In C-Fam’s Friday Fax, Samantha Singson writes about pressure on the United States to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child as the CRC celebrates its 20th anniversary. In 1993, Interim columnist Winifride Prestwichanswered a letter-writer’s question about what is wrong with the treaty, noting that it violated numerous age-old rights of the parent. This theme is picked up by Singson:
Conservative groups in the United States, however, point to concerns regarding the ‘rights-based approach’ and highlight problems with the CRC monitoring mechanism. They assert that children should not be totally autonomous rights bearers completely separate from their parents. Opponents are concerned that US ratification of the CRC will erode parental rights and sovereignty.
