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.
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." It 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.
-
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.
-
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."
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."
