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Bush Administration May Turn Its Back on Controversial UN Women's Declaration
US Newswire | February 26, 2005 | FreeManDC

Posted on 02/26/2005 8:45:16 AM PST by FreeManDC

Another U.S. Withdrawal at the United Nations? Leaders to Bush Admin.: U.S. Must Reaffirm Historic Women's Human Rights Agreement

2/25/2005 12:15:00 PM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To: National Desk

Contact: Nancy Bennett, 800-834-1110, or Ketayoun Darvich-Kodjouri, 202-326-8720

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Leaders from human rights and women's development organizations are sounding the alarm about the possible U.S. withdrawal from a historic women's human rights agreement currently under review at the United Nations.

Governments are gathering in New York City over the next two weeks to revisit women's progress since the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women met in Beijing in 1995. The U.S. was a leading architect of the Beijing Platform for Action, where 189 countries committed to advancing universal education for girls, ending violence against women, and ensuring access to lifesaving reproductive health care, among other critical issues.

Late yesterday, in quiet negotiations out of the public eye, the Bush administration signaled to other nations that it would not unequivocally reaffirm the commitments made by the United States to the world's women a decade ago.

"I am extremely concerned that the U.S. will withdraw its support for women's human rights on the world's stage," said June Zeitlin, executive director of the Women's Environment and Development Organization. "This is in stark contrast to our government's rhetoric supporting women's rights in Afghanistan and Iraq, and would be a terrible step backward."

"The U.S. should reaffirm, not retreat from, women's rights and equality. Globally, this is about saving women's lives," said Eleanor Smeal, president of Feminist Majority.

It was at the 1995 Beijing Women's Conference that women around the world took up the rallying cry: "women's rights are human rights." An estimated 6,000 women from non-governmental organizations are expected to join the government delegations at the upcoming review of women's status since the Beijing meeting. The ten-year review takes place February 28-March 11 at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

With concern for the U.S. position, more than 30 U.S. organizations sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice late last week to urge the Bush administration not to withdraw from the U.S. pledge made at the Beijing Women's Conference. Leaders noted that the Beijing review was Secretary Rice's first official opportunity to speak about women's rights. They asked Secretary Rice for help in shoring up the U.S. commitment to global women's rights.

"With world governments gathering to discuss women's rights, the United States has an important opportunity to renew its leadership," said Alex Arriaga, Amnesty International's director of government relations. "We urge the Bush administration to keep the U.S. pledge to advance human rights for women."

More information on the ten-year review of the UN Beijing Women's Conference, and a copy of the letter to Secretary Rice, is online at http://www.PLANetWIRE.org.

------

Amnesty International; Center for Health and Gender Equity; Center for Women's Global Leadership; Feminist Majority; U.S. Committee for UNFPA; Women's Edge Coalition; Women's Environment and Development Organization

http://www.usnewswire.com/

-0-


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government
KEYWORDS: bush43; csw; feminism; feminists; term2; un; unfpa; women
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1 posted on 02/26/2005 8:45:18 AM PST by FreeManDC
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To: FreeManDC

just because men disagree with the radical feminists, does not mean that men are against equality.


it means that men are against socialism.


2 posted on 02/26/2005 8:48:32 AM PST by ken21 ( warning: a blood bath when rehnquist, et al retire. >hang w dubya.< dems want 2 divide us.)
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To: FreeManDC

This is a trick by the UN to impose abortion on the world. We should not support it.


3 posted on 02/26/2005 8:49:22 AM PST by Unam Sanctam
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To: FreeManDC

If Eleanor "pap" Smeal is fer it - I'm agin it.


4 posted on 02/26/2005 8:49:37 AM PST by leadpenny
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To: FreeManDC
the Beijing Platform for Action

Are they referring to the ChiCom mandatory abortions to enforce the one-child policy or perhaps infanticide when the child born happens to be a girl?

5 posted on 02/26/2005 8:50:21 AM PST by peyton randolph (CAIR supports TROP terrorists)
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To: FreeManDC
Yawn.

America actually liberates women. The UN talks about it.

6 posted on 02/26/2005 8:50:45 AM PST by Dog Gone
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To: FreeManDC
So what have we got here? The leftist view of womens rights or the Iraqis and Afghanis view? I vote we go with the Iraqis and Afghani's on this one.

BTW where are these so-called womens groups on Iraq and Afghanistan? I think you know the answers.
7 posted on 02/26/2005 8:51:13 AM PST by Tarpon (Hate is not a plan for America)
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To: FreeManDC

Hill's baby as I recall.

More here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/785345.stm


8 posted on 02/26/2005 8:52:21 AM PST by yeetch! (Enjoy the good times!)
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To: FreeManDC

YES!!!!!

