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February 07, 2009
United Nations' threat: No more parental rights
United Nations' threat: No more parental rights
Expert: Pact would ban spankings, homeschooling if children object
A United Nations human rights treaty that could prohibit children from being spanked or homeschooled, ban youngsters from facing the death penalty and forbid parents from deciding their families' religion is on America's doorstep, a legal expert warns.
Michael Farris of Purcellville, Va., is president of ParentalRights.org, chairman of the Home School Legal Defense Association and chancellor of Patrick Henry College. He told WND that under the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, or CRC, every decision a parent makes can be reviewed by the government to determine whether it is in the child's best interest.
"It's definitely on our doorstep," he said. "The left wants to make the Obama-Clinton era permanent. Treaties are a way to make it as permanent as stuff gets. It is very difficult to extract yourself from a treaty once you begin it. If they can put all of their left-wing socialist policies into treaty form, we're stuck with it even if they lose the next election."
The 1990s-era document was ratified quickly by 193 nations worldwide, but not the United States or Somalia. In Somalia, there was then no recognized government to do the formal recognition, and in the United States there's been opposition to its power. Countries that ratify the treaty are bound to it by international law.
Although signed by Madeleine Albright, U.S. ambassador to the U.N., on Feb. 16, 1995, the U.S. Senate never ratified the treaty, largely because of conservatives' efforts to point out it would create that list of rights which primarily would be enforced against parents.
The international treaty creates specific civil, economic, social, cultural and even economic rights for every child and states that "the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration." While the treaty states that parents or legal guardians "have primary responsibility for the upbringing and development of the child," Farris said government will ultimately determine whether parents' decisions are in their children's best interest. The treaty is monitored by the CRC, which conceivably has enforcement powers.
According to the Parental Rights website, the substance of the CRC dictates the following:
* Parents would no longer be able to administer reasonable spankings to their children.
* A murderer aged 17 years, 11 months and 29 days at the time of his crime could no longer be sentenced to life in prison.
* Children would have the ability to choose their own religion while parents would only have the authority to give their children advice about religion.
* The best interest of the child principle would give the government the ability to override every decision made by every parent if a government worker disagreed with the parent's decision.
* A child's "right to be heard" would allow him (or her) to seek governmental review of every parental decision with which the child disagreed.
* According to existing interpretation, it would be illegal for a nation to spend more on national defense than it does on children's welfare.
* Children would acquire a legally enforceable right to leisure.
* Teaching children about Christianity in schools has been held to be out of compliance with the CRC.
* Allowing parents to opt their children out of sex education has been held to be out of compliance with the CRC.
* Children would have the right to reproductive health information and services, including abortions, without parental knowledge or consent.
"Where the child has a right fulfilled by the government, the responsibilities shift from parents to the government," Farris said. "The implications of all this shifting of responsibilities is that parents no longer have the traditional roles of either being responsible for their children or having the right to direct their children."
The government would decide what is in the best interest of a children in every case, and the CRC would be considered superior to state laws, Farris said. Parents could be treated like criminals for making every-day decisions about their children's lives.
"If you think your child shouldn't go to the prom because their grades were low, the U.N. Convention gives that power to the government to review your decision and decide if it thinks that's what's best for your child," he said. "If you think that your children are too young to have a Facebook account, which interferes with the right of communication, the U.N. gets to determine whether or not your decision is in the best interest of the child."
He continued, "If you think your child should go to church three times a week, but the child wants to go to church once a week, the government gets to decide what it thinks is in the best interest of the children on the frequency of church attendance."
He said American social workers would be the ones responsible for implementation of the policies.
Farris said it could be easier for President Obama to push for ratification of the treaty than it was for the Clinton administration because "the political world has changed."
Wild Thing's comment...........
I long for the day when we have a man in the White House who sees the U.N. for what it is. To allow the UN to raise the children of a country, any country, especially our own beloved America makes me sick and angry. This cannot happen!!!!
.
....Thank you Mark for sending this to me.
Mark
3rd Mar.Div. 1st Battalion 9th Marine Regiment
1/9 Marines aka The Walking Dead
VN 66-67
Posted by Wild Thing at February 7, 2009 05:44 AM
Comments
NO! I will NOT allow the government to override my decisions as a parent! They are mine! I carried them in my belly for 9 months for one and 8 months for the younger one and I believe that discipline is part of the Love process. If they mess up royally, and I have a very long standing patience for them. I have to discipline them. I have to raise them to know right from wrong, how to do household chores (leisure time comes after chores) and to be an outstanding member of society. My children have not shoplifted, created chaos or gotten into legal trouble. I have to Love them. God blessed me with these two girls and I am who they look to for guidance, not the government. I am their first teacher and their greatest cheerleader. I have swatted my children when it is needed. I have not gone over the line and beat my children until they bled or been badly injured. I will never do that. There is nothing wrong with a swat on the butt just to tell the child to "wake up and pay attention."
Posted by: Lynn at February 7, 2009 07:38 AM
I agree with you Lynn,
"Where the child has a right fulfilled by the government, the responsibilities shift from parents to the government," Farris said. "The implications of all this shifting of responsibilities is that parents no longer have the traditional roles of either being responsible for their children or having the right to direct their children."
Isn't this a parallel to where we have gotten with welfare?
Screw the UN. Screw this liberal socialist administration and those in Congress that support it.
Bob A.
Posted by: Bob A at February 7, 2009 08:30 AM
Everything Obama and the Democrats are doing is oriented to handing over our sovereignty to the UN. What is troublesome is how willing the people and those so called conservative leaders are to comply. The Schools are all indoctrination centers, funded by scare tactics and outright extortion because we let 'nanny' take away our parental rights. I'm more than disgusted but nobody will say no to school levies that are perpetually 'broken' and only need more money. Mediocrity is preferred to excellence, lowering the standard without competition to the lowest levels of cognizance to protect 'their esteem'. BS!!! A lifetime of Ritalin addicts or a society like that in A Clockwork Orange.
Posted by: Jack at February 7, 2009 09:02 AM
The UN is just the end game in what is already going on in the rest of the world, particularly Europe. Here in the United States we already have the government preventing parents from being notified when their daughters have an abortion and knowing who the father is. Schools can teach children revisionist history as well as sexual activity, gay lifestyle, and the goodness of Islam without parental approval.
Now we have Congressional Democrats and B. Hussein Obama creating children's rights as part of the "Stimulus" Bill further putting a big and socialist government in control of children's lives including what and how they think.
How the House Stimulus Bill Undercuts Parental Authority
http://www.heritage.org/research/healthcare/wm2237.cfm
The UN threat is reminiscent of the Hitler Youth movement turning them against their non-party-member parents.
Posted by: Les at February 7, 2009 07:01 PM
Lynn, I agree, well said. If they put this thing though the UN will find out what NO WAY means that is for sure. DITTO all you said Lynn.
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 8, 2009 12:02 AM
Bob A., I agree!
"Screw the UN. Screw this liberal socialist administration and those in Congress that support it."
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 8, 2009 12:05 AM
Jack exactly, you added some good things that are so true!
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 8, 2009 12:09 AM
Les, yes and it happenes little by little so it is not as noticed too. One thing then the next thing and pretty soon it is too late for many.
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 8, 2009 12:11 AM
This should scare the shiite out of all public school families, and the public school teacher's unions vote DEMOCRAT 99% of the time!
Posted by: darthcrUSAderworldtour07 at February 8, 2009 10:40 AM
