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February 7, 2008
Dear HSLDA Members and Friends:
I am writing to you today about obtaining permanent protection
for our rights as parents. For nearly 25 years, HSLDA has focused on
defending the right of parents to home educate their children. We
have met with great success in this effort, and we have seen God’s
hand of blessing on thousands of families as the homeschooling
movement has progressed.
After all, this movement was built upon the firm belief that
parents possess a God-given right to direct the upbringing and
education of their children. And I know that you’ll agree with me in
saying when that right is under fire, we must do whatever we can to
protect it.
Parental Rights are in Jeopardy
A “perfect storm” that could literally demolish the rights we
value so deeply is approaching on the horizon. If these threats
persist, we could soon be looking at the demolition of the parental
role, and an upsurge of government intrusion in family life.
Even though parental rights are recognized as a fundamental right
under current Supreme Court doctrine, there are two threats to the
recognition of this principle.
The Threat from the Federal Courts
Today an increasing number of Supreme Court justices refuse to
recognize that parental rights are a fundamental right. In the 2000
case of Troxel v. Granville, only four of the nine Supreme
Court justices expressly agreed that the Constitution “protects the
fundamental right of parents to make decisions concerning the care,
custody, and control of their children.” Two of these
justices—then-Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justice Sandra Day
O’Connor—have since left the Court.
Even Justice Antonin Scalia, a noted conservative, holds that
parental rights are not judicially enforceable at all until there is
a specific parental rights provision in the Constitution.
The Threat of International Law
Even as the recognition of parental rights is fading within the
federal courts, international law which diminishes parental
authority is approaching possible ratification. The growing use of
international law in American courts offers a frightening glimpse
into the future. If the United Nations Convention on the Rights of
the Child (UNCRC) becomes binding on this country, then parental
rights as we know them will be erased. This international treaty
provides for the government to define what is in the “best interests
of the child,” supplanting the parent as the ultimate decision
maker.
Moreover, if the UNCRC is ratified, all state laws which
recognize the right to homeschool will be superseded by
international law if international tribunals or American courts
think that such education is not in the “best interest of the
child.” We would do well to remember the example of Germany on this
point.
There is Only One Solution
I am convinced that there is only one solution to this attack on
the child-parent relationship: We must amend the Constitution to
permanently secure the rights of parents. The Parental Rights
Amendment is the only way to protect and preserve the rights of
parents to make key decisions for their children, as well as to
direct their upbringing and education.
The only way that we can accomplish this goal is to gain the
nationwide support of millions of parents like you. We need to raise
our voices to safeguard the child-parent relationship. And we need
to be organized and vocal so that Congress will listen.
It’s the Battle of Our Lifetime
The battle for parental rights will be the fight of our lifetime.
That’s why I am turning to you for support as we launch this vital
campaign.
The process of amending the Constitution is both long and
challenging. Our goal is to have a substantial number of
Congressional co-sponsors before the Parental Rights Amendment is
even introduced. Ultimately the amendment requires final approval of
two-thirds of both the House and the Senate. Once passed by
Congress, the amendment must then be ratified by three-fourths of
the states.
We Need a Groundswell of Support
As you can see, passing the Parental Rights Amendment is not
going to be easy. But it is completely possible. If we can find
10,000 people within each congressional district who are willing to
contact their congressmen and senators on this issue, then we can
gain a favorable response from most members of Congress. We are
referring to these individuals as Citizen Co-sponsors. Our goal is
to find 10,000 Citizen Co-sponsors in at least 80% of the
congressional districts in the country. While this number may seem
daunting, it is clearly attainable. In fact, if each HSLDA member
recruits 40 people to become Citizen Co-sponsors by signing the
petition, we will reach this goal.
The bottom line is this: we need a groundswell of support and
activism from our HSLDA members. That’s why I am asking you to do
two things right away.
1. Join ParentalRights.org
You can become a Citizen Co-Sponsor simply by signing the
petition for parental rights on ParentalRights.org.
But I am asking you to take this one step further.
I am challenging you to join the campaign.
With a gift of $25 or more, you can become a member of
ParentalRights.org. There are two reasons why we urgently need your
financial support. The first and most obvious reason is that
building the infrastructure to secure a Constitutional amendment
requires a substantial amount of money. Second, under existing
federal law we can only send detailed information about the
political implications of this effort to dues-paying members.
Therefore certain communications will only be given to our
dues-paying members rather than those who have only signed the
petition.
2. Get your friends and neighbors involved
I’m asking you to enlist your friends and family to visit
ParentalRights.org, and encourage them to join the campaign. Our
user-friendly Tell
a Friend application enables you to upload email addresses from
your address book, and easily inform friends of the importance of
the campaign. Growth is essential during the early stages of this
effort, and that support needs to start now.
We need grassroots support from dedicated parents in all 50
states to ensure the smooth passage of the amendment. I firmly
believe that the homeschooling movement is the key to victory in
this massive effort. We’ve come a long way in the last 25 years… but
there is so much more ahead.
I’m challenging you to join the fight
today.
Sincerely, 
Michael P. Farris
Chairman, Home School Legal Defense
Association
President, ParentalRights.org |