April 4, 2009

U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, has introduced a bill with 70 congressional co-sponsors that would amend the Constitution to explicitly state that parents, not government or any other organization, have a fundamental right to raise their children as they see fit.

"In the President�s first address to a joint session of Congress, he stated that there is �no program or policy that can substitute for a mother or father,�" Hoekstra said. "I agree wholeheartedly."

The most effective means of protecting the parent-child relationship is by securing an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The proposed amendment (H.J.Res 42) places the text preserving parents� rights into the text of the Constitution, ensuring that the child-parent relationship remains protected for generations to come.

"The right of parents to raise their children as they see fit is under direct attack by government and the courts," Hoekstra said. "The Parents� Rights Amendment is about preserving that right for parents as opposed to empowering policymakers either in Washington or any other organization."

More information can be found at the newly created Web site www.parentsrights.us.