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August 14, 2013
There They Go Again!
On Friday, August 9, the State Department released a John Kerry video and published a new web page promoting ratification of the treaty. Neither featured any new arguments or citable facts. Rather, they echo the same inaccurate arguments that have been pushed since the middle of last year. Still, their publication demonstrates that the State Department is not letting the lack of accurate information halt their push for ratification. Then on Saturday President Obama delivered a speech before the Disabled American Veterans in which he renewed his commitment to the treaty as well. In his comments, Obama said,
“I know
how disappointing it was last year when the Senate failed to approve the
Disabilities Treaty …. But we're going to keep fighting to ratify that
Treaty, because the United States has always been a leader for the
rights of the disabled. We believe that disabled Americans like you
deserve the same opportunities to work and to study and to travel in
other countries as any other American. It's the right thing to do. We
need to get it done.”
Well, there they go again! Unfortunately for treaty proponents, the Administration’s assertions about the treaty do not become truer through repetition. Perhaps the two most frequent claims are that the treaty will help Americans with disabilities when they travel abroad, and that it will not reduce Americans’ parental rights. Here again is the truth on each of these assertions. Ratifying the CRPD will not help Americans with disabilities who travel abroad. The treatment Americans receive in other countries depends on the laws in those countries, not the laws of the United States. (If the opposite were true, the Americans with Disabilities Act would already be protecting Americans abroad.) Chief Justice John Marshall as early as 1825 said, “No principle of general law is more universally acknowledged, than the perfect equality of nations…. It results from this equality, that no one can rightfully impose a rule on another.” This principle is still true today; our ratification of a treaty is only binding on us, not other nations. Their law is based on their own ratification and how they choose to implement it. Ratifying the CRPD will negatively impact parental rights in America. Article 7(2) of the treaty establishes that “[i]n all actions concerning children with disabilities, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.” This “best interests” principle has already been interpreted by international legal scholars as giving bureaucrats the authority to override the decisions of the parent or the child, provided it is in the best interests of the child. Further, its inclusion in the treaty makes it the responsibility of the federal government, and not parents, to determine what is in a child’s best interests.
Action Items
2. Become an official ParentalRights.org volunteer for your area. We can connect you with other volunteers and provide you with the resources you need to mobilize parental rights supporters where you live. Simply complete the form here. If you have any questions, email Grassroots Director David Scheurn. 3. Donate to help ParentalRights.org gear up for the next battle to halt the CRPD, expected this September. Remember that this week your donation of $35 or more gets you a free copy of the Everyday Family Chore Chart System as well. As the push for this treaty heats up again, I hope this email and our website provide you with the answers you need to refute the false claims of those who would subject America to this intrusion. Together we can win again. Thank you for standing with us! Sincerely, Michael Ramey Director of Communications & Research |
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