chapter to preserve your parental rights. Thank you for standing with us!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Executive Director

P.S. A special opportunity to support our effort is coming on #GivingTuesday , November 27. Watch for details in future emails and on our social media!

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If you are one of those Resolutionary volunteers and you’ve been waiting to approach your lawmakers, now is the time to contact your own state senator or assemblyman/ representative and ask them if they will sponsor the resolution or can recommend someone who will. Consider the make-up of your legislature, whether it makes more sense to seek a Republican or Democrat to lead the charge, because parental rights is not a partisan issue!

To sum up, our plan all along has been to introduce the Parental Rights Amendment early in the 2019 Congress, and to introduce PRA resolutions in as many states as possible at the same time. Nothing in yesterday’s election results has changed our plans one bit. But removing the uncertainty lets us move forward today.

Parental Rights Announces New Executive Director

Wed, 31 Oct 2018 20:32:00 GMT

We recently celebrated Michael’s ten years of dedicated service to the cause of parental rights and to the organization. You have no doubt seen his name on the weekly emails, which he writes. Many of you have had the opportunity to speak with him on the phone or to work with him in coordinating your volunteer efforts through the years as well.

In light of his dedication, expertise, and leadership ability, it was a logical step to promote him to executive director, a position I have held in an interim capacity for the last several months.

For the time being, Michael will continue to carry many of his previous duties. For instance, you will still be hearing from him in the weekly newsletter for the foreseeable future. But he will carry additional responsibilities as well, for which he could use your prayers.

Michael is up for the challenge, and I expect the organizations will achieve much in the coming months and years with your continued, faithful support.

Sincerely,

From new Executive Director Michael Ramey:

Dear Champion of Parental Rights,

It has been an honor and privilege to serve alongside you these last ten years in promoting parental rights and the Parental Rights Amendment. With my new assignment, I look forward to finding new and even better ways to work together to bring real and lasting change in our country to protect these rights and our families.

One thing I have learned as deputy director and director of communications: we truly could not have achieved anything without you. Your collective voice has been and remains the true strength of this organization.

I am excited about our ongoing Resolutionary Campaign, and about our upcoming Giving Tuesday effort, as well. And I am blessed with a wonderful team both here in the office and out there among (and including) all of you.

I appreciate each of you and am grateful we are on this journey together!

Sincerely,

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From ParentalRights.org President Jim Mason:

On Monday, October 28, I was pleased to announce the promotion of Michael Ramey to the position of executive director for ParentalRights.org and for the Parental Rights Foundation.

Two Little Boys, One Big Problem

Tue, 23 Oct 2018 19:47:00 GMT

Photo from MedicalKidnap.com : “Jordan Meissinger holds his newborn son. His joy was short-lived. When Baby Paxton was only 48 hours old, Arizona social workers took him away from his family. Photo provided by family.”

Two-day-old Paxton Meissinger was separated from his parents by the Arizona Department of Child Services (DCS), a victim not of abuse or neglect, but of his circumstances. His chances to nurse, to draw from his mother all the safety, warmth, and nourishment that lead experts to call his early months the “fourth trimester” have been stripped away, based on false allegations from a medical system out of touch with scientific reality.

Stolen Brothers

According to the story at Medical Kidnap , Paxton, who was born October 16, has a 16-month-old brother, Keaton, already in the custody of the state of Arizona. Parents Briana and Jordan may be days from bringing him home. But how much can the family rejoice in Keaton’s return (if he is returned) while the state is now holding Paxton?

In 2017, just after his two-month shots, Keaton suffered a life-threatening infection. Doctors at Banner Del Webb Hospital immediately started him on three strong antibiotics, then transferred him to Phoenix Children’s Hospital for a lumbar puncture. That’s where the family’s troubles began.

Despite the clear evidence and professional medical diagnosis that his symptoms, which were rapidly clearing with the administration of antibiotics, were caused by the bacterial infection, Child Abuse Pediatrician Cynthia Nelson at Phoenix Children’s found what is ominously called “the triad” —three symptoms which, taken together, can be used to accuse a parent of “Shaken Baby Syndrome” (SBS). The hospital called DCS, who took Keaton from his parents. The case has dragged on for a year through court delays and run-arounds.

When Paxton was born, a new anonymous call claimed the baby had been born 8 days prior, and that his parents were hiding him from DCS at their home. In reality, the baby was two days old and his mother, who had delivered him by C-section, was still in the hospital recovering. Yet, while the phoned-in allegation was demonstrably false, DCS got a warrant anyway and took the second Meissinger child.

After all, if the parents shook his older brother nearly to death, aren’t extreme measures needed to protect this child from becoming a victim of SBS as well?

Junk Science Diagnosis

In her 2014 book, Flawed Convictions: “Shaken Baby Syndrome” and the Inertia of Injustice , Deborah Tuerkheimer of Noerthwestern University School of Law exposes the circular reasoning behind this discredited diagnosis. The logic goes like this: Because SBS is a medical diagnosis, the only person qualified to testify to it in courts is the Child Abuse Pediatrician. A physicist may point out that shaking sufficient to cause this damage would snap the child’s neck, but he is not a doctor; what does he know? Another doctor may testify that the triad was caused by a virus or by a bacterial infection (as in Keaton’s case); but is he an expert in child abuse trauma? Of course not. So his testimony is invalid in this child abuse case.

For years courts adopted a judgment of guilt based on the pediatrician’s diagnosis, treating the doctor as an arbiter of guilt rather than a diagnostician of illness or injury. The courts became rubber stamps on the word of a doctor whose very career field depends on the hypothetical ability to diagnose guilt. As a result, on average 1,000 defendants were sentenced on charges of SBS every year from 1996 and 2006.

But in recent years, the tide has begun to turn, even to the point of seeing convictions overturned. The SBS diagnosis simply doesn’t hold up to scientific scrutiny. Courts of appeal have begun to recognize that if the science upon which the entire conviction is based has been overturned, the conviction itself must likewise be reversed. (See, for instance, State v. Edmonds , 2008 WI App33, 746 N.W.2d 590.)

Unfortunately, Arizona has been slow to get the memo. Doctors now conclude that the diagnosis with which Nelson accused the Meissingers of abuse has no underpinnings in science. Too many other possible causes for the triad exist according to Tuerkheimer, including a bacterial infection such as meningitis or encephalitis, either of which would have fit the family’s experience with Keaton.

Sadly, too many courts are still rubberstamping diagnoses rooted in junk science because a “child abuse pediatrician” says so. And without strong legal support for parental rights, there would be little anyone could do about it.

What We Can Do

But there are two things we can do. We can fight to raise the level of legal respect accorded to parental rights. And we can work to bring awareness to the cause and to the plight of families like the Meissingers.

Our Resolutionary Campaign is designed to serve both purposes: it will push the propose Parental Rights Amendment forward in Congress (which will demand legal respect for parental rights) and draw attention to the cause at the state and local level.

So please take a moment today to spread the word, perhaps by sharing this email, commenting on our Facebook page, or simply telling a friend. Consider volunteering to promote a resolution in your state. And give as you are able to continue this worthy cause.

Little boys like Paxton and Keaton belong in the arms of their parents, not squashed under the thumb of unnecessary state intervention. Step up today and help put an end to these abuses of the system.

Sincerely,

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The post Two Little Boys, One Big Problem appeared first on Parental Rights .

Post #4250

Tue, 23 Oct 2018 17:59:00 GMT

No Chance to Say “Goodbye”

Wed, 10 Oct 2018 19:44:00 GMT

A hospital in Toronto has proposed that doctors should have the authority to euthanize minor patients without even a word to the parents. [News source: Sick children in Canada may soon be euthanized without parental consent .]

An end-of-life decision for a terminally ill child must be heart-wrenching, a parent’s worst nightmare. But can you imagine learning—after the fact—that your child’s doctor has already taken that from you? You’ve had no time to work through the terrible news, no chance to say, “Goodbye.”

According to the policy proposed by the University of Toronto’s Joint Centre for Bioethics in the British Medical Journal’s Med Ethics, that would become a reality. In the decision-making flowchart included with the study, no assisted suicide discussion occurs with parents until a “reflection period” after the child has already been killed.

Under current Canadian law adopted in 2016, “capable patients” 18 years of age or older can opt for assisted suicide. This new policy would make that option available to “capable” children, as well. A child of 15 or 16 could opt for assisted suicide and instruct the physician not to alert her parents until after the fact, a request the doctors would be bound to honor under confidentiality laws.

The danger if there should be fraud in the system is tremendous. Who is to stop a hospital from terminating the life of a young patient against the patient’s will, if there are no parents in the mix to protect the child’s interests? It’s easy enough after the fact to claim consent from one who is no longer there to say otherwise.

But even with safeguards in place, this policy still places vulnerable children—even mature children—in a terribly awkward spot. As the Supreme Court declared in Parham v. J.R. , 442 US 584 (1979), “Most children, even in adolescence, simply are not able to make sound judgments concerning many decisions, including their need for medical care or treatment. Parents can and must make those judgments.”

How much more is this true when the decision is literally life-and-death?

As any loving parent will tell you, it is not enough to ask whether my child could make that decision on her own. The fact is she should never have to. That’s just the kind of heavy lifting I’m here to face with them.

Yet Toronto University seems bent on cutting parents out of the child’s life just when that child needs a parent the most, robbing both parent and child of their final hours, days, or even months together.

