Tuesday, March 8, 2005
It's easy to imagine the discussion that would be taking place this week at United Nations had the Bush administration remained adamant about inserting an anti-abortion amendment in the blueprint for achieving equality for women around the world.
The obvious contradiction between President Bush's goal of spreading Democracy and freedom globally -- women make up more than half the populations of many of the countries on his radar screen -- and the White House's refusal to embrace the equality blueprint would have caused a buzz among the 6,000 representatives of women's and human rights organizations.
The representatives are in New York to mark the 10th anniversary of the U.N. conference in Beijing on the status of women. Indeed, the displeasure over the Bush administration's withholding its support of the equality platform was evident in the jeers that greeted U.S. Ambassador Ellen Sauerbrey when she argued for the anti-abortion amendment. The U.S. was virtually alone in the effort. Nations from Africa, Europe, Latin America and Asia opposed opening up the blueprint drafted by the 45-member U.N. Commission on the Status of Women. The document reaffirms the Beijing platform which dealt with economic, political and educational obstacles to women's equality.
Bad timing
While President Bush has remained firm in his contention that American foreign aid must not be used to provide abortions, even for poor women who often times are viewed as the property of their husbands, his administration's hard-line position at the conference was unfortunate and ill-timed.
Indeed, had Ambassador Sauerbrey not backed down Friday -- she contended she had received assurances that the goals adopted at the 1999 Beijing conference did not create a new global right to abortion -- any initiatives put forth by the U.S. would have been viewed with a jaundiced eye.
Now, however, there is a real opportunity for the nations to join forces in addressing the many inequities women around the world face on a daily basis.
For instance, women comprise nearly half of the world's 38 million people living with HIV and their infection rates in many regions are climbing much faster than men's. That's because in many countries, there are no laws to protect women and girls and give them the ability and confidence to demand that partners wear condoms.
The Bush administration is to be commended for proposing resolutions on economic advancement for women and trafficking, which would urge governments to criminalize prostitution.
There's important work being done in New York City on behalf of the women everyone and the conference must not fall victim to participants pushing an ideological agenda.