— September 1, 2016
It is time to awaken Pennsylvania lawmakers to the need for parental rights protection. Pennsylvania House Bill 1512, the “Parental Rights Protection Act” introduced by Rep. Will Tallman in August, 2015, would codify under state law that parental rights are fundamental rights. Yet, as the legislature enters its final months, HB1512 still has not gotten any traction. This is largely due to a lack of public outcry for action on the bill.
It is time to change that – but it is up to you to make that happen.
Please take a moment right now to contact your member of the Pennsylvania House and urge him or her to sign on as a cosponsor of HB1512, the Parental Rights Protection Act. Then, forward or share this email with as many friends and neighbors as you can and ask them to act on it as well.
You can find your representative by entering your address at the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s “Find Your Legislator” page: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/findyourlegislator/
Background
The Parental Rights Protection Act is a short and easy-to-read bill that provides that “The liberty of a parent to direct the upbringing, education, and care of the parent’s child is a fundamental right.” It protects this right by requiring the government to “[demonstrate] that its governmental interest as applied to the person is of the highest order and not otherwise served.”
This “strict scrutiny” standard, which requires courts to respect parental rights to the highest possible degree while still allowing the state to prosecute abuse or neglect, is already part of Pennsylvania court precedence.
In Schmehl v. Wegelin, 927 A.2d 183, 188 (Pa. 2007), the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that “any infringement of such [parental rights] requires strict scrutiny review to determine whether the infringement is supported by a compelling state interest and if the infringement is narrowly tailored to effectuate that interest.” HB1512 will not change this standard, but rather add it to the legal code so that it cannot be eroded in future courts.
Take Action
Please take a moment right now to find your lawmaker through the “Find Your Legislator” page, then contact them by phone or email and urge them to sign on in support of HB1512, the Parental Rights Protection Act. You might tell them in your own words that you believe families are best protected when courts respect the traditional right of parents to raise their own children whenever possible. Then ask them to contact Rep. Tallman to become a cosponsor of the bill.
Then, once you’ve called or emailed, pass this message on to as many fellow Pennsylvanians as you can.
Working together, we can gain for parental rights the attention this vital issue so rightly deserves – and improve state law as a result!
Sincerely,
Michael Ramey
Director of Communications & Research
Director of Communications & Research