UNCRC Article 3: From "Father Knows Best" to "Government Knows Best"

Here in the United States we have experienced a level of freedom and protection of individual rights that other nations have not enjoyed. Throughout the 200 years that this country has existed, the people of the United States have had to stand up for their rights. Today, once again, those rights are under attack. In this blog post we are going to look more closely at two dangerous sections from Article 3 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

Article 3 section 1 states:

"In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration."

This is commonly referred to as the "Best Interests Principle", but what it illustrates is a shift of decision-making power from the parent to the state. You see, this gives the state the power to decide what is in the best interests of the child. Past court decisions (Troxel vs. Granville) have found that parents, except for in cases of proven abuse, have the best interests of their child at heart. Despite our own court’s findings, if this treaty is ratified, our nation will be bound to uphold the treaty. It would completely shift the power of the family from the family to the government. This is exactly what the Founding Fathers hoped to avoid by placing so many limitations on the federal government's power when they crafted the constitution.

Article 3 section 2 states:

"States Parties undertake to ensure the child such protection and care as is necessary for his or her well-being, taking into account the rights and duties of his or her parents, legal guardians, or other individuals legally responsible for him or her, and, to this end, shall take all appropriate legislative and administrative measures."

It is clear that the treaty removes the power of deciding the best interests of the child from the parents. This section clearly illustrates that the "States Parties" decide what is in the best interest of the child. I don't believe anyone loves my son more than I do, and I don't think that anyone else, especially the State, is going to have his best interests at heart more than me. In fact, the State's interests will most likely not match up with what I believe is in my son's best interests. I don't believe that teaching global warming is more important than teaching ethics and morality. I don't believe that religion is meant to be removed from schools. I don't believe my son needs to be learning about sexual relationships from a school counselor. You see, the government would disagree with my opinion of my son's best interests. Yes, the alarm bells should be going off in your head. The government should not be deciding what is in your child's best interests. It flies in the face of the constitutional freedoms we hold dear.

Our Founding Fathers created a government based on a balance of power. It was unlike any other government of its time - they didn't look at other countries to figure out what to do. They did not follow the social trends of the day and in doing that, the founders created one of the most amazing and successful governments in the world. Considering our country's history, why sign something just because all of the other governments have done it? I'm sure you're familiar with the phrase, "If everyone else were jumping off of a bridge, would you?" Yet when asked about the treaty, President Obama answered, "It's embarrassing to find ourselves in the company of Somalia, a lawless land," Obama said. "I will review this and other treaties to ensure the United States resumes its global leadership in human rights." I don't think the answer that "everyone except for Somalia has ratified it" is a good enough reason for ratifying a treaty that overrides our constitution and flies directly in the face of the personal liberties that the men and women in our military fight so hard to protect. The UNCRC treaty removes the carefully crafted balance of power and hands the majority of the power over to the government. We might as well tear down our country with our own hands if we stand by and let this treaty be ratified.

So what can you do? Visit the Parental Rights website and sign the petition to create an amendment that will protect our rights as parents. If you've done that, be vocal with the parents you know. Tell them about this treaty. I believe most parents would object to this treaty—if they only knew about it. It's time to remind the government that they work for the people of this country, we don't work for them and we don't have to justify our everyday parenting decisions to the government. The government may think they know better, but Father will always be the best one to decide what is in the "best interest" of his child!

This article is the second in a series of 10. To read the first article follow this link: An Attack on Parental Rights