Fortunately, this is only a policy proposal; it is not yet law, even in Canada. And it is even further removed from becoming the law here.

But now that “biomedical ethicists” have broached the subject (they argue that since Ontario laws do not require a parent’s permission for a child to refuse treatment, they should not require permission to end a child’s life, either), the proverbial genie cannot be put back in the bottle. It is only a matter of time before it is adopted somewhere and eventually makes its way here.

That is, unless we act to stop it. Which we can.

Action Items

The proposed Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution would protect the right of parents to direct the care of their minor children. This raises a tremendous legal barrier to those who want to snatch authority away from parents and give it to medical personnel.

And you can help us get the Amendment adopted.

First, you can volunteer for the Resolutionary Campaign , our effort to introduce in your state a legislative resolution calling on Congress to promote the Amendment. Since our email introducing the campaign four weeks ago , we’ve heard from dozens of volunteers across the country ready to step up and help. You can join them by emailing Michael@ParentalRights.org and using “Resolutionary” as the subject line. Let me know what state you’re in, and I can point you in the right direction to get started.
Second, you can fuel the campaign—and our ongoing work to pass the Amendment—with your generous donation . We depend entirely on donors just like you to fund our efforts to educate the public and policy makers about this important issue.

Before us lies a brave new world where you can take your sick teen to the hospital and come home with just a box of his belongings. But we can stop it from coming and preserve those final moments—and those momentous decisions—for families to face as one.

Together we can secure the Parental Rights Amendment and protect families even in their most fragile moments like these.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Sincerely,

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An American Child Kidnapped in Norway

Wed, 03 Oct 2018 18:02:00 GMT

[Photo from Step up 4 Children’s Rights YouTube video. ]

This week, Amy Jakobsen received news every loving parent dreads: the courts have officially “released” her son “for adoption.”

Amy is an American citizen who was living in Norway in July of 2013, when her troubles all began.

Amy’s Story

As a first-time mother, Amy grew concerned when her son, Tyler, was a little below the growth curve at his checkup. He didn’t seem ready to move to solid food yet and was content to continue breast feeding exclusively. As a concerned mother, Amy “took Tyler for medical check-ups three times a month in order to monitor the growth process very closely,” according to an article at StepUp4ChildrensRights.com .

When summer came, Amy continued to monitor the 19-month-old’s health, while taking him on a two-week vacation to America. (Tyler was born in Norway.) She never imagined that as soon as she returned she would be facing the police and Norway’s child welfare service, the “Barnevernet.”

(The word “barnevernet” literally means “child protection,” though their reputation or a quick internet search might reasonably lead one to guess it was Norwegian for “Gestapo.”)

The case workers demanded that Tyler be taken immediately to the hospital for an examination, where they found that his weight was 9.6 kg—lower than the ideal weight for his age of 10 kg, but still within the acceptable range. (For those unfamiliar with kilograms, this is a difference of less than a pound! ) But this slightly lower weight, combined with a doctor’s criticism that Amy was still breastfeeding, was enough for the Barnevernet to sweep the boy away from his mother, ultimately forever.

Faced with the loss of his son, Tyler’s father, Kevin, snuck into the hospital dressed as a doctor and was able to remove his son. With no other plan, and the Barnevernet breathing down his neck, all he could do was drive aimlessly for a few extra hours with his baby before police caught him and took his son back for good. Neither parent has seen Tyler since September 2014.

Since that time, the boy’s name has been changed twice to keep his parents from finding out where he is. Kevin is considered an abduction risk for the extra time he spent with his son, and Amy has been labelled a risk simply because she is an American.

The parents and their many allies have exhausted every legal avenue in Norway to get Tyler home. The European Court of Human Rights recently urged (in an unrelated September 6 ruling) that child removal should only be a temporary measure, but even that opinion has been ignored by Norway’s courts.

And now the court has made its final ruling: Tyler will not be coming home. Barnevernet is free to give him away to someone else.

No charge of abuse. No evidence of neglect. No offer of assistance or effort to keep the family intact.

Perhaps the trip to America back in 2013 made Barnevernet nervous that they might lose Tyler to the States. The organization certainly has a history of taking children from foreign parents just as they are preparing to leave the country. (It is also under investigation for numerous parental rights and human rights violations and for additional forms of corruption .)

Don’t Let It Happen Here!

This is what unchecked power in the “child welfare” system looks like. There are places one can find this in American today, as well. But if we don’t want to see it in the everyday as in Norway—even more, if we would see it stopped altogether— we must stand now to preserve parental rights and halt the erosion of our families and our rights .

That’s where ParentalRights.org comes in. We are working with a bipartisan coalition to change the federal laws that influence how our own child welfare organizations operate. And we are working on the ultimate solution, the Parental Rights Amendment (PRA) to the U.S. Constitution.

By demanding constitutional respect for and protection of parents’ fundamental rights to raise their children (and a child’s corresponding right to his parent’s protection), the proposed PRA will make certain the tactics used by the Barnevernet never become commonplace in the United States as they have in Norway. By putting these protections in the text of the U.S. Constitution, we can ensure they will protect parents in every state, and that they will endure for generations to come.

Please partner with us today to continue our effort to protect our children from the kind of “child protection” the Barnevernet stands for.

Sincerely,

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Action Needed: Will You Be a Resolutionary?

Tue, 18 Sep 2018 16:42:00 GMT

Here’s How You Can Help.

The thing is, we’re going to need your help to do it.

VOLUNTEER. ParentalRights.org has only a small staff in a Northern Virginia office. We don’t have personnel in every state to talk to lawmakers and get these resolutions introduced. What we do have, but need more of, are amazing volunteers willing to take model language we can provide and get it in front of the lawmakers in their states.You may be tempted to think you couldn’t do that because you’ve never done it before. I can tell you: some of our best, most seasoned volunteers started exactly where you are right now. They took our model language, made a couple of phone calls, and next thing you know they were meeting with lawmakers and seeing bills or resolutions passed in their states. If they could do it, you can, too!If you are interested in this role, please email Michael@parentalrights.org and put “Resolutionary” in the subject line. Let me know any pertinent facts—whether you’re friends with a lawmaker, you’ve done this sort of thing before, or you’re completely new at it and have never spoken to your representative. And be sure to identify which state you are in.
SPREAD THE WORD & STAY TUNED. If you are certain this is not your cup of tea, there will be other opportunities to contribute as the campaign unfolds. We will need to spread the word, to grow our network in each state so more supporters are available to call on lawmakers to do the right thing. State networks will grow to the point that some organization is needed. In some places an actual state structure may even emerge. So if you can’t pitch in today, your opportunity may still be on the way.
DONATE. As all of this takes money to coordinate, your donation today could make a real difference.

However you choose to get plugged in, I thank you for standing with us to promote and protect parental rights. Together we can protect our families by passing the Parental Rights Amendment!

Sincerely,

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As laid out in our 2019 Battle Plan last week , ParentalRights.org is looking to launch resolutions in as many states as possible—resolutions whereby your state lawmakers urge the 2019 Congress to pass the Parental Rights Amendment (PRA).

The plan is bold. It’s going to take a lot of work. But we believe it offers the best opportunity to get both sides of the aisle on board with the PRA.

2019 Battle Plan Enclosed

Mon, 10 Sep 2018 18:43:00 GMT

Dear Champion of Parental Rights,

I have some exciting news from the board of ParentalRights.org, and I wanted to share it with our most faithful supporters right away.

Our board recently held a planning retreat and came away more passionate and focused than ever. Together the board and my staff planned and laid the foundation for an exciting new push for the Parental Rights Amendment in the coming 2019 Congress, and the time for us to start it is now .

So right now we are looking for “ Resolutionaries .”

We are already working with members of Congress to introduce the Parental Rights Amendment (PRA) in the House and Senate as early as possible in January 2019. That will also enable us to introduce PRA resolutions in a number of states starting immediately after that. “Resolutionaries” are those who, through time or money, empower these resolutions in the states.

State resolutions provide a way for your state legislature to put pressure on your delegation in the U.S. Congress to sign on as cosponsors of the Parental Rights Amendment, so our aim is to see as many of them introduced and adopted as possible during the 2019 session.

We know from earlier efforts what these resolutions can do:

Resolutions can provide a focus around which to grow and sharpen our grassroots base.
They provide an opportunity for both parties to show support for parental rights, something we are not yet seeing in Congress.
They apply pressure; as the number of states climbs, so does the sense that Congress needs to act as the states demand.

You can find a one-page summary of the Battle Plan at ParentalRights.org/Resolutionary and see for yourself how it is laid out and how it’s intended to work. But it will require generous support from our partners.

Thank you for faithfully standing for parental rights. And if you can invest in the launch of this new campaign with a generous donation today , we certainly would appreciate that as well. Regardless, we look forward to championing the PRA with you in the 2019 Congress.

Sincerely,

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Big Day in the U.S. House?

Tue, 04 Sep 2018 20:26:00 GMT

Today is the first day Congress is in session since the start of the August Recess more than a month ago. And while the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in the Senate Judiciary Committee will be grabbing all the headlines, today is an important day in the House, as well.

That’s because, as the first day the House is in session in over a month, today is the first chance in weeks that your congressman has to sign on as a cosponsor of H.J. Res. 121, the Parental Rights Amendment (PRA) .