Kofi annan tries to piss on the USA by trying to organize a global security force under UN control, tries to LIE and say the UN did the initial relief work for the Tsunami disaster. (if you watched the BBC you never even knew the USA was there, it was all UN cooooordinated.)

GW Bush MUST keep kicking the UN. They obviously have not learned their lesson.


9 posted on 02/26/2005 8:53:34 AM PST by longtermmemmory (VOTE!)
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To: yeetch!

Oh, yeah, as I remember, Hillary was right at home with the Chi-Coms.


10 posted on 02/26/2005 8:55:07 AM PST by leadpenny
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To: Tarpon
BTW where are these so-called womens groups on Iraq and Afghanistan?

Where were they when Saddam's regime was raping, torturing and murdering women?

As I recall they were all busy standing "shoulder to shoulder" showing support for Bill Clinton.

11 posted on 02/26/2005 8:56:27 AM PST by Fido969
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To: FreeManDC
It was at the 1995 Beijing Women's Conference that women around the world took up the rallying cry: "women's rights are human rights."

This statement is wrong. Human rights are human rights. Women possess those rights, but they have no right to anything more or anything less. The previous conference was just an opportunity for Hillary and her cohorts to sit around squawking about what they wish could be. We have no reason to support the furtherance of her demented wishes. If the president goes through with reducing support for that nonsense, he will have done a very good thing for this nation and this world. Applause to President Bush.

Bill

12 posted on 02/26/2005 8:56:44 AM PST by WFTR (Liberty isn't for cowards)
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To: FreeManDC
These activist should try telling the Arab world how to treat their women.

Then they better run for their lives. ;-)
13 posted on 02/26/2005 8:57:34 AM PST by cgbg (Jodi, Stop Pooping In The Living Room!)
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To: FreeManDC
Didn't Hitlery attend this as the U.S. Rep? Didn't she refuse to see some Chinese pro-democracy activists or something? Is this where she hugged Mrs. Yasser Arafat? I don't know why I seem to remember that . . . but even if she didn't, this is the kinda radical nonsense the Klintoons gave to us, along with Kyoto, the World Court, and other who-cares-about-American-sovereignty BS.

Supported by . . . Amnesty International; Center for Health and Gender Equity; Center for Women's Global Leadership; Feminist Majority; U.S. Committee for UNFPA; Women's Edge Coalition; Women's Environment and Development Organization; Blah, blah, blah.

As an aside . . . I don't profess to know squat about ALL the issues this pertains to but if these folks are for it, I suspect it ain't in our best interest.

14 posted on 02/26/2005 9:01:36 AM PST by geedee (You're a Patriot when a half-masted Old Glory makes you grieve, and Old Hillary makes you heave.)
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To: geedee

OOOOOpppppsssss! LOL. I should've read ALL the threads and I'd known about Hitlery.


15 posted on 02/26/2005 9:02:47 AM PST by geedee (You're a Patriot when a half-masted Old Glory makes you grieve, and Old Hillary makes you heave.)
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To: FreeManDC
"The U.S. should reaffirm, not retreat from, women's rights and equality. Globally, this is about saving women's lives," said Eleanor Smeal, president of Feminist Majority.

I am not sure the 100 million aborted girls would agree with that assessment.

16 posted on 02/26/2005 9:05:40 AM PST by Always Right
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To: Always Right
I have never thought about it in that way. That is a very powerful statement that you have made there, Always. Just shores up the hypocrisy of the pro choice/womens movement.
That is a full seven course dinner under the food for thought heading.
17 posted on 02/26/2005 9:16:09 AM PST by MKM1960
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To: FreeManDC
Is President Bush "turning his back" on a UN resolution... The same UN that's involved in the slave sex trade? That UN?

Mark

18 posted on 02/26/2005 9:40:31 AM PST by MarkL (That which does not kill me, has made the last mistake it will ever make!)
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To: FreeManDC
The most recent U.S. statement of position, for example, asserts “parental rights” to make reproductive health decisions for adolescents, stresses U.S. support for abstinence-only sex education, and reserves the U.S. position on sexual rights.

These are some of the areas where the U.S. position differs from the existing agreement.

19 posted on 02/26/2005 9:46:21 AM PST by layman (Card Carrying Infidel)
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To: FreeManDC
"The U.S. should reaffirm, not retreat from, women's rights and equality. Globally, this is about saving women's lives," said Eleanor Smeal, president of Feminist Majority."

err....retreat? What are you smoking you twit?


20 posted on 02/26/2005 10:13:30 AM PST by Donald Rumsfeld Fan ("Memos on Bush Are Fake but Accurate". NYTimes)
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