New Documentary Exposes the Threats to American Parental Rights

/PRNewswire/ -- ParentalRights.org and Watchman Cinema are proud to announce the release of "The Child: America's Battle for the Next Generation" on Saturday, November 20, 2010.

The 90-minute documentary explores the current state of parental rights in America. The goal of the production is to bring awareness to the seldom-visited issue of parental rights. With the grassroots efforts of ParentalRights.org, over 300 venues have been booked to premiere this compelling documentary on or around November 20, with the hopes of educating the general public.

"'The Child' will fill this void of unawareness by explaining the situation," Director Grace Tate wrote on the documentary website. "… [Parental rights] are not just an issue – this is a battle for the future."



In 2009, President Obama's administration vowed support for a variety of UN bodies and treaties including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. With the "best interest of the child" standard outlined in the Convention pushed by Senator Barbara Boxer (CA), U.S. Representative to the UN, Susan Rice, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the treaty would grant the government authority to override parental decisions at the state level.

"The Supreme Court held parental rights at a high level in 1925 with Pierce v. Society of Sisters," Farris explains. "But in 2000, the Court really messed up with Troxel v. Granville when parental rights were deemed non-fundamental."

Under the Supremacy Clause (Article VI) of the U.S. Constitution, ratified treaties preempt state law. Since virtually all laws in the U.S. regarding children are state laws, this treaty would negate nearly 100% of existing American family law. The U.S. Constitution is silent on the subject of parental rights, leaving them unprotected against activist judges or the federal treaty power.

"The government gets to decide what is best for children on any subject whatsoever," Farris says. "That's how the Convention works; the government wins all the time."

Featured in the film are interviews with professors, congressmen, coalition leaders, parents and children hailing from all across the country. The Watchman production team, comprised of homeschooled students and graduates from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, traveled for months gathering interviews and conducting research on this topic with professional movie-quality equipment.

Parental rights are an issue that motivated many activists in this month's elections, while going largely uncovered by the national media. With close to 160 Congressmen already committed to the Parental Rights Amendment in the House for the 112th Congress, the Amendment promises to be on the agenda in both the House and the Senate next year.

The first premiere will be held at Blue Ridge Bible Church in Purcellville, Virginia on Saturday, November 20. The event is free of charge and open to the public. Preview the trailer at www.parentalrights.org/TheChild.