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U.S. may have to decriminalize prostitution per U.N. Treaty

If the U.S. Senate passes the UN Convention the was adopted by the U.N. General Assembly and has been signed by 165 countries this could force the U.S. to acknowledge voluntary prostitution is a legal women’s choice as well as a women’s right to choose of abortion. If passed the U.S. would have to accept these human rights as the treaty provides.

The following summary is from a religious right group, Concerned Women of America (CWA) who of course oppose any such rights of women and want to keep them from having control over their own bodies.

The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

SOURCE: http://cwfa.org/library/nation/2000-09_pp_cedaw.shtml

The U.N. General Assembly adopted CEDAW on December 18, 1979. President Jimmy Carter signed it in 1980. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed it on September 29, 1994, but the full Senate has not ratified it. So far, 165 countries have signed the treaty, legally binding them to implement its provisions.1

CWA (Strong opponents “Concerned Women of America) is convinced that, if the Senate ever ratifies CEDAW, the federal government would allow it to supersede all federal and state laws, as evidenced by past federal court rulings.4

Part V (Articles 17-22) of CEDAW outlines the creation of a Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women to oversee the implementation of CEDAW in every signatory nation. This Committee consists of "23 experts of high and moral standing and competence in the field covered by the Convention" whom representatives of the Convention signatories elect. This, in essence, places the welfare and well being of American women and families at the mercy of 23 individuals, among whom the United States might not even have a voice.

CEDAW legally binds every signatory country to implement its provisions. After signing, each country must submit an initial report with a detailed and comprehensive description of the state of its women, "a benchmark against which subsequent progress can be measured."5 This initial report should include legislative, judicial, administrative and other measures the signatory nation has adopted to comply with CEDAW. The country must submit follow-up reports at least every four years.

Treaty Provisions Includes

Legalized Prostitution
Article 11, section 1(c) of the treaty upholds "the right to free choice of profession and employment." The Committee has included "voluntary" prostitution in that "free choice"—to the detriment of needy women around the world. It has called upon China to "decriminalize prostitution,"38 expressing concern that it is often the "result of poverty."39 Also, while it urged Germany "to recognize that trafficked women and girls are victims of human rights violations in need of protection,"40 it also expressed concern "that although they are legally obliged to pay taxes, prostitutes still do not enjoy the protection of labor and social law."41 Even more blatant, its report on Greece stated, "While noting positively the fact that prostitution is decriminalized and instead is dealt with in a regulatory manner, the Committee is concerned that inadequate structures exist to ensure compliance with regulatory framework."42

Abortion
Articles 12 and 14 (section 2b) seek "to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women, access to health care services, including those related to family planning." This document was written in the late 1970s, and time has shown that "family planning" rhetoric means access to abortion services.

And we have witnessed how that liberal sexual mentality gave birth to the abortion mentality in the 1970s. The advocates that pushed hardest for the "normalization" of abortion now seek to push it on a global level. CEDAW has been a key tool in doing just that.

The Religious Right’s Fight Against CEDAW

Although President Carter signed CEDAW in 1980, and it passed out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1994, the Senate has not yet ratified this treaty. Much thanks is due to Sen. Jesse Helms (R-North Carolina), chairman of the foreign relations committee. On May 11, 2000, just before Mother’s Day, Sen. Helms introduced a "sense of the Senate" to reject CEDAW because it "demeans motherhood and undermines the traditional family."

Advocates have not ceased in their quest to ratify the treaty, however. On April 12, 2000, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-California) introduced a "sense of the Senate" to hold hearings and act on CEDAW. S.Res.286 had 34 cosponsors.

The U.S. Constitution allows the president to enter into treaties with two-thirds Senate approval. It also requires the Senate to have a quorum, a majority (51), present to conduct business. Thus, with 51 senators present, CEDAW would need a minimum of 34 approving senators to ratify it.43 You can guess who—depending on whether they survive the next election—would attend the vote were CEDAW to come to the Senate floor.

President Clinton issued Executive Order 13107, "Implementation of Human Rights Treaties," on December 10, 1998. He then established an Interagency Working Group, with representatives from major federal departments, to implement America’s alleged "obligations" under U.N. treaties on human rights "to which the United States is now or may become a party in the future [emphasis added]."45

Footnotes deleted but seek link for the more detailed report and footnotes.
This excerpt, with full credit, is being shared under the Fair Use provision of the U.S. Copyright laws and International treaties for educational purposes and for no financial gain.