• You May Have Heard
• Take Action
• Further Background

You May Have Heard:

Take Action:

2) Send an email or letter to Sen. Helms (ph: 202-224-6342, 228-1339 fax, or jesse_helms@helms.senate.gov) letting him know that he is doing a great disservice to the women of America and to the image abroad of the United States.

3) Send your thanks to all the Representatives who took part in the attempt to move CEDAW forward.  They are (all at area code 202): Democratic Reps. Nancy Pelosi (CA) at 225-4965 or sf.nancy@mail.house.gov, Corrine Brown (FL) at 225-0123 through her website at http://www.house.gov/corrinebrown, Jan Schakowsky (IL) 225-211l or jan.schakowsky@mail.house.gov, Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX) at 225-8885 or rep.e.b.johnson@mail.house.gov, Stephanie Tubbs Jones (OH) at 225-7032 or Stephanie.Tubbs.Jones@mail.house.gov, Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (MI) at 225-2261 or fax to 225-5730, Tammy Baldwin (WI) at 225-2906 or tammy.baldwin@mail.house.gov, Nita Lowey (NY) at 225-6506 or nita.lowey@mail.house.gov and Patsy Mink (FL) at 225-4906 or fax her at 225-4987.  Rep. Lynn Woolsey (CA) at 225-5161 or lynn.woolsey@mail.house.gov deserves a special thanks.

Further Background:

The House delegation entered the hearing room quietly bearing a placard with the names of 100 members of Congress who had signed the request, but upon seeing the group Helms stopped the hearing, scolded Rep. Woolsey and asked the Capitol Police to "Escort them out!"  Adding insult to the abrupt treatment, Helms told Rep. Woolsey to "Act like a lady!"  The Senator's ungentlemanly behavior is to be severely criticized; Helms should have, at least, accorded their presence polite respect as fellow members of Congress.  The treatment is perhaps an indication of how much the Senator fears women having political power.

Sen. Helms as chair of the relevant committee has doggedly refused to hold hearings on ratification of CEDAW, a 1979 United Nations accord, which has been ratified by 165 countries, but not the United States.  Helms is said to be vehemently opposed to CEDAW.
In addition, Helms has rebuffed administration efforts to have his committee consider the nomination of former Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun's (D-IL) as Ambassador to New Zealand.

It should also be remembered that for years the Democrats who controlled the Senate dragged their feet on CEDAW ratification.  Hearings were not held until 10 years after CEDAW was drafted; three more years elapsed until 68 senators signed a letter to President Clinton, asking him to take necessary steps to ratify the convention. In 1993, Secretary of State Warren Christopher signaled at the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna that the administration would move forward on CEDAW and other human rights treaties. A year later, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 13 to 5 to to pass the Convention out of committee, but the measure was not brought to a floor vote before adjournment of that session. The Democrats then lost control of Congress and it seems fairly obvious that the Republican leadership is content to let Sen. Helms block ratification.