You may recall that our staff went to D.C. at the end of June to visit several congressmen and lobby with them on your behalf to support the PRA, which is led by Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL) in the House (and Sen. Lindsey Graham in the Senate). But their offices were busy with a lot of pressing bills throughout July, so that many did not have the bandwidth to look at our proposal and sign on as cosponsors.

Now it is time to get them signed on.

Please take a moment today to call your Congressman and urge him or her to sign on with Rep. Hultgren as a cosponsor of H.J. Res. 121, the Parental Rights Amendment. (And if you got this too late to call Tuesday, call on Wednesday. Or even Thursday. But please call as soon as you can!) You can find your congressman’s contact information on GovTrack , or call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

You will almost certainly talk to a staff member and not your actual congressional representative. Be courteous but clear, asking your representative to sign on as a cosponsor to the Parental Rights Amendment, H.J. Res. 121, with Rep. Hultgren of Illinois.
If you’d like to add some of the reasoning behind your decision to support the Amendment, that will help them, too.
You might also mention that, while it’s unlikely the PRA will be passed this Congress (which ends in a couple of months), their support in this tangible way can only help them on their reelection efforts this November. Public opinion polls show support for parental rights at over 90%, regardless of political party affiliation.
Lastly, some offices will also require you to give them your address so they can confirm you live in the congressman’s district.

Thank you for taking a few minutes out of your busy day today to raise your voice with ours for the cause of our families and our parental rights!

Sincerely,

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Every Three Days

Wed, 15 Aug 2018 18:48:00 GMT

Dear Champion of Parental Rights,

Heartbreaking. Unjust. Shameful.

These are just a few of the words that come to mind when I consider the shocking violation of parental rights in our country.

I think of a three-year-old Colorado girl who was strip-searched while attending day-care, without a warrant and without her mother’s knowledge. The Federal District Court for Colorado ruled that the mother’s right to be informed and give consent was not a clearly established constitutional right, and neither was her daughter’s right to bodily privacy. With your help, the Parental Rights Foundation got involved by filing a “friend of the court” brief to highlight the painful fact that intrusions like this irreparably and unnecessarily damage children and families. However, the damage to this young girl and her mother can never be reversed.
I think of teen Justina Pelletier, placed in the custody of Boston Children’s Hospital because their doctors disagreed with the diagnosis of the girl’s family doctor. It took sixteen months for Justina to be returned to her fit and loving parents. By then her health had greatly deteriorated, and sadly she has yet to recover (if she ever will). The State of Massachusetts caused great physical, mental, and emotional damage to this girl and her family by removing Justina from her parents’ care.
I think of the 14 children from Georgia who were separated from their parents for up to 148 days when they made an emergency stop on the way home from a church conference. Without any evidence or justification, a Mississippi child services investigator accused the parents of “child trafficking” when some of the kids decided to raise money for their church dance team. That one over-zealous allegation took 148 days to unravel, and while the Parental Rights Foundation has sued on behalf of those families the truth is that even if we win the families will never be the same.

But these are just a few of the thousands of families CPS unnecessarily investigates each year. According to federal data, some 83% of all such investigations ultimately prove unfounded or unsubstantiated. That’s roughly 7 out of every 8.

This spring, an international outcry arose from an Associated Press report that roughly 2,000 children had been separated from their families by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) between April and June.

The world was shocked that 2,000 immigrant children were separated from their parents in a span of two months. But they’re ignoring the fact that 2,000 American children are taken from their families every three days.

Every Three Days.
Every three days, 2,000 children are taken from the safety of their home. Every three days, 2,000 children are ripped from the loving arms of their parents. Every three days, 2,000 children lose their sense of security, the belief that their parents can protect them from anything.

Roughly half of the children removed from their homes will eventually be returned, but even when they are the damage has been done. Many of these children will suffer from depression and other mental illnesses later in life. Studies have shown that children who spend time in foster care will have higher rates of teen pregnancy, lower graduation rates, and higher rates of incarceration into adulthood. In short, even after the child is returned, neither they nor their families will ever be the same.

It took nearly two months for CBP to interfere in the lives of 2,000 children, but Child Protective Services (CPS) irreparably damages the same number of children every three days.

Current legal protections for families are simply insufficient to keep CPS from taking our children from innocent homes.

We know parents have the right to care for their child before anyone else. The law has traditionally assumed that most fit parents know what is best for their child. Our current system, however, gives the government too much power to easily infringe upon these parental rights. Courts too often violate and ignore your right to care for your child, giving that power instead to total strangers. While no parent has a right to abuse or neglect a child, every fit parent has the right to care for, love, and protect their child.

Likewise, every child has the right to be cared for and loved by their own fit and loving parents.

It Is for This Very Reason That American Parents—Like You and Me—Need the Constitutional Protection of the Parental Rights Amendment.

With your help and support, we have been fighting to secure these rights in the text of the Constitution. When it’s adopted, the Parental Rights Amendment will ensure that our parental rights receive the respect, legal protection, and due process they deserve.

Together, we have accomplished great things over the past few years. Because of your support, our online presence and visibility in Congress have grown as we continue to make our mission known and supported by more Americans. With your help, we have reintroduced the Amendment in both houses of Congress. And now thanks to you we are starting to see additional cosponsors added to the Amendment’s list of supporters in Washington.

Our Founding Fathers understood that parental rights were inalienable; they couldn’t even imagine having to spell that out. And for decades our legal system agreed. In 2000, however, the Supreme Court’s decision in Troxel v. Granville introduced a new level of doubt and ambiguity: just how important are parental rights, and how much protection do they need? The Court’s splintered decision introduced a new ethereal standard of “some special weight” as the amount of respect your rights are due. It’s no wonder lower courts since then have been unable to sort out just how much—or how little—that might mean!

So here’s what we do: we fight to restore and protect our fundamental rights.

That is why my team went into Washington on Wednesday, June 27. In an effort to ensure that all our rights are protected, we talked with a number of congressional offices, making your lawmakers aware of the need for the Parental Rights Amendment. We made great progress and expect to see a number of these Congressmen agree to co-sponsor our Amendment when Congress reconvenes in September.

But we could only accomplish so much because of generous supporters like you.

On our D.C. Blitz Day, we were not alone in our efforts. Across the nation, many citizens just like you called their representatives’ offices and encouraged them to support the Parental Rights Amendment. Because of your efforts, we expect to see new cosponsors sign on soon.

Just as important were the people who donated during the Blitz week and who have graciously continued to donate to ParentalRights.org over these past years. Your decision to partner with us has kept our organization alive and our efforts effective. To both our donors and our volunteers like you, we say, “Thank you for your faithful hard work!”

We have gotten Congress’s attention. We are opening their eyes to the families being separated right in their own back yards. But we need your continued support to spread the word to more concerned citizens, to drive the message home in Congress, and to make the necessary changes in our law.

The simple truth is that without you, we will not be able to help any of these families.

Would you partner with us so that innocent parents will no longer have to live in fear of losing their children? With your generous donation today, we can continue to work toward keeping these families together.

Won’t you give your best gift today?

Thank you for standing with parents throughout our nation—parents just like you and me—as we fight for our parental rights.

Sincerely,

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P.S. Your investment in the Parental Rights Amendment will keep families together. By supporting the primary right of loving parents to the care and custody of our children, you are sending a strong message to Congress—fix this problem in our law! Your generosity in the past has enabled us to accomplish so much. Now we’re counting on you to make a generous investment today , to halt the unnecessary separation of loving parents from vulnerable children. Please act now ; some families can’t afford to wait another three days.

The post Every Three Days appeared first on Parental Rights .

New Cosponsor of the Parental Rights Amendment Brings House Number Up to 21

Wed, 25 Jul 2018 19:01:00 GMT

With your support, we engaged in a special Lobbying Day at the Capitol on June 27, and Rep. Calvert’s was one of the offices we visited at that time. So thank you to all of you who donated, followed us online, spread the word to your friends, or otherwise took part in the effort. This additional cosponsor is a direct result of your work.

What’s more, I don’t think he’ll be the last.

Congress has been so busy lately, it took Rep. Calvert three whole weeks to sign on, even though his staff was able to assure us of his support for parental rights when we visited on June 27. (Rep. Calvert has been a cosponsor of the PRA in earlier sessions of Congress, as well.)

That strongly suggests other members may also sign on, and just haven’t found the needed time to do so yet. Other members we visited in June also have cosponsored in the past, and we’re looking for them to do so again.

To get updates when new cosponsors sign on, visit our Facebook page , ‘like’ the page, and check back on occasion for the latest news. Or just continue to watch your emails and we’ll keep you posted right here.

If you’re able, give to continue our efforts to enlist cosponsors toward securing the Parental Rights Amendment to preserve these rights for ourselves and for our children. Please consider partnering with us on a monthly basis .

Thank you so much for standing with us to promote parental rights. Together we will see many more victories like this in the days ahead.

Sincerely,

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Ken Calvert (CA-42) is now a cosponsor of H.J. Res. 121, the Parental Rights Amendment, in the U.S. House. With lead sponsor Randy Hultgren (IL-14), Calvert brings to 21 the total number of supporters in that chamber.

Special Request: Create Awareness with a Few Clicks

Mon, 16 Jul 2018 00:10:00 GMT

7/20 Update: The FB frame can also be accessed by visiting www.facebook.com/profilepicframes and search for #ParentalRights, or clicking on www.facebook.com/fbcameraeffects/tryit/2032291900365085/ to send the frame to your mobile device so you can add it to a picture there.

