Politics

Meadows seeks constitutional amendment for 'liberty' in child rearing

By Bill Moss, Published: June 18, 2013

U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows wants to amend the U.S. Constitution to protect children and parents from what he calls government overreach.

"In a time when longstanding truths and traditions are being tested, we must safeguard the right of parents to direct their children's upbringing and education," Meadows, R-Highlands, said in a news release. "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."

Constitutional lawyer and ParentalRights.org president Michael Farris agrees. "Traditionally, the Supreme Court has held that fit parents make decisions that are in their child's best interests," Farris said. "But that presumption is being eroded today in our courts and in U.N. conventions. More and more, judges are making decisions based on what they think is best for the child, rather than respecting the natural right of loving parents to make that call."

The proposed amendment would establish, in part, that "[t]he liberty of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children is a fundamental right." Other sections establish a high legal standard to protect these rights and a safeguard against international law overriding the parental role. This is the fourth consecutive Congress in which the measure has been introduced.