AFR News: Parental Rights- Farris: We Face Two Battles in Congress

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June 13, 2013

Farris: We Face Two Battles in Congress

Dear Champion of Parental Rights,

We have received some truly alarming news, especially in light of the story coming out of Scotland: the U.N.’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is being brought back before the U.S. Senate! The internationalists won’t let one defeat stop them.

The other side is determined to pass it before the next election, so we must prepare for a critical battle. If we don’t want to follow Scotland’s model of a social worker for every child, we must win this crucial campaign. I’ll tell you more about that in a moment, but first, here is some good news.

If you’ve seen our recent email newsletter, you know that Congressman Mark Meadows of North Carolina has agreed to sponsor the Parental Rights Amendment. He now has 33 cosponsors with whom he plans to introduce it in the House next week!

For two reasons—key support and timing—we are in a much better position than last year when the Amendment received its first Congressional hearing. Key pieces of our strategy have started to align in Congress.

In addition to our chief sponsor Mark Meadows, the Amendment again has the support of Congressman Trent Franks of Arizona, who chairs the Constitution Subcommittee. Not only that, but the chairman of the full Judiciary Committee was a 2010 cosponsor, and he has assured me face-to-face of his continued friendship when his Committee takes up the Amendment.

There’s one more key factor at play—the Amendment will be introduced a year earlier in this session of Congress than it was in the last one. Last July, though our House hearing was a big step forward, it occurred too late in the two-year session to go anywhere before adjournment.

But this year, our allies on Capitol Hill will have more time to schedule the Amendment for a vote, first in the Constitution Subcommittee and then in the full Judiciary Committee. Congressman Franks has already promised to schedule another hearing, and I believe committee votes will follow in short order.

All of this means that you and I are in solid shape to move the Amendment forward and make greater gains than we’ve ever seen. And not a moment too soon, either.

Unfortunately, an imminent but familiar threat has just re-appeared on the horizon. Two weeks ago in a face-to-face meeting, senior staff for the Republican leadership of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee told me that a series of three hearings on the CRPD is planned to start sometime in June.

These hearings will launch the second campaign in twelve months by our Senate opponents to ratify the Convention. They are obviously very serious, and their drive to ratify this treaty is very troubling.

I’m sure you need no reminder about the dangers inherent in this treaty, and the havoc it will wreak on U.S. law if our Senate opens the door to this nefarious overreach of power. As I wrote to you recently, our opponents likely view the CRPD as a foot-in-the-door to pass other dangerous treaties like the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

This bold move demonstrates just how shameless proponents of international law can be to get what they want—that in their effort to gain power they would drive a bureaucratic wedge between parents and their children with disabilities.

On the other hand, our opponents’ timing reveals an important weakness: they have only a small window of time in which to catch Americans largely unawares! Last July speedy ratification was almost a given for them, and then their effort was miraculously dragged out for more than five months and finally defeated in a vote in December.

As ParentalRights.org and our allies spread the truth about the substance of the treaty, Senators who want it know they may continue to lose vital support in the next election—or even sooner. Their initial advantage, the element of surprise, is slipping.

But a cornered animal is also the most dangerous and unpredictable, and I believe we have yet to see the most difficult moments of this particular battle. When the Senate narrowly defeated the CRPD less than six months ago, it was by a margin of only 4 votes. Our opponents believe there are some shaky commitments on our side and they hope to see that number shrink even more in the near weeks ahead. If they’re right, our margin to win will be too close for comfort.

We must simply defeat their efforts.

You and I won this fight once against incredible odds, and I know that with prayer, tenacity, and hard, hard work we can win again.

Last year, July 22nd—the anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)—was the target date for passing the CRPD. We have been told that this is their target date for passage again this year! We only have a few short weeks before things come to a head.

In the past several months my staff and I have met with veterans and disability groups who initially supported the CRPD but are now learning of its effects, and we’ve stayed in close contact with leaders in the Senate who are working to block the treaty.

But none of this would be possible without your generous help. As we focus on this great opportunity to pass the Parental Rights Amendment, and strive to win round II of the CRPD fight, ParentalRights.org will rely on you now more than ever. Two big efforts are going to happen virtually at the same time, and we must ensure that our strength is not spread thin.

You understand what’s happening in this country (and around the world!), and you’re among the few I can count on for help at a moment’s notice.

That’s why I’m asking you to make a generous donation right away that will strengthen our position in these two big fights. The financial war chest of those who oppose us is large and powerful, but I know that you can help us overcome that challenge.

There has never been a better time to help. Please send your most generous gift to ParentalRights.org today.

Sincerely,

Mike Farris
President

P.S. Unless you and I act immediately, two critical opportunities to protect and advance our goal of protecting families will slip through our fingers. Right now it’s not too late to protect parental rights in this country, but we simply can’t delay. Your generous donation right away will help keep ParentalRights.org on a steady path to victory. I sincerely hope I can count on your generous help.

Because we are a 501(c)(4) organization designed to lobby the government, donations are not tax deductible.

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