Dear Parental Rights Supporter,

You have probably seen them before: those little frames or badges around someone’s Facebook profile picture to champion some group or cause. This week, we’re inviting you to use one we have created to further the cause of parental rights by spreading awareness of our effort together.

It works like this:

Please use the badge and encourage others to use it too for the week of Parents’ Day (July 16-22). Wearing the badge for the week is a simple but effective way to share this critical message and to tell the world that #ParentalRights matter to you!

Here’s how to use the badge:

Click to update your profile picture.
Select “Add Frame.”
Search for “#ParentalRights.”
Select the badge and leave it on your profile through Parents’ Day.

Sincerely,

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This Sunday, July 22, is Parents’ Day, and we’ve decided to honor the day by creating social buzz for parental rights using a Facebook badge. The badge simply says “I support #ParentalRights” and has a graphic of a family.

Thank you for using and promoting the badge— together, we can create awareness that #ParentalRights matter.

New CAPTA Bill Shifts Power to Parents

Mon, 02 Jul 2018 19:53:00 GMT

It may be the rarest of all gifts in American politics today: any topic that can bring bipartisan support. Such is parental rights, which according to polling enjoys the support of more than 90% from any political party—Democrat, Republican, or Independent.

This gift of bipartisan agreement should apply equally to H.R. 6233 , a bill newly introduced in the U.S. House by Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI). The legislation, which is championed by the bipartisan parental rights coalition of which ParentalRights.org is proud to be a part, would “amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act [CAPTA] to ensure that child protective services systems do not permit the separation of children from parents on the basis of poverty.”

Every year, the greatest majority of child welfare investigations are opened and conducted over accusations not of abuse, but of “neglect.” Sadly, though, an undisclosed number of these “neglect” cases stem from the simple inability of a perfectly loving and fit parent to provide for all the needs of their child. These are not cases of negligence, but of poverty.

Up to 83% of all child welfare cases will be closed as “unsubstantiated” or “unfounded,” but not before the intrusive damage is done.

H.R. 6233 aims to address and correct this tragic abuse of our most vulnerable families.

The measure is very short—only 18 lines spanning 2 pages—but could have a significant impact on child welfare investigations in America.

By requiring states to “ensure…that no child is separated from the child’s parent for reason of poverty,” this CAPTA amendment would change the way states handle such cases. While the federal government does not govern such matters, it incentivizes them through such legislation; those states who do not have the required safeguards in place will no longer qualify for the federal monies on which they so heavily rely.

Earlier this year, Utah earned our praise with the passage of a law to clarify that poverty does not constitute neglect. In such cases, Utah state agencies are now required to provide support services to help the family meet their needs without separating children from their parents.

This provides the dual benefits of keeping families together and saving the state money as compared to the cost of foster care.

Under this new federal CAPTA provision, should it pass, other states will need to follow Utah’s example if they want to keep receiving federal funds.

ParentalRights.org is proud to be a part of H.R. 6233, and encourages lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to join us in supporting it.

While only the Parental Rights Amendment can ultimately secure our fundamental rights in the courts and across the full panorama of our daily life experiences, that is a tremendous undertaking that will yet take time to accomplish. In the meantime, measures like H.R. 6233 can offer immediate hope in specific areas of parental rights law.

In short, H.R. 6233 can protect children by empowering parents to keep their families together.

Thank you for investing your time and money with us to secure these protections in our law.

May you and your family enjoy a fun and festive Fourth of July!

Sincerely,

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Thank You, Thank You…and Only Two Days Left to Call

Thu, 28 Jun 2018 18:19:00 GMT

Great Day in D.C. – Keep Up the Calls Through Tomorrow!

That is the result of your calls and emails in support of both the Amendment and our visits. They knew we weren’t just there for ourselves, but for you as well.

We even learned of an office willing to meet with us at the last minute thanks to the efforts of our volunteers. We got that message too late to see them yesterday (their available time slot had already passed), but we are in contact with that office now to follow up.

In all, the meetings we had were promising and encouraging, and we hope to see additional cosponsors sign on soon.

Keep Calling Through Tomorrow
That said, though, it is still not too late to call in and urge your congressman’s support. Congress will be in recess next week, but until then—through Friday of this week—we encourage you to keep calling.

Thank You Video
Check out our “thank you” video from this morning for a little more about how our day went and how much we appreciate your standing with us in this vital cause. And follow us on Facebook or Twitter for real-time updates of additional cosponsors over the next few days!

Sincerely,

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Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Yesterday’s lobby day almost couldn’t have gone any better. The offices we visited were welcoming and the staffers we talked to were receptive to our cause of parental rights.

Today Is the Day!

Wed, 27 Jun 2018 01:09:00 GMT

Today is the day!

Today we’re heading to D.C. to visit Congress on your behalf, urging their support for the Parental Rights Amendment.

If there’s one thing the last two weeks have shown us as a nation, it is that we all agree children should not be separated from their parents unless it is absolutely necessary. And that’s the message we’re taking to Capitol Hill today!

Donate as You Can : Also, please donate to ParentalRights.org . While we are completely funded by supporters just like you, many who would give don’t have the means. If you can give, even small amounts are appreciated; it all adds up.

Donate as You Can: Also, please donate to ParentalRights.org . While we are completely funded by supporters just like you, many who would give don’t have the means. If you can give, even small amounts are appreciated; it all adds up.

Thank you for the vital role you play in this important effort!

Sincerely,

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Call Congress: If you haven’t yet called to urge your own congressman and senators to support the Parental Rights Amendment, I would urge you to do so now. Check out our Current Action Items page for a step-by-step guide to making your call. And if you haven’t called since Monday, take a moment to call again!

Today is about making our collective voice heard for children and families.

Call Congress Now – Blitz Coming

Mon, 25 Jun 2018 14:55:00 GMT

It’s time!

Today is the day to call your congressman and senators and urge them to support the Parental Rights Amendment!

Many of you signed up for these emails specifically so you would know when to call Congress and make your voice heard. The time is now—today through Wednesday, June 27!

That’s because our team will be going to D.C. on Wednesday, talking with members of Congress about the proposed Parental Rights Amendment. Your calls before then will make the difference between an office greeting us with, “You’re here about what, again?” and an office greeting us with, “Ah! We’ve been hearing about this. Tell us what it’s all about!”

Together—with your calls empowering our visits—we can open the eyes of more congressmen and senators to support this important effort to keep children safely where they belong: with the parents who love them.

What Do I Say?

1. You can find your lawmakers’ contact information here , or just call the Capitol Switchboard at 202.224.3121 and ask for your lawmaker by name. (You can also ask for your senators by state, even if you don’t remember their name.) They will connect you with your lawmaker’s office, where you will probably speak to a member of their staff.

2. Tell your congressman’s office something like this:

I’m calling to urge Congressman ____ to sign on as a cosponsor of H.J.Res. 121, the proposed Parental Rights Amendment, led by Rep. Hultgren of Illinois. Last week everyone was talking about the 2,000 children taken from their parents at the border since April. That’s how many children are taken by Child Protective Services in our country every three days . Something must be done to keep innocent families together without hurting the state’s ability to protect children from abuse. This Amendment strikes that balance and deserves your support.

3. Tell your senator’s office something very similar:

I’m calling to urge Senator ____ to sign on as a cosponsor of S.J.Res. 48, the proposed Parental Rights Amendment, led by Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Last week everyone was talking about the 2,000 children taken from their parents at the border since April. That’s how many children are taken by Child Protective Services in our country every three days . Something must be done to keep innocent families together without hurting the state’s ability to protect children from abuse. This Amendment strikes that balance and deserves your support.

4. Share and donate. Share this email with your friends and urge them to call too.

And please take a moment if you are able to support our effort with your generous donation to the cause of parental rights. None of this is possible without donors just like you.

5. Watch your email on Thursday for a report on how it went, and follow along throughout the day Wednesday on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Thank you for standing with us by donating , by sharing, and by calling Congress today!

Sincerely,

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Chicago Events: Vital Information for Parents

Wed, 20 Jun 2018 17:26:00 GMT

Join us to discuss the Parental Rights Amendment and the erosion of parental rights in our most distressed, low-economic communities throughout Illinois. Inadequate knowledge of how your fundamental rights as parents are being taken away increases bureaucratic takeover. It is vital for you to be empowered and vigilant in protecting and securing your parental rights.

These meetings will also include a docudrama, Overruled , on how your parental rights are being invaded. This will be a great opportunity to learn, network, brainstorm together, and ask any questions you may have about the effort.

Light refreshments will be served.

Gather your family and friends and join us at a Chicago Public Library near you!

RSVPs are appreciated , but not required. (If you can come at the last second, please do!) You can RSVP by contacting me at 773-814-6843 or chessupchicago@yahoo.com .

Don’t see you library listed? Please contact me at 773-814-6843 or email chessupchicago@yahoo.com .

Sincerely,

Latasha Fields
ParentalRights.org State Coordinator

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Coleman Branch Library

731 E. 63rd Street

Chicago, IL 60637

Saturday, June 30, from 2 to 4 p.m.

West Pullman Branch Library

830 W. 119th Street

Chicago, IL 60643

Saturday, July 14, from 12 to 2 p.m.

