EPPiC Broadcast

This week, we welcome Vivek Sankaran and Michael Farris to the podcast. Vivek is a professor of law at the Michigan University School of Law and Director of their Child Advocacy Law Clinic.  Michael is a constitutional law scholar, founding president of ParentalRights.org, and the former CEO and president of Alliance Defending Freedom.

Although they come from different sides of the political spectrum, Vivek and Michael both submitted amicus briefs arguing against termination of parental rights in a recent case that went before the Michigan Supreme Court Today, these two experts explain why they both weighed in on this case in favor of family preservation.  

The EPPiC Broadcast is hosted by Michael Ramey, president of the Parental Rights Foundation. You can sign up for email alerts to keep yourself informed on parental rights news at https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/get-involved/.

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This week, we have the privilege of hosting not one, not two, but three guests! We speak with Jim Mason, the president of the Home School Legal Defense Association, Kathleen Creamer, the managing attorney at Community Legal Services’ Family Advocacy Unit, and Martin Guggenheim, the founder and retired co-director of New York University School of Law’s Family Defense Clinic.

These longtime experts in their fields spend some time with us today discussing best practices for parents and important things to know if CPS shows up at your family’s door.

The EPPiC Broadcast is hosted by Michael Ramey, president of the Parental Rights Foundation. You can sign up for email alerts to keep yourself informed on parental rights news at https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/get-involved/.

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This week, we're rewinding to a conversation with Vivek Sankaran from June 2021. 

When faced with a struggling family, bystanders can be quick to call CPS, not realizing that child protective agencies often aren't equipped to help families and rush to punish them instead. 

Vivek Sankaren is working to reform this broken system and provide families with helpful, high-quality legal care in the midst of CPS cases. Vivek is a clinical professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School, where he heads a program to educate future lawyers.

 In this week’s episode, Jim and Vivek talk about the work Vivek is doing to help create a more supportive and humane child welfare system - a system that actually helps families instead of harming them. 

The EPPiC Broadcast is hosted by Michael Ramey, president of the Parental Rights Foundation. You can sign up for email alerts to keep yourself informed on parental rights news at https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/get-involved/.

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This week, our guest is Melissa Moschella, professor of practice and philosophy at Notre Dame University’s McGrath Center for Church Life. Her areas of expertise include natural law, biomedical ethics, and the family, especially parental rights. She’s also the author of To Whom Do Children Belong: Parental Rights, Civic Education, and Children’s Autonomy. 

This week, Melissa tells us about a pivotal Supreme Court case about parental rights and education that’s turning 100 next year: Pierce v. Society of Sisters. Melissa argues that, while the Supreme Court has generally held to a narrow interpretation of this case in the subsequent years, a broader interpretation would better safeguard parental rights in public and private educational settings. 

The EPPiC Broadcast is hosted by Michael Ramey, president of the Parental Rights Foundation. You can sign up for email alerts to keep yourself informed on parental rights news at https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/get-involved/.

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This week, our guest is Nicki Neily, the founder and president of Parents Defending Education. Parents Defending Education is a national grassroots organization working to preserve parents’ voices in their children’s public school education. Today, Nicki tells us how she came to found this organization and about the important work it is doing. 

The EPPiC Broadcast is hosted by Michael Ramey, president of the Parental Rights Foundation. You can sign up for email alerts to keep yourself informed on parental rights news at https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/get-involved/.

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What does the recent Star Wars show The Acolyte have to do with the flaws in our real-world child welfare system? As it turns out, more than you might think! 

This week, our guest is Josh Gupta-Kagan, a clinical professor of law and director of the Family Defense Clinic at Columbia University’s School of Law. Today, Josh discusses his recent article for The Imprint, in which he draws connections between the actions of Jedi knights in a galaxy far, far away and the actions of child welfare officials much closer to home. 

The EPPiC Broadcast is hosted by Michael Ramey, president of the Parental Rights Foundation. You can sign up for email alerts to keep yourself informed on parental rights news at https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/get-involved/.

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Our guest this week is Angela Burton, founder and co-chair of the New York City Narrowing the Front Door workgroup. Angela is also the founder of the Repeal CAPTA workgroup. Previously, Angela has worked within the New York State child welfare system and she currently works closely with families navigating the system. 

Today, Angela tells us about the goals and work of the Narrowing the Front Door and the Repeal CAPTA workgroups, plus her insights for her years of experience in working to help parents and families in the child welfare system. 

The EPPiC Broadcast is hosted by Michael Ramey, president of the Parental Rights Foundation. You can sign up for email alerts to keep yourself informed on parental rights news at https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/get-involved/.

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This week, we talk with Jackie Rosario, board member at the Indian River Public School Board in Florida, and Patti Sullivan, Parental Rights Foundation State Coordinator in Florida. The Indian River Public School Board recently passed a proclamation declaring October “Parental Rights and Appreciation Month.” Jackie and Patti tell us about how they passed the proclamation, why it’s important, and other work they’re doing for parental rights in Florida.

The EPPiC Broadcast is hosted by Michael Ramey, president of the Parental Rights Foundation. You can sign up for email alerts to keep yourself informed on parental rights news at https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/get-involved/.

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Today, we welcome Jane Anderson onto the podcast. Dr. Anderson is the Vice President of the American College of Pediatricians, and author of the paper “The Teenage Brain: Under Construction.” She gives us a crash course on how the teenage brain functions, and shows how science supports the idea that teenagers’ brains are not mature enough to make informed decisions yet on medical treatment and other important life decisions. She highlights the crucial role that parents play during these years as their children’s brains are learning how to fully function, and provides practical ways that parents can support their teenage children. 

The EPPiC Broadcast is hosted by Michael Ramey, president of the Parental Rights Foundation. You can sign up for email alerts to keep yourself informed on parental rights news at https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/get-involved/.

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This week’s guest is Vivek Sankaran, a professor of law at the Michigan University School of Law and Director of their Child Advocacy Law Clinic. Vivek recently argued two cases in front of the Michigan Supreme Court, which highlight the harms of permanently terminating parental rights without considering other ways to preserve the parent-child relationship. Vivek argues that if a child is in a secure situation, and is benefitting from their parental and familial relationships, courts should not immediately assume that taking away the parent’s right to be in the child’s life is in the child’s best interest. 

The EPPiC Broadcast is hosted by Michael Ramey, president of the Parental Rights Foundation. You can sign up for email alerts to keep yourself informed on parental rights news at https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/get-involved/.

Support the show