Zogby Poll: Americans Strongly Oppose U.N. Threat to Parental Rights

From Citizen Link: 

As Congress plans to reconvene next week, family groups are concerned that liberal Democrats, led by Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, will try to get ratified an international treaty that would threaten the constitutional rights of parents.

At issue: The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) treaty would usurp the U.S. Constitution, and allow U.N. bureaucrats to dictate what is in the best interest of every American child.

A new Zogby poll, however, found that Americans oppose UNCRC and its consequences by a ratio of 12-to-1.  The poll asked probing questions, including:

In general, parents have the constitutional right to make decisions for their children without government interference unless there is proof of abuse or neglect. Do you agree or disagree with this view of parental rights?

Strongly Agree:  73.6%
Somewhat Agree:  20.0%
Somewhat Disagree:  2.6%
Strongly Disagree:   1.6%
Not Sure:   2.2%

If you knew the United Nations treaty on children’s rights would give government broad discretion to overrule parents and decide what it thinks is best for a child, would you support or oppose this treaty, or does it make no difference to your opinion?

Strongly Support:  1.5%
Somewhat Support:  4.9%
Somewhat Oppose:  11.6%
Strongly Oppose:   66.7%
No Difference:   4.5%
Not Sure:   2.0%

To secure parental rights as a fundamental freedom, Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., with the help of Michael P. Farris, president of ParentalRights.org, worked to secure co-sponsors for a Parental Rights Amendment. There are now 156 supporters going into the 112th Congress.

Candi Cushman, education analyst for CitizenLink, said while the poll shows Americans recognize the importance of protecting parental rights and their ability to safeguard their children, the threat is not just international.

“While the U.S. Supreme Court has generally recognized parents’ constitutional rights to direct the upbringing and education of their children, this protection has not been recognized in recent court cases that specifically address what happens in the classroom,” Cushman said. “There continues to be a dangerous trend of parental rights being eroded in our nation’s public school system.”