South Shore Branch Library

2505 E. 73rd Street

Chicago, IL 60649

Saturday, July 21, from 12 to 2 p.m.

Volunteers Needed for Pasadena Conference

Tue, 19 Jun 2018 20:48:00 GMT

Dear Parental Rights Champion in California,

ParentalRights.org of California is looking for volunteers for the upcoming CHEA Homeschool Convention in Pasadena on Thursday, June 28, through Saturday, June 30. We need volunteers to help staff our booth during the following days/times:

If you have any interest or questions, please text or call me at 951-300-6403.

Thank you,

Joseph Justus
ParentalRights.Org
CA State Volunteer Leader
951-300-6403

Thursday, June 28

5 pm–9 pm

Friday, June 29

10 am–2:30 pm

2:30 pm–7 pm

Saturday, June 20

10 am–1:30 pm

1:30 pm–5 pm

Opioid Crisis Conference – and Upcoming D.C. Blitz Day

Mon, 18 Jun 2018 00:30:00 GMT

When the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) held a conference on “the opioid crisis and foster care families” on June 7 in Washington, D.C., ParentalRights.org’s Maggie McKneely was there to observe the discussion and make new contacts with fresh allies for parental rights.

In the morning, keynote speaker Gov. Doug Ducey (R-AZ) discussed the policy changes his state has implemented to reduce the number of children in foster care, even as opioid drug addiction has ravaged the country. He talked about a fresh focus on family support and preservation.

Then in the afternoon AEI held a panel discussion featuring Elizabeth Bartholet of Harvard Law School, Robin Ghertner of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Brandon Logan of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and AEI’s own Resident Scholar Sally Satel.

The panel featured diverse views: Bartholet endorsed the idea of universal mandatory home visitation, while other panelists were more in favor of preserving family integrity and privacy. In the words of one of our coalition partners, “Bartholet…wound up standing alone,” which in this case is good news for parental rights.

The event did not involve lawmakers or legislation; nothing coming out of the day’s events will directly affect the laws where you or I live. But policy discussions like this tend to identify allies, strengthen and grow coalitions, and promote the ideals that will become tomorrow’s laws. For this reason, we are grateful Maggie was able to attend, and to make some good connections along the way.

Upcoming D.C. Blitz Day: Take Action

Exciting news! Next week, Maggie and the rest of the ParentalRights.org team will be back in D.C. , not for a conference, but to meet with members of Congress whom we hope will cosponsor the Parental Rights Amendment! So watch your emails, as we will be hosting a call blitz to Congress next Tuesday and Wednesday to urge support for this vital effort and will need you to call your representative and senators.

Every day more families are torn apart by over-reaching bureaucrats because the parents’ rights are not appropriately respected in our nation’s courts. Only the proposed Parental Rights Amendment can restore the longstanding traditional legal respect for your family. So I hope we can count on you to partner with us in that call blitz next week.

And perhaps you can partner with us today, as well. Any donation you make to ParentalRights.org will fund our Blitz Day and sustain our ongoing lobbying efforts for parental rights.

Thank you as always for standing with us to protect children by empowering their parents through the Parental Rights Amendment.

Sincerely,

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“The New Law of the Child” Attacks Parental Rights

Wed, 09 May 2018 20:51:00 GMT

They’re at it again.

Once more, academic legal scholars are trying to hypothesize away your parental rights , as well as your child’s right to be represented and protected under your care.

The latest salvo comes from law professors Anne C. Dailey of the University of Connecticut School of Law and Laura A. Rosenbury of the University of Florida Levin College of Law, and was published in the Yale Law Journal this April.

In “The New Law of the Child,” Dailey and Rosenbury seek to “loose[n] the grip of parental rights on American law.” They seek “a more child-centered analysis that elevates children’s broader interests over parents’ individual liberty claims.”

In a shocking echo of Professor James Dwyer , who claimed last fall that “the reason that the parent-child relationship exists is because the state confers legal parenthood,” the pair declare “both the recognition of the parent-child relationship and the grant of parental rights are state decisions.”

Even after much hand-wringing, Dailey and Rosenbury cannot escape the basic balance of legal authority between parents and the state. Their so-called “new law of the child” ultimately amounts to little more than a shifting of existing powers, taking from parents discipline decisions, religious exemption laws, and the right to home school. They also suggest that states might mandate annual oversight by a physician and must provide “access to reproductive health care free from parental vetoes,” including an obligation to “cover their costs.”

Ultimately, “under [their] framework, courts would determine the scope of children’s agency rights,” turning the decision making power of loving parents over to unfamiliar judges.

In a response titled “The (Not So) New Law of the Child,” New York University law professor Martin Guggenheim in the same journal takes Dailey and Rosenbury to task. (We count it an honor that Dr. Guggenheim is allied with us in the coalition to reform the Adoption and Safe Families Act and the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to better protect children by preserving parental rights.)

Guggenheim notes that “their fix for current failings in the law is to shift ultimate decision-making authority from parents to judges.”

He also mentions that, contrary to Dailey and Rosenbury’s apparent assumptions, “ I have never met a parent who constructs his or her child predominantly as an object of control.”

In other words, we don’t exercise parental rights because we “get to,” but because it is our sacred duty to the children we love. And on this we wholly agree.

While Guggenheim’s refutation of “The New Law of the Child” is powerful, it cannot completely undo the damage of Dailey and Rosenbury’s article being published in the first place. Ideas have consequences, and these professors have once again echoed the idea that the state can somehow better provide for and direct children than loving parents can.

There is little doubt that over time this chorus of statist legal scholars will only get louder. Which is why it is so important to make our own voices heard in defense of parental rights.

Could you take a moment today to make a donation to support ParentalRights.org? We are completely funded by concerned citizens just like you. Only with your generous support can we continue our efforts to reach more Americans with news of these threats, and work to persuade Congress to join the Parental Rights Amendment.

Thank you for taking the time to stand with us in support of parental rights and the Parental Rights Amendment.

Sincerely,

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Alfie Evans Update, State Laws, and More News!

Tue, 01 May 2018 17:50:00 GMT

The parental rights effort is a lot like raising preschoolers: every once in a while, things that were calm and quiet suddenly explode with activity . For parental rights, this week is wrapping up one of those furious months.

ALFIE EVANS – PULLED FROM LIFE SUPPORT AGAINST PARENTS’ WISHES

Photo Credit: #AlfiesArmy @Alfiesarmy16
The inescapable parental rights story in the news right now is that of Alfie Evans , the British boy who died this weekend after a long legal and medical battle. The court granted Alder Hey Hospital’s bid to remove the toddler from life support against his parents’ wishes, and denied the parents their right to take their child to Italy—at no further expense to the United Kingdom or Alder Hey—for treatment at a hospital there. Alfie suffered for days after being deprived of proper treatment or even food as those we trust to “first do no harm” simply watched him die.

Alfie’s experience is a tragic picture of what happens when government has the power to decide what is best for your children. Our own Supreme Court has in the past held that parents are the proper gatekeepers for their children’s rights and well-being, but the tide of “government knows best” sentiment is rising. This is why we fight to protect parental rights in the U.S. Constitution and in state law.

PA RALLY AND PARENTAL RIGHTS BILL

Part of that effort this month involved the “Parents Know Best” rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on April 10. Our own Maggie McKneely was on hand to encourage state lawmakers to support H.B. 1349 , a bill introduced by Rep. Tallman that will define parental rights as fundamental and secure to them the highest standard of review.

Though the bill remains in committee, we are excited by the increased attention we are drawing to parental rights in the Keystone State.

Watch video footage of the event.

NE BILL SUCCESSFULLY VETOED

In Nebraska, meanwhile, ParentalRights.org volunteers Ed Hernandez and State Coordinator Leroy Becker drew attention at a critical moment. L.B. 998 , a bill that would possibly have allowed schools to submit children to mental health screenings without first notifying parents, passed the legislature on April 18 and was on its way to adoption before the alarm was sounded. Thanks in part to the timely intervention of our state volunteer leaders, however, the governor vetoed the bill last Tuesday. Among other concerns , Governor Ricketts stated that “[t]he bill is also unclear about how parents and guardians would be involved in the consent and care of the student for screening, referral, treatment and payment for services” and that “[t]he bill does not provide a clear and respectful role for the parents and guardians of a minor child.”

MN BILL AND DISPROPORTIONALITY REPORT

We’ve serendipitously stepped into an effort drawing attention to parental rights in Minnesota, as well. Lawmakers there introduced the “Minnesota African American Family Preservation Act” (S.F. 3779) to change the state’s policies involving the separation of innocent minority families. We can claim no credit for that. As it happens, though, the Disproportionality of Minority Children in Child Welfare Investigations report, which the Parental Rights Foundation released last week, highlights the very data S.F. 3779 cites and seeks to address.

That report, which has a separate pull-out page for each state, shows at a glance which racial groups are disproportionately represented in child welfare cases based on numbers of “substantiated” maltreatment as reported by each state for 2016.

GRAMMY® AWARD WINNER INTERVIEW

On the same day the report was released, our president Jim Mason interviewed board member and Grammy® Award-winning gospel singer Marvin Winans , who is now a pastor of a major Detroit congregation. Bishop Winans talked about his music, his family, his church, and especially about the erosion of the family and of our parental rights. If you haven’t yet gotten to see that half-hour video, you should do so here . Then like it, share it, and pass it on to your friends!

