As public school begins this year, chilling news has been reported from our nation’s capital: The legally-binding United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child issued in 1989 to establish “rights” across the world for citizens under the age of 18, will infringe upon the rights of the parents.

Under this treaty, “parents would no longer be able to administer reasonable spankings to their children,” the government couldn’t sentence teenagers to life in prison, kids could get sex-ed and birth control if they wanted it, and children would be able to choose their own religion. It sounds as if the treaty would give children more rights but as we come to understand what this treaty says, (which the U.S. has not signed yet) we find that parent’s right to raise their children would be taken away.

Case in point: In 2005, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found in the case of Fields v. Palmdale School District “that the Meyer-Pierce Right (which is parents to direct the upbringing of their children) does not exist beyond the threshold of the public school door.” That is a very strong statement and absolutely outrageous. The Palmdale School District gave first, third and fifth grade children a sex-education questionnaire asking sexually explicit questions and required them all to fill it out. According to this court decision, parents were not given the right to refuse their child filling out this form.

As our freedoms are being stripped away, we need to fight the rights of all parents to raise their children as they seem fit. What ever religious conviction or moral standard they hold, parents have the right to teach and encourage virtuous ideals to their children. No school district should ever override parents’ ideals. No U.S. court should ever favor a school district sex-education questionnaire over parents’ rights to protect their own children.

But there is good news on the horizon. As of last week, there are 31 Republican senators cosponsoring a resolution which opposes this UN Convention on the Rights of the Child called “The Parents Rights Amendment” (SJ. Res. 16) and over 141 Congressmen co-sponsoring HJ Res. 42 of the same name amendment. A conservative group called ParentalRights.org has been pushing for this to be passed which states that, “The liberty of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children is a fundamental right.”

These Senators claim that the UN convention “undermines traditional principles of U.S. law and calls the signing of this treaty contrary to principles of self-government and federalism.” If our own Senators and Congressman can see the danger in parents losing the right to raise their children, then certainly we should support them in their efforts.

The fight for parents’ rights is heating up as the count of Senators and Congressman signing this amendment rises which will give back to parents their basic right to be parents. A right, which never should have been taken away in the first place.

Loxley resident Valerie J. Steimle is now the author of four books. Her latest, "Dogs, Blogs and Hobbits: Writings from a Widow's Perspective" is available on Amazon.com. Contact her at valeriesteimle@yahoo.com or visit her website at www.stregthenyourhome.com.