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This article was posted on the Home School Legal Defense Association web site on Thursday, July 25, 2002

National Action Alert: CEDAW Vote Postponed Again

On Thursday, July 25, 2002, The Senate Foreign Relations Committee again delayed a scheduled vote on the United Nation's Convention (treaty) on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The vote has been rescheduled for Tuesday, July 30. Chairman Joseph Biden has stated that the vote must come now in committee if the full Senate will have an opportunity to take up the treaty in September. We believe that a majority of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will vote in favor of CEDAW on Tuesday.

CEDAW represents an astounding transfer of influence over a nation's domestic policy to the United Nations. It is a direct threat to those Americans who respect the traditional family and American way of life. CEDAW is administered by a 23-member committee of experts at the UN. Given the broad language of the treaty to eliminate "stereotypes" and "traditional roles of women," it is conceivable that the freedom of home schoolers could be in jeopardy. Let me illustrate why we are so concerned. In 1999, the CEDAW Committee recommended the decriminalization of prostitution in China. It has expressed concern that Belarus celebrates Mother's Day, and lectured Armenia on the need to "combat the traditional stereotype of women in the noble role of mother." The Committee has stated that too many Slovenian mothers were staying home to raise their children. It has urged the nation of Andorra to order a review of textbooks concerning sex education used by the Catholic schools, given that a majority of young women attend Catholic schools in that country. The Washington Times reports that earlier this year the CEDAW committee criticized Belgium for failing to achieve recommended political quotas for that country. In response, Belgian officials announced a new law reserving 50 percent of all candidate slots for women.

Over 200 years ago, America fought a war so that we could decide issues of domestic policy for ourselves. We should not give this hard-fought right over to anyone other than our own elected representatives. Unlike some other nations, our Constitution places ratified treaties equal to the provisions of our Constitution and its bill of rights. CEDAW represents a direct threat to our nation's sovereignty.

Action Requested

At this time, we urge all HSLDA members to contact the majority leader of the Senate, Tom Daschle of South Dakota, and the Senate minority leader, Trent Lott of Mississippi, and tell them that CEDAW should not be considered for ratification.

We also urge everyone to call their Senators and urge them not to ratify CEDAW.

To contact Senator Daschle, Lott and your Senators, you may access their number at www.hslda.org/toolbox , or contact the Capitol Switchboard at 202-225-3121.

Feel free to pass this email around to your friends and family as well. Our sources on Capitol Hill tell us that many Senators are on the fence about CEDAW. We need to convince them how dangerous this treaty really is.

Background

HSLDA Issues Folder on CEDAW
http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/issues/U/UN_Women.asp

Washington Post: Senate Panel to Defy Bush, Vote on Women's Treaty
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21765-2002Jul17.html

The Washington Times: Review to 'delay' women's treaty
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020726-27598864.htm

Thank you for standing with us for freedom!

From the HSLDA today:

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Passes CEDAW

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed this morning, July 30, 2002, the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). This vote in favor of the treaty was not unexpected. We are pleased that some of the Senators which were "on the fence", came our way in the final hours. We are confident that your calls helped make the difference. The Senate now goes out of session until September. We will be in touch as we work on strategy to see to it that CEDAW is not ratified by the full Senate. Chairman Joseph Biden (D-DE) has indicated his intention of seeing the treaty ratified this fall. The following Senators voted in favor of the treaty at the Committee level: Biden (DE), Sarbanes (MD), Dodd (CT), Kerry (MA), Feingold (WI), Wellstone (MN), Boxer (CA), Torricelli (NJ), Nelson (FL), Rockefeller (WV), Smith (OR), Chafee (RI). The following voted to oppose the treaty in the Foreign Relations Committee: Helms (NC), Lugar (IN), Hagel (NE), Frist (TN), Allen (VA), Brownback (KS), Enzi (WY).