Parental Rights Amendment Heads to Committee

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June 13, 2012 Parental Rights Amendment Heads to Committee   We get our big chance in just 36 days — our chance to tell lawmakers in Congress why they should vote for the Parental Rights Amendment this year... ...at the House Constitutional sub-committee hearing scheduled for July 19! On Tuesday, June 5, Representative Trent Franks and Senator Jim DeMint introduced the Parental Rights Amendment in the U.S. House and Senate as HJRes 110 and SJRes 42! You and I worked hard to get to this stage of formal introduction represented by these bill numbers, and our 17-month wait is finally over. But the news is remarkably better than I had hoped. I’m incredibly excited to have a House sub-committee hearing scheduled so very soon after the Amendment’s introduction. Our Congressional hearing on July 19th could be the most defining moment of the campaign. It is the gateway that will either open or close our opportunity to win. The purpose of a hearing is for Congress to analyze the issue under a microscope. This hearing is a big deal, and there are three reasons why: First, a hearing such as this has immense historic importance for later interpretation of the Parental Rights Amendment. The hearing gives me, my staff, and our allies the chance to submit to Congress a goldmine of legal research, testimony, facts, documentation, and evidence, which supports and defines our issue. Think of this hearing like a trial — what we do right now builds our “case” and will be used as precedent by courts for generations. What happens on July 19th is not just for the hearing, but for the rest of American history. In the future, when parental rights cases are decided under the Parental Rights Amendment for the first time, the record from this hearing is the first place the courts will look to guide their interpretation. The critical leg-work my staff and I are doing right now will give parents a solid footing in the Congressional record for as long as the U.S. Constitution lasts. Second, the hearing tests the Amendment’s political viability. You and I have already cleared the first “viability hurdle” — we got a scheduled hearing date! Many Constitutional amendments are introduced each year, but very few ever get the privilege of a hearing. This is a symbol of the credibility of the Amendment, and a sign that members of Congress take our issue seriously. But we’ve only cleared the first hurdle. Shortly after the hearing, the House Constitutional sub-committee will vote. If we don’t get enough “yes” votes, the Amendment may simply die there. And our side won’t be alone that day. Opponents who want to undermine the role of parents and kill the Parental Rights Amendment will also get time at our hearing. You can be sure organizations like the ACLU, the NEA, and the Child Rights Campaign — all of the groups that want the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to rule our families — will do everything in their power to kill the Amendment before it gets any closer to passage. They will most certainly implore the sub-committee to vote “no.” We must be able to overwhelm their enormous influence. The third reason this hearing is so crucial is that it tests the Amendment’s viability with the American people. We have to show Congress that our cause resonates with the vast majority of Americans — your friends, neighbors, and fellow citizens. To do this, we must communicate our message far beyond the boundaries of ParentalRights.org’s current base to everyone who values freedom. We must achieve a pervasive presence in every state, every city, every community, and most family dinner conversations. That means we have to run ads, buy lists, and distribute media. We have to command the attention of national news agencies. We have to communicate with bigger groups of all kinds and get them on our side. Together we have made unprecedented progress in this battle, but we can’t afford to underestimate the challenge that lies ahead. Our ability to get votes in Congress doesn’t depend on sweet logic or legal reasoning, as much as I’d like think it does. Instead, we must pull out all the stops to reach every person in America that we can, and get them engaged. As a single organization, ParentalRights.org cannot accomplish this task alone. The people of this great nation must do it with us. It will be expensive to mount this effort, but we have the opportunity of a lifetime. That’s why I’m asking you to go above and beyond your normal contribution today and give as generous a gift as you are able. I must raise significant funds by July 19th in preparation for the hearing and everything that follows. The reality is that ParentalRights.org can only accomplish what our funding allows. With your help, we will finish the fight, starting with our hearing on July 19th. Will you help ParentalRights.org prepare for the sub-committee hearing by sending a generous donation today? I believe the future well-being of the American family hinges on the groundwork you help us lay in the next 36 days. Your gift is crucial to our success. Sincerely, Michael Farris President ParentalRights.org P.S. Your action today will help the Parental Rights Amendment win “yes votes” in the House sub-committee on July 19th, and enable my staff and me to place foundational documents into the Congressional record. The work we do today is not just for this hearing, but for the rest of American history. Please, if at all possible, send your generous gift to ParentalRights.org before July 19 to help us get on a steady path to victory. I hope I can count on receiving your gift in the next 36 days. Because we are a 501(c)(4) organization designed to lobby the government, donations are not tax-deductible.

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