GODBOLDO FORUM ON PARENTAL RIGHTS

Finally, on Saturday, April 28, I was honored to join board member and attorney Allison Folmar [shown at far right] in Detroit for the Maryanne Godboldo Forum on Parental Rights , hosted by the late Ms. Godboldo’s sister, Penny Brooks, and by the Hartford Memorial Baptist Church. Together we presented the challenges facing families today as parents are being shoved aside in medical, educational, and legal settings, especially in urban centers like Detroit.

CONCLUSION

In all, it has been a busy month, even without mentioning the amicus brief we submitted in Doe v. Woodard . And in the midst of all that, we also managed to give our website at parentalrightsfoundation.org a major facelift. (If you haven’t visited lately, go check it out!)

For all of this I need to say, “Thank you.” We couldn’t have done any of this without your support , and I’m not just talking about your donations (though we are entirely funded by donors just like you). Without your encouragement, your website visits, your Facebook likes, your email opens, your volunteer hours, your lobbying, and your phone calls, we could not hope to make any difference in the world.

But with your continued support in all these ways, we can truly hope to see parental rights protected to safeguard all our children.

Gratefully,

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Maggie joined American Family Association of Pennsylvania President Diane Gramley and our own Pennsylvania State Coordinator (and new board member) Vickie Suarez in encouraging families gathered in the state capitol’s rotunda to lobby their lawmakers. Several state representatives, including Rep. Tallman, addressed the assembly of parental rights supporters as well.

Illinois Event THIS Sunday!

Mon, 30 Apr 2018 01:00:00 GMT

Join Us to Discuss Parental Rights…and Invite Your Friends!

Sunday, May 6 at 1:15 PM – 3:30 PM CDT, at Bellwood Public Library, 600 Bohland Ave, Bellwood, Illinois 60104
View Event Facebook Page .

Come learn about

the status of the Parental Rights Amendment in the U.S.,
the Parental Rights Foundation,
domestic and international threats to your parental rights, and
the disproportionality of minority children in child welfare cases.

This afternoon will also be a great opportunity for Illinoisans to network, brainstorm together, and get questions answered .

Questions? Please contact me at chessupchicago@yahoo.com . I look forward to seeing you there!

Sincerely,

Latasha Fields
ParentalRights.org State Coordinator

Please Share with Your Friends.

Going LIVE with Bishop Winans Today – New Racial Disproportionality Report

Wed, 25 Apr 2018 01:00:00 GMT

Our president Jim Mason is going live with GRAMMY ® award winner and pastor Bishop Marvin Winans on Facebook today at 11:30 a.m. EDT . Winans will be talking about his music, his ministry, and his passion for the parent-child relationship.

Jim Mason and Bishop Winans will also introduce a brand-new Parental Rights Foundation report on racial disproportionality in child welfare cases.

We’ll monitor our page throughout the program so your questions in the comments section can be addressed during the Live interview.

So head over to Facebook.com/ParentalRights.org at 11:30 a.m. EDT and join the discussion on parental rights and the ministry of a Gospel music legend.

Sincerely,

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Winans, who serves on the board of ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation, leads one of Detroit’s largest and most vibrant churches. He sees every day the threat to parental rights imposed in his community by over-reaching state actors, especially for minority families.

Call or Email to Support PA Parental Rights Bill

Tue, 17 Apr 2018 19:36:00 GMT

Fortunately, Pennsylvania is one of several states whose courts have chosen to ignore the precedent for weak parental rights implied in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Troxel v. Granville (2000) decision. That’s the decision that says parental rights are fundamental, but they are only worthy of “some special weight.” Instead, Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court has stuck to its own precedent: since parental rights are fundamental, laws restricting them “must satisfy the constitutional standard know as strict scrutiny.” Schmehl v. Wegelin (Pa. 2007)

That’s a great standard for the courts to set—but it can be changed at any time by the whim of that same court. Until the legislature defines your rights by legislative mandate, that court precedent is subject to change.

HB1349 would take Pennsylvania’s existing court case precedent and make it a matter of statutory law. Other states, such as Virginia in 2013, are already taking this important precaution.

Sadly, though, this common sense measure only has 10 cosponsors so far, and it has again gotten bogged down in committee.

Action Items

1. Call your state representative and urge them to cosponsor HB1349. Bills with more cosponsors get taken more seriously and have an easier time getting heard in committee. (For comparison, a bill recently voted out of the Children and Youth Committee had 32 cosponsors.) You can find your representative’s contact information here .

2. Contact the members of the Children and Youth Committee and ask them to hear and vote for HB1349. You can find the whole committee and their contact information on the committee’s page , and you can call Chairman Katharine Watson at 717.787.5452.

3. Spread the word . Send this email to your friends and neighbors and ask them to join the push to get HB1349 out of committee and into the full House for a vote.

Sample Message to Use When Calling or Emailing: In your own words, let your lawmakers know you believe parents are in a position to make better decisions for their children than government can. HB1349 would protect this basic principle, while still protecting children from abuse. Parental rights are fundamental; our courts already know this. HB1349 would ensure that this rule continues to protect parental rights into the future. In a day when dentists right here in Pennsylvania are threatening parents with neglect for missing a cleaning, this kind of basic legal protection for our families just makes sense.

Thank you for taking the time to make a stand for our parental rights!

Sincerely,

Vickie Suarez
State Coordinator

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Pennsylvania House Bill 1349 , which would protect your parental rights as a matter of state law, is stuck in the House Committee on Children and Youth. Rep. Tallman, who has faithfully introduced a similar measure in each of the last 4 sessions, cannot move the bill out of committee on his own; we need your help to change the atmosphere in Harrisburg and give parental rights a push forward.

Michigan Law: Another Win

Wed, 11 Apr 2018 20:40:00 GMT

A new Michigan law will make it harder for child welfare investigators and family courts to remove children from fit and loving parents.

Last week I enjoyed getting to share with you the good news of Utah’s new law clarifying the legal definition of “neglect.” With as many as 80% of child welfare investigations across the country citing this nebulous charge, we find that providing some limits and definition to just what the term means can be a huge help in reducing inappropriate, unnecessary intrusion into innocent families.

That’s why this week I’m excited to tell you about Michigan’s new law.

SB 420 , introduced by Sen. Phillip Pavlov in May of 2017, passed the legislature on February 21 of this year and was signed by Governor Rick Snyder on March 15. Two provisions in the new law will help parents who come into contact with “the system.”

Clarifying “Neglect”
One of the provisions is, like Utah’s law, a clarification of the term, “neglect.”

Until this bill was passed, Michigan law defined “child neglect” like this:

“harm or threatened harm to a child’s welfare by a parent, legal guardian, or any other person responsible for the child’s health or welfare that occurs through…[n]egligent treatment, including the failure to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, or medical care….”

Now, this last section has been edited to read:

“Negligent treatment, including the failure to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, or medical care, though financially able to do so, or by the failure to seek financial or other reasonable means to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, or medical care.”

What’s the big difference? Until this bill was passed, parents were at risk of losing their children due to “neglect” simply for the “crime” of being poor. The addition of “though financially able to do so” provides a carve-out for those parents who fail to provide for their child simply because they lack the means to do so.

Don’t get me wrong. It is the sacred duty of a parent to meet the real physical and emotional needs of their child. But when they are financially unable to provide enough, this new law directs the state to help the family, not to break the family apart.

Preventing Automatic Termination of Other Children
A second key provision of the law would end the long-held practice of automatically terminating the rights of a parent who has already lost parental rights to a previous child.

If, for instance, a mom a few years ago lost her rights to her now-ten-year-old son due to abuse or neglect, then when it is discovered she is pregnant again, the state would move into position to take this new baby from her care as soon as she is born. There would be no need for an investigation or a trial. She abused or neglected the 10-year-old; it was safe to assume she would harm this new baby in the same way.

The new law has changed all of that. The section of law that orders the department of child services to file for termination of parental rights if “the parent’s rights to another child were terminated” previously now has an added proviso: “…and the parent has failed to rectify the conditions that led to the prior termination of parental rights.”

This means the state must now show not only a prior termination of parental rights order, but also that the parent has not taken effective steps to fix the problem(s) in their parenting. This requires a hearing and a positive showing by the state. That is a long way from the automatic removal to which so many parents have until now had to resign themselves.

After all, that mother may have learned and grown a lot since she lost her son all those years ago. This “second chance” provides her the incentive to make the sacrifices that are necessary to be a good parent to her new baby girl.

Help Us Keep Moving Forward!

We can’t take the credit for these latest bills, but neither do we think it a coincidence that 10 years into our mission of promoting parental rights, laws like these are suddenly being passed. Nor do we think it an accident that, after we invested so much of the last few years in Detroit, Michigan is one of the states showing the greatest gains.

Obviously we are not alone in this fight; other parental rights and family rights groups, like the ones we’re partnering with to amend the Adoption and Safe Families Act, deserve a lot of credit, too. But we are proud to be shaping the culture of America to respect the rights of parents just a little bit more each day.

While other forces are working so hard to rob you of your rights, we are working to open the discussion—to make your friends, neighbors, and lawmakers aware of what is going on. And we are working to pass laws like these to make real changes in Congress and the states.

We have come so far together, but we need your help to continue this slow climb. Would you consider making your best donation today to see more victories like the recent wins in Utah and Michigan?

Thank you as always for standing for parental rights. Together we are making a difference!

