RFP Staff
♦N.C House Bill 711, The Parental Rights Bill, sponsored by Rep. Carl Ford and Rep. Larry Pittman is an act to define fundamental parental rights by statutory law. The act states: “The liberty of the parent to direct the upbringing, education, and care of his or her child is a fundamental right. Neither the State nor any agency or locality of the state shall infringe on a parent’s rights to the care, custody, and control of his or her child without demonstrating that its governmental interest as applied to the person is of the highest order and not otherwise served.
In a Nutshell, according to a document posted on the Parentalrights.org, what does the parental rights bill do?
•The bill is intended for the courts, and defines the right of parents to raise their child as a fundamental right.
How would this law help North Carolina children?
• Just as strengthening a community’s law enforcement helps protect the citizens within that community, this law would “protect children by empowering parents”
• The parent–child bond is often framed as a “parental rights issue, but it can also be framed as a children’s rights issue.
• Thus, this law would protect North Carolina’s children’s right to be raised by their parent within the time-honored bonds of the family unit.
If North Carolina is not having a current problem, do we need this law?
• Yes. Nationwide many government officials are making continuous efforts to expand government intrusion at the expense of family autonomy and parental prerogatives.
• This proposed law will prevent the erosion of the fundamental parental rights from infecting North Carolina’s courts. Although North Carolina’s courts currently appear in general to be upholding a high standard as a matter of judicial interpretation, that could easily change when new North Carolina Supreme Court Justices are elected.
• The underpinnings of parental rights are currently established through jurisprudence and do not enjoy the additional layer of protection afforded through legislative enactment.
To learn about the Parental Rights movement:
http://www.parentalrights.org/
