Proposed Constitutional Amendment Aims to Secure Parent Rights
August 10, 2013
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EmailRep. Mark Meadows has proposed amending the U.S. Constitution to guarantee parents have the supreme right of educating, caring for, and otherwise directing the upbringing of their children. House Joint Resolution 50, currently co-sponsored by 56 other members of Congress, secures parents the “fundamental right” to choose the form of education they wish for their children, including public, private, religious or home schools.
“This amendment to our Constitution would ensure that these decisions are made not by faceless bureaucrats but by parents who love their children and know them best,” said Meadows (R-North Carolina) in a statement. Similar bills in each of the past four congressional sessions have become known as “parental rights initiatives.” Last year’s version had 85 cosponsors.
Parent rights have come under “very serious attacks by every level of government,” says Heidi Holan, the Illinois State Coordinator for ParentalRights.org, which is spearheading the effort. Common Core requirements, for example, could be challenged on constitutional basis if this amendment was ratified, she said.
The U.S. Senate will soon reconsider a United Nations treaty on disabilities that would give primary