It's Time to Mobilize for Parental Rights in Maine

ParentalRights.org’s Michael Ramey meets with Maine Reps. Espling (right) and Sampson

Dear Parental Rights Champion in Maine,

It is time to mobilize for parental rights here in our state!

A public hearing for the Maine Parental Rights bill, LD 472, has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 2, at 1:00 p.m. in room 438 of the State House in Augusta. This is our chance to voice our support for protecting families in our state by preserving the role of parents in directing the upbringing, education, and care of their children.

If it is possible for you to be in Augusta on Tuesday, here’s what we would ask you to do:

Be ready to share a brief testimony (no more than 3 minutes – really short!) of why you believe parental rights should be protected. Write up your testimony beforehand and have 20 copies ready to distribute.

Also, you’ll need to email a copy to the Judiciary Committee just prior to the hearing date (that is, email it on Monday). You can find a list of the committee members here, including links to their email addresses.

Your testimony doesn’t have to be elaborate, and no one is grading you on it. You just have to be sincere in your stand for parental rights.

Of course, if you are not able to share testimony, we would still invite you to attend the hearing in support of parental rights.

And if you are not able to be in Augusta on Tuesday at all, please stay tuned. We anticipate needing additional emails or phone calls of support in the next couple of weeks. Be watching for future notices with more details.

Note: The bill as it currently appears on the Maine legislative website is not the bill as it will be discussed on Tuesday. The language as originally drafted would serve as a “shared parenting” bill rather than as a fundamental rights bill. But the bill’s author, Rep. Espling, plans to present an amendment on Tuesday based on the language to be found here, which will replace the current version. ParentalRights.org fully supports this amended version of the bill.

Thank you for standing with us and making your voice heard for parents throughout our state!

Sincerely,

Ed and Kathy Green
Maine State Coordinators