HSLDA- Urgent Calls Needed: Senate Committee to hold Hearing on Dangerous UN Treaty

From the HSLDA e-lert service…

Urgent Calls Needed: Senate Committee to hold Hearing on Dangerous UN Treaty 

Dear HSLDA Members and Friends,

Who should make critical decisions regarding the care and raising of children who have disabilities? Their parents or United Nations social workers?

That is the question as the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations holds a hearing on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) Thursday, July 12. This treaty, if ratified by the U.S. Senate, would turn the parent-child relationship on its head by establishing a dangerous new legal standard for dealing with children with disabilities: the best interests of the child standard. The CRPD states: “In all actions concerning children with disabilities, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.” Article 7(2)

This simple sentence means that any decision a parent makes regarding the care, education, or upbringing of a child who has any disability could be subject to review by a social worker, court, or even a United Nation’s official.

We urge you to do two things. First, please call your two U.S. senators and urge them to oppose this dangerous United Nations power-grab. The Capitol Switchboard phone number is 202-224-3121, or you can use HSLDA’s Legislative Toolbox. Second, please call the White House and urge President Obama to withdraw the CRPD. The White House Switchboard phone number is 202-456-1414.
It is not necessary to identify yourself as a homeschooler. Your message can be as simple as the following:

“Please oppose ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It is outrageous that U.S. senators would support a treaty that surrenders U.S. sovereignty and family decisions to unelected UN bureaucrats. Our nation already has laws to protect disabled Americans. This treaty is unnecessary and will hurt families.”

HSLDA Founder and Chairman Mike Farris has written a memo on the dangers to U.S. sovereignty, family freedom, and homeschooling if the U.S. Senate votes to ratify the CRPD. You can read his memo online. In addition, Mike Farris will testify against the CRPD on Thursday.

We encourage you to read the text of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. People with disabilities are precious. Parents who are raising children with disabilities will tell you it is one of the hardest things they have ever done, but also one of the most rewarding things in life. We all want to show our love and care for people with disabilities. This treaty, however, is not the way to do it. There are numerous state and federal laws which protect our precious citizens with disabilities. The CRPD—if ratified by the Senate—would do great harm to disabled children and adults by subjecting parents, families, and caregivers to UN oversight, regulation, and control. For specific harm to homeschool families, you can read our additional research paper.

Thank you for standing with us for liberty.
Very truly yours,

J. Michael Smith, Esq.
President, HSLDA
P.S. Please also forward this email to your family and friends and encourage them to call their U.S. senators. Families, not the United Nations, are best suited to care for their loved ones with disabilities. We don't need unelected international bureaucrats to tell us how to do that.