Better to Light a Candle than Curse the Darkness

On 30 July, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 12-7 in favor of sending the treaty for the rights of women (CEDAW) to the full Senate for a vote on ratification. It has taken many years for this to happen. The vote was bipartisan.

Yea: Biden (D-DE), Dodd (D-CT), Kerry (D-MA), Feingold (D-WI), Wellstone (D-MN), Boxer (D-CA), Torricelli (D-NJ), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Gordon Smith (R-OR), Chafee (R-RI).

No: Helms (R-NC), Lugar (R-IN), Hagel (R-NE), Frist (R-TN), Allen (R-VA), Brownback (R-KS), Enzi (R-WY).

The good news is that those who voted No gave as their reason that they are waiting for the Administration to complete its review of the treaty before taking a final position. We can interpret this as a positive, that they are simply delaying their final decision until they get a final "package" with the reservations, understandings, and declarations the Administration would require for ratification.

This means it is essential that everyone flood the White House with calls about the treaty -- those who oppose CEDAW certainly are making their voices heard there. As you know, the State Department has expressed support for the treaty, but now Attorney General Ashcroft has asked to review the treaty -- (when he was Senator, Achcroft opposed the treaty). The White House needs to hear from you: 202-456-1111.

The Senate goes into recess at the end of this week(end of July 2002). We have our work cut out for us to firm up all the Yes votes in the full Senate. There is a good chance CEDAW will come up for a full Senate vote in October -- Majority Leader Daschle supports this. We're currently developing a strategy for the full Senate. Stay tuned . . .

THANKS to all our great activisits. The battle has just begun, but this is a glorious victory we should all celebrate.

Alexandra Arriaga
Director of Government Relations
Amnesty International USA
202-544-0200, ext. 235
aarriaga@aiusa.org