PA Dentist Threatens Parents; Utah Adopts a Better Way

Wed, 04 Apr 2018 19:43:00 GMT

PA Dentist Threatens Parents

A dentist’s office in Pennsylvania has made headlines and sparked a social media firestorm of angry parents. Dr. Ross Wezmar of Smiles 4 Keeps came under fire for a letter citing Pennsylvania Act 31 and threatening to report parents for neglect if they failed to schedule their child’s next cleaning with the practice .

The letter, as posted at Health Impact News , reads in part, “Pennsylvania Act 31 (Child Abuse Reporting and Recognition Requirements) states that health care providers must report your failure to bring your child to the dentist for evaluation and care.” That’s not a provision we could find in the Act, however. (Read the Act for yourself here .)

Mom Trey Hoyumpa, rather than being intimidated by the threat, took the issue to social media. From there it went viral, attracting the attention of Health Impact News and of conservative journalist Michelle Malkin, who featured the matter on multiple sites including Heritage Foundation’s The Daily Signal and The Jewish World Review .

ParentalRights.org has shared before that to get good results in court, we need two complementary things: good laws and good judges. If we get bad results, the problem could be one or the other, or sometimes both.

In this case, the Act identifies “mandatory reporters”—those required by law to make a report if they have reason to suspect child abuse or neglect—and lists training requirements they must meet to be licensed in the state. But nowhere does it mention missing a dental cleaning as a cause to report a parent for neglect. (In fact, no definitions for “abuse” or “neglect” are included in Act 31.)

In this instance, the law seems fine; the problem is with its application by the dentist.

According to Malkin, Wezmar claims Smiles 4 Keeps sent the letter “to jar the parent to realize that with a child comes responsibility.” And if that “jarring” results in more money to the dentist’s office as intimidated parents bring their child in for fear of Child Protective Services, well, so much the better.

As pointed out by Health Impact News, Dr. Wezmar’s associations listed on the practice’s website include work with “Harvard University Children’s Hospital,” better known as Boston Children’s Hospital (the site of Justina Pelletier’s now infamous ordeal).

It’s no wonder Hoyumpa accused the dentist’s office of “bullying” and “intimidation.”

Utah Adopts a Better Way

That is exactly the kind of abuse of the system which a newly passed Utah bill seeks to address.

SB 65 made a substantive amendment to the legal definition of “neglect.” According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as many as 80% of child welfare investigations arise from this nebulous charge. It’s the allegation raised by Smiles 4 Keeps, and too often it is defined in the field as “daring to parent in a way the doctor/dentist/investigator doesn’t like.”

But that is no longer to be the case in Utah.

Under SB 65 , “neglect” explicitly “does not include…permitting a child…to engage in independent activities, including: traveling to and from school, including by walking, running, or bicycling…; engaging in outdoor play; remaining in a vehicle unattended [with exceptions]; remaining home unattended; or engaging in a similar independent activity” (section numbers and formatting omitted). So Utah parents who want to raise independent, responsible adults will no longer be hamstrung by a system that sees every risk as a call for a neglect proceeding.

The bill also excludes “a health care decision made for a child by the child’s parent or guardian, unless the state or other party to a proceeding shows, by clear and convincing evidence, that the health care decision is not reasonable and informed.” Under such a provision, Smiles 4 Keeps would be hard-pressed to threaten any good parent who chooses not to get their child’s teeth cleaned on time. Oil pulling is an effective way to clean your teeth. Such a choice simply does not meet the legal definition of neglect.

What We Can Do

The Smiles 4 Keeps letter clearly demonstrates why changes like the Utah law are needed in all 50 states. We can make those changes either by passing state legislation like SB 65, or by amending federal laws like the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) and the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) to close the loopholes so ripe for abuse. Ultimately, the Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution will help raise the bar for parental rights nationwide.

And we are proud to be actively pursuing all of these solutions. In state legislatures, through a bipartisan coalition for ASFA and CAPTA reform, and with the Parental Rights Amendment in Congress, we are on the front lines to protect parents like Trey Hoyumpa from those who would define “neglect” to fit any parent they just don’t like.

But to continue our successes, we need our voice to grow.

Please take a moment to

1) share this newsletter with family and friends and urge them to sign up for update s as well and
2) contact yo ur U.S. congressman and urge their support for H.J. Res. 121 , the Parental Rights Amendment, sponsored by Rep. Randy Hultgren.

By standing together we can stop the bullying of good parents by taking the bullies’ weapons away.

Sincerely,

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Come Out to Show Your Support

Tue, 27 Mar 2018 00:17:00 GMT

Just Two Weeks Until the Big Day!

Please join us in the PA capitol rotunda…and invite your friends and lawmaker to come!

Now’s your chance to get your questions answered, get your friends and lawmakers excited about parental rights, and send a message that parental rights matter! HSLDA’s and ParentalRight.org’s Maggie McKneely (pictured) will be among the presenters.

Please come out and show your support of parental rights!

View Event Facebook Page.

Please Share with Your Friends.

HB 1349 , a bill protecting parental rights, is currently in the PA House. Invite your lawmaker to this event to help him or her understand how important it is to preserve parental rights! Your lawmaker’s contact info can be found here , and here’s an invite to download, print, and mail .

Hundreds of Children Illegally Removed?

Mon, 26 Mar 2018 19:57:00 GMT

A 38-year-old father and his attorney have managed to uncover an illegal practice so widespread that its exposure could overturn dozens, or even hundreds, of child welfare proceedings in one North Carolina county.

According to an investigation and March 15 report by the Associated Press , the Cherokee County Department of Social Services has been using Custody and Visitation Agreements (CVA’s) to take children away from their parents without ever going before a judge. And if they hadn’t taken the daughter of Brian Hogan, they might still be using it today.

Hogan, an out-of-work pipe-fitter in the impoverished rural county, got a call in 2016 that his wife had suffered a major heart attack. So he left his 10-year-old daughter with a neighbor (and the girl’s best friend) and drove the 60 miles to the ICU in Asheville. He was still spending his time at his wife’s side a few days later when he learned his daughter had been taken into custody because a school teacher had reported that she “smelled like cat,” and a subsequent investigation determined she was living in unclean conditions. (The report does not mention whether the neighbor’s daughter was also taken.)

That’s when Hogan was forced to sign the illegal CVA.

“I had no choice,” Hogan told the AP, which reported that the county “threatened to throw him in jail, place his child in foster care or give his daughter to another family for adoption if he didn’t sign.” So, sign he did. But he also sought the help of an attorney to get his daughter back.

Enter Melissa Jackson. She agreed to help Hogan, and soon discovered the bizarre and unacceptable practice. Using CVAs to remove children from their parents is illegal, “because they did not take place with court oversight, as required by law,” according to the AP.

Here’s the way it worked: a DSS worker would come to the home, and if they decided the child should be removed, they would identify a family relative and draft up the CVA. The parent would be told to sign the CVA, transferring custody to the relative, or DSS would place the child with strangers in foster care. Neither the parents nor, often, the relatives receiving the child would know their rights or the illegality of the transaction. But for DSS, it meant the child never entered the system at all, and often there would be no follow-up or oversight.

Once the illegal practice was exposed in court, an investigation determined it had been used in an undetermined number of cases, perhaps affecting hundreds of children. Scott Lindsay, a longtime attorney recently fired from the county’s DSS, says he started using CVAs in 2007 or even before. And since they are not properly documented in DSS records, DSS cannot say how many were affected or even where all of those children are now.

When the practice was exposed, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services reacted immediately, issuing a letter in December to county DSS departments to advise them that the use of such CVAs “falls outside of both law and policy,” according to the AP report.

Then this month, when the AP story was released, the state’s HHS took the rare step of completely taking over the county’s DSS operation, according to another AP report of March 16 .

Secretive System Ripe for Abuse
What happened in Cherokee County—forcing parents to sign a CVA transferring custody of their child to a relative— is illegal and an abuse of the system. It is not the norm and does not take place everywhere (though National Coalition for Child Protection Reform’s Richard Wexler recently pointed out on their blog that the general practice of coercion, with CVA or no, is indeed widespread).

But a system designed as ours is to operate outside the public view is bound to give rise to these violations. It is no wonder we are regaled by story after story of abuse within a system that operates in secret, acts with impunity, and defies public accountability.

Taking Action
Amending federal and state laws to provide oversight for child protective agencies and juvenile courts is a great place to start. And a federal amendment to the Constitution protecting the right of parents can help, as well; by creating a clear standard, it would make these violations more immediately recognizable for the offenses that they are.

That’s why ParentalRights.org supports the proposed Parental Rights Amendment, champions revisions to federal laws like the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) and the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), and works for changes to state laws as well. There is so much work to be done, but the cost of failure is far too high.

Together we can make a change and draw attention to the plight of families and children in the system. Then maybe next time an overzealous state agent looks to sidestep a parent’s due process rights and fundamental liberty to the care and custody of their child, someone will challenge the practice immediately and not ten years down the road.

Sincerely,

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HHS Proposes Rule Expanding Religious and Conscience Protections in Health Care

Wed, 21 Mar 2018 20:27:00 GMT

The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) in the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released a wide-ranging proposed rule that focused on increasing protections for the rights of conscience and religious liberties in the area of health care services. Several provisions of the rule pertain to the issue of parental rights. Interested people can provide comments, which are due by Tuesday, March 27.

