Louisiana Legislature Unanimously Endorses Parental Rights Amendment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE//June 15, 2010//Baton Rouge -- The Louisiana House of Representatives yesterday voted unanimously to urge Congress to pass the Parental Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution. The House vote of 93-0 followed the April 29th vote of 34-0 approving the same measure in the Louisiana Senate.  The parental rights resolution was championed by Senator Gerald Long and Representative Jonathan Perry as lead sponsors. 
The measure cites concern over the erosion of traditional parental rights in recent Supreme Court decisions which have "created confusion and ambiguity about the fundamental nature of parental rights." 
The Louisiana measure (SCR 38) calls on Congress to approve the Parental Rights Amendment which is pending in both houses of Congress. There are currently 137 co-sponsors in the U.S. House, including five from Louisiana, and seven co-sponsors in the Senate, including Senator David Vitter from Louisiana.  
Louisiana congressmen Steve Scalise, John Fleming, Charles Boustany, Rodney Alexander, and Bill Cassidy are all co-sponsors of the Parental Rights Amendment in the U.S. House.  Representatives Joseph Cao and Charlie Melancon have not sponsored the constitutional protection for parents.  Senator Mary Landrieu has also remained on the sidelines concerning the protection of American parents. 
With yesterday's vote, Louisiana became the second state to call for the passage of the Parental Rights Amendment.  The legislature of South Dakota passed a similar measure on March 10. 
"Louisiana's legislature has decisively proven that support for parental rights is a bipartisan position.  We are extremely pleased with the leadership shown by Louisiana's law makers," said Michael Farris, President of Parentalrights.org. "We just hope that their representatives in both the House and Senate will pay attention to the voice of both the citizens and the state leaders of Louisiana on this important issue."
The text of the Parental Rights Amendment reads:
SECTION ONE: The liberty of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children is a fundamental right.
SECTION TWO: Neither the United States nor any State shall infringe upon this right without demonstrating that its governmental interest as applied to the person is of the highest order and not otherwise served.
SECTION THREE: No treaty may be adopted nor shall any source of international law be employed to supersede, modify, interpret, or apply to the rights guaranteed by this article.