There’s a new piece of U.S. legislation in the works that purports to help women, but the reality is far different. The International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA), Senate Bill 2982, has a great sounding name. Who, of course, could oppose protecting women against violence? Well that’s what the bill’s sponsors want you to think.
Here are a few things that the bill, if passed, could do:
- help international feminist groups push for U.S. ratification of the unnecessary and dangerous Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)—a treaty that is so radical and unhelpful to women that during the last three decades, regardless of which party controlled either the Senate or the White House (or both), the U.S. Senate has declined to ratify.
- Aid and abet the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as they give support to China’s forced abortion and sterilization efforts (now that’s ending violence against women isn’t it!).
- Create a new office for “Women’s Global Issues” (more tax dollars at work!) which will most certainly have as one of its main goals the strengthening of “reproductive and sexual rights” and will work to make sure that abortion on demand is achieved worldwide.
- Has no language which would ban the funding of prostitution and sex trafficking thus subjecting more women and girls to degradation and suffering.
Read that partial list and tell us where the violence against women and their unborn children is ended by this piece of legislation. This bill could come before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee sometime this week. Contact the committee and tell them that women deserve better.