The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is a treaty which created binding rules of law. In 1995, while acting as the U.S. Delegate to the United Nations (UN), Madeline Albright signed the CRC on behalf of President Clinton and the United States. 193 countries have ratified the Convention, which basically means they accepted it as law. The US and Somalia are the only 2 countries who have not ratified this document. So, what is the CRC and why is America hesitant to accept it as is?
According to UNICEF, the CRC is:
an international treaty that recognizes the human rights of children, defined as persons up to the age of 18 years. The Convention establishes in international law that States' Parties must ensure that all children—without discrimination in any form—benefit from special protection measures and assistance; have access to services such as education and health care; can develop their personalities, abilities and talents to the fullest potential; grow up in an environment of happiness, love and understanding; and are informed about and participate in, achieving their rights in an accessible and active manner.
The Convention provides a universal set of standards to be adhered to by all countries. It reflects a new vision of the child. Children are neither the property of their parents nor are they helpless objects of charity. They are human beings and are the subject of their own rights. The Convention offers a vision of the child as an individual and a member of a family and a community, with rights and responsibilities appropriate to his or her age and stage of development. Recognizing children's rights in this way firmly sets a focus on the whole child. Previously seen as negotiable, the child's needs have become legally binding rights. No longer the passive recipient of benefits, the child has become the subject or holder of rights.
Sounds innocent enough! So, what is the problem? The problem is that this Convention could step in and strip America of basic freedoms. It could override our rights to parent our children as we see fit. For most American parents, this involves parenting and bringing up our children in a loving manner - not in an abusive way. The Convention, if ratified, could step into our country and supersede even our Constitution. There is an effort underway to amend the constitution to protect the rights of loving, caring American parents and their children. According to the Parentalrights.org website, here’s 10 things you need to know about the substance of the CRC and why an amendment is necessary.
• Children would have the ability to choose their own religion while parents would only have the authority to give their children advice about religion.
• The best interest of the child principle would give the government the ability to override every decision made by every parent if a government worker disagreed with the parent’s decision.
• A child’s “right to be heard” would allow him (or her) to seek governmental review of every parental decision with which the child disagreed.
• According to existing interpretation, it would be illegal for a nation to spend more on national defense than it does on children’s welfare.
• Children would acquire a legally enforceable right to leisure.
• Christian schools that refuse to teach "alternative worldviews" and teach that Christianity is the only true religion "fly in the face of article 29" of the treaty.
• Allowing parents to opt their children out of sex education has been held to be out of compliance with the CRC.
• Children would have the right to reproductive health information and services, including abortions, without parental knowledge or consent.
• Parents would no longer be able to administer reasonable spankings to their children.
• A murderer aged 17 years and 11 months and 29 days at the time of his crime could no longer be sentenced to life in prison.
And there’s more:
• Its effect would be binding on American families, courts, and policy-makers.
• A committee of 18 experts from other nations, sitting in Geneva, has the authority to issue official interpretations of the treaty which are entitled to binding weight in American courts and legislatures. This effectively transfers ultimate authority for all policies in this area to this foreign committee.
• Under international law, the treaty overrides even our Constitution.
Following is a draft proposed for amending the Constitution to preserve parental rights in America:
SECTION 1
The liberty of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children is a fundamental right.
SECTION 2
Neither the United States nor any state shall infringe upon this right without demonstrating that its governmental interest as applied to the person is of the highest order and not otherwise served.
SECTION 3
No treaty may be adopted nor shall any source of international law be employed to supersede, modify, interpret, or apply to the rights guaranteed by this article.