The proposed rule, Protecting Statutory Conscience Rights in Health Care; Delegations of Authority , (83 FR 3880) states that:

HHS proposes this rule to enhance the awareness and enforcement of federal health care conscience and associated anti-discrimination laws, to further conscience and religious freedom, and to protect the rights of individuals and entities to abstain from certain activities related to health care services without discrimination or retaliation.

In addition to laying down some new regulations , it also revises old regulations to make certain that the correct practices and policies are in place that will help promote the rights of individuals and entities in the area of individual health care decisions. Toward this end, the proposed rule states the following:

Through this rulemaking, the Department proposes to grant overall responsibility to its Office of Civil Rights (OCR) for ensuring that the Department, its components, HHS programs and activities, and those who participate in HHS programs or activities comply with federal laws protecting the rights of conscience and prohibiting associated discriminatory policies and practices in such programs and activities.

One provision affecting parental rights addresses the issue of vaccinations. While ParentalRights.org does not take any official position on the use of vaccinations, the provision in this proposed rule does guarantee greater protection for parents to make their own informed medical decisions for their children. Section XII C (1) (i) specifically makes reference to ensuring that persons and entities are not “being required to administer or receive certain vaccinations derived from aborted fetal tissues as a condition of work or receipt of educational services.” This rule also includes broader “provisions [to] protect parents who conscientiously object to their children being forced to receive certain treatments or health interventions.” (Section III (I))

ParentalRights.org is excited to see the steps that HHS is taking to ensure that parents have the right to make their own choices regarding the health care of their children.

If you would like to comment and voice your opinions regarding the proposed rule, formal comments may be submitted here .

If you would like to learn more about healthy holistic practices you can visit Holistic Kenko .

Finally, if you would like to learn more about the new Conscience and Religious Freedom Division within the OCR whose jurisdiction the provisions of this rule fall under, visit https://www.hhs.gov/conscience .

Sincerely,

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Action Needed Today in Oklahoma

Mon, 12 Mar 2018 21:12:00 GMT

***Watchdog Alert! Action Needed***

Representative Kevin Calvey’s House Bill (HB) 3686 will be heard this week!

We are asking you to call and email your representative today and ask them to vote “YES”!

About HB 3686
HB 3686 will change how anonymous calls to the child abuse prevention hotline are handled in Oklahoma.

First, confidential calls will still be taken by CPS and the name of the caller will always be protected. A reporter’s identity will not be disclosed except with the very rare instance of a court order.

Fully anonymous calls, however, will be transferred to 911, allowing CPS to focus on reports with complete details of child abuse and neglect.

HB 3686 seeks to offer further protection to stable and loving parents from undue investigation and stress, as anonymous reports are often made with selfish or malicious intent. In some cases an ex-spouse or angry friend may call in a report out of spite or revenge.

HB 3686 seeks to remove these careless calls from the statewide hotline, where they burden Oklahoma’s DHS workers who already have hefty case loads.

Representative Calvey’s bill is designed to help DHS workers and protect Oklahoma parents.

Please Email or Call Today
Please email and call your representative today! Ask them to VOTE “YES” on HB 3686.

Find your legislator using this link:
http://www.oklegislature.gov/FindMyLegislature.aspx

Sincerely,

Tracey Montgomery
Oklahoma State Coordinator

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One False Allegation Changed Everything

Wed, 07 Mar 2018 21:45:00 GMT

Dear Champion of Parental Rights,

One hundred and forty-eight days. Imagine if that’s how long the government kept your child from you, without any evidence or justification.

It sounds like a nightmare, but it was a reality for Georgia mom Amy Spencer. And she is not alone.

Too many American families are facing similarly devastating situations. My office hears from parents all the time who have had their children ripped away and their rights trampled on and ignored. That’s what happens when the state workers think they can do a better job of raising your kids than you can.

But with your help, we are fighting back.

Through the Parental Rights Foundation, we recently filed suit on behalf of several Georgia families (including Amy Spencer) who suffered inexcusable abuse at the hands of government officials, officials who claimed to act in the best interest of the children involved. The defendants in that case have filed a motion to have the court dismiss it; we are waiting on the judge to make a decision, praying we will get to go to trial.

That lawsuit is about justice for these families, but their case also highlights why ParentalRights.org must keep working to pass the Parental Rights Amendment.

While these families made an emergency stop in Mississippi on their way home from a church conference, several of the kids took advantage of the down-time to raise money for their church dance team. That’s when over-zealous social worker Philana Harrell accused the families of “child trafficking.”

One false allegation. That’s all it took for the government to change these families’ lives forever.

Harrell insisted that the parents must provide proof that these children were actually theirs before they could have them back. First, this meant that they needed to show photo ID’s and birth certificates. But by the time one couple had driven all the way home to Atlanta to retrieve these and made it back to the police station in Mississippi, Harrell had decided that was no longer good enough.

Most of us would not think twice about traveling with our children from one state to another with no more identification than our driver’s license. But can you imagine being told that finger printing and a background check were required to prove that your children actually are your children? That’s exactly what Harrell had the audacity to demand of these families under color of law.

In the meantime, Harrell and her colleagues caused direct trauma to the children by separating them from their own moms and dads and putting them into foster families, some of which proved to be abusive. Is that the mark of a government that acts in the best interests of children?

Months of invasive and traumatizing investigations followed. These families did everything that was asked of them — over and over again! — yet the Department of Human Services employees kept changing the requirements and continued to refuse to return the children!

It wasn’t until almost 5 months after that church trip that all of the children were finally back home with their parents.

At no point were the parents charged with any crime. There were no allegations of abuse or neglect (except that original, baseless accusation of “child trafficking”). In fact, there was no evidence of any wrongdoing whatsoever. Just one child services investigator who, armed with the power of the government, decided she knew what was best for these children.

“It makes our children [feel] as if we couldn’t protect them,” one of the parents stated in an interview with ParentalRights.org. “Our children should always see us as Superman or Superwoman, and they took that from us that day.”

Sometimes it’s a medical disagreement like in the cases of Isaiah Rider or Justina Pelletier, whose parents disagreed with one hospital’s diagnosis of their child and suddenly found themselves on the outside looking in regarding medical care and even custody. Sometimes it’s an abuse of our already troubled system, as in the case of Tori Harper of Tennessee, who called in a concern for her child and suddenly found herself the prime target of the investigation. We continually see families paying the price for a system that doesn’t respect a parent’s vital role.

But we are fighting to fix this unjust system. With the Parental Rights Amendment, state agents and judges would be obligated to recognize your fundamental right to decide and to act on what you believe is in the best interests of your child. With your dedicated support, ParentalRights.org is making sure that the law is on your side.

Last year, the Parental Rights Amendment was introduced in both houses of Congress for the first time since 2014. Now, we’re past the halfway point for this session and pushing harder than ever to move the Amendment forward. The clock is ticking!

Already this year we’ve seen growing congressional support, our online presence has increased, and we are moving towards passing more state parental rights statutes and resolutions. We’re also fighting government overreach in a wide range of areas, in a variety of states. And we’re supporting an effort by our friends at National Federation of the Blind to preserve the rights of parents with disabilities in state laws across the country. All of this is only possible because of your continued willingness to stand with us.

Every court case that undermines the fundamental right to be a parent is a blow against all parents. What happened to the “Georgia Nine” could have happened to anyone, even you .

But we can prevent this erosion of your rights! Each gift to ParentalRights.org will be used in the battle to pass the Amendment and secure your fundamental rights.

Please help ParentalRights.org take advantage of the great opportunity we have to bring our campaign to the next level in Congress. Your generous donation before March 31st will help us close our fiscal year strong and be ready for the year ahead.

Thank you for continuing to help protect children by empowering parents!

Sincerely,

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P.S. When it comes to parental rights, there is a legal presumption that parents act in the best interests of their children. But our current system often assumes the exact opposite. The past generosity of donors just like you is what has made this movement strong. That’s why I’m counting on you to make a generous donation today , before the end of our fiscal year on March 31st. Please act now—you can make all the difference in the world.

But this is why your continued partnership with us is so critically important. Because of you, ParentalRights.org is able to provide a light in the darkness for parents like these. Through legislation such as the Parental Rights Amendment and state statutes that protect your rights, we are working to stop the erosion of your role as a parent.

Because the fact is, if no one fights back against the injustices we hear about every day, the government will continue to encroach on your rights.

“The Georgia Nine” Case
You may remember when we told you about Tobias, the dad who called us after his kids and those of several of his fellow church members were unjustly taken by the government. The “Georgia Nine” case is a story filled with corruption, invasive investigations, and abuse. Nine parents and their 14 children will never be the same because of what was done to them.

[Picture credit: istockphoto]

Fighting to Fix the Unjust System
Although I can’t turn back the clock and save these families from the ordeal that they went through, we can fight to make sure this doesn’t happen to any other families.

Because you and I both know that this tremendous abuse of parental rights is utterly unacceptable.

It’s heartbreaking to know that every day there are American families who have to fight for the right to raise their children. The “Georgia Nine” case is just one of many where the government assumes that it can do a better job of raising children than their own parents can.

Can You Help Us Finish Our Fiscal Year Strong?

March is the end of our fiscal year, and in order to keep up the momentum, I am counting on your generous support once more. We must finish this year strong in order to move forward in the next.

Would you consider giving your best gift of $10, $25, $50, or even $100?