Who's Afraid Of International Law?

Treaties are common sense tools that get things done. They make international air travel safe and ensure global mail and phone communications work. They outlaw deadly weapons and ozone-destroying chemicals. Treaties fight illegal drugs, and promote basic values such as ending child labor or the use of child soldiers. The Chemical Weapons Convention, ratified in 1997, is helping to eliminate Syrian chemical weapons. However, the Senate has fallen victim to several groups who are fearful of international law as something "foreign" and "unAmerican" despite many treaties being based on U.S. experience and law. These groups undermine the U.S.’s influence on global problem solving and put our nation in an uncomfortable and often embarrassing situation. For example, the U.S. is the only nation in the world with a functioning government that has not ratified the Rights of the Child Convention and is one of only seven nations, including Iran, Sudan, and Somalia that has not adopted the Women’s Equality Treaty (CEDAW).

1. The Heritage Foundation

The Heritage Foundation steadfastly denounces women’s rights, calling treaties like CEDAW unnecessary and not helping to advance US interests. The Foundation also actively denies climate change and the need for international laws and regulations to limit carbon emissions, stating there is little if any proof that the “dominant driving force behind climate change is human-induced GHG emissions”. Furthermore, the foundation actively preaches against ratifying the CRPD treaty, which is dedicated to reaffirming the rights of disabled persons, instead claiming that the treaty would “violate American sovereignty."

2. The Cato Institute

The Cato Institute actively campaigns against govermental regulation regarding climate change on both the national and international levels, calling it an issue "hardly worth worrying about." Additionally, the institute demonstrates a great lack of care towards those with disabilities, stating that the CRPD treaty "deserves rejection" in all circumstances.

3. Fox News

Fox News strongly advocates against international policy to regulate climate change, calling the EPA's recent rollout of new carbon emission regulations a grave mistake that will only "contribute to sluggish economic growth in America." The news network also urges the Senate to refuse to ratify CEDAW, stating that its ratification would give an "intrusive, corrupt, non-elected foreign body -- the U.N. -- the power to sculpt American laws and institutions into the image of gender feminism."

4. The Koch Brothers

Since 1997, the Koch brothers have donated over $62 million to groups that deny climate change. It is no surprise that this set of brothers wish to deny that climate change exists: They own and operate Koch Industries, an oil corporation which rakes in billions of dollars each year! The Koch brothers have also recently given over $8 million to the Concerned Women for American Legislative Action Committee, which actively campaigns against the ratification of CEDAW, claiming it would "limit Americans’ freedom to make personal, professional and political decisions."

5. Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute

The Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute is staunchly against the ratification and implementation of international treaties. Recently, they have denounced the CRPD treaty, calling it, "Unfriendly to Sovereignty, Family and the Unborn", and have made it clear that they do not support women's rights, claiming that CEDAW will force US laws to be amended.

6. The John Birch Society

The John Birch Society firmly opposes efforts on both the national and international levels to help stop climate change. Most recently, they have denounced the EPA's new proposal to regulate greenhouse gas emmisions, calling it an "unconstitutional overreach" that would only harm American businesses. The society is also against the creation and expansion of the International Criminal Court, which it labels as the "Court of Injustice." Moreover, the society opposes the CRPD treaty, stating that the treaty is merely a disguise for the Obama administration to institute "a broad range of international mandates."

7. The Family Research Council

The Family Research Council firmly rebukes a variety of international treaties. It attacks the CEDAW treaty, stating that it "could be one of the greatest threats to parents' rights that no one knows about." The council also opposes the CRPD treaty, claiming that its ratification would be a "dangerous surrender of sovereignty to the UN."

8. The Eagle Forum

The Eagle Forum blatantly rejects international law and treaties. It sharply rejects the CRPD treaty, declaring it to be "dangerous to national sovereignty and limited government." The Forum also advocates strongly to un-sign CEDAW.

9. RightMarch.com

Rightmarch.com claims that all international law, including the ratification of treaties like CRPD, will "STEAL U.S. sovereignty, USURP parental authority, and ENFORCE “abortion rights” in America." The extremely conservative organization also staunchly denies climate change, and believes that even if it did exist, governmental action by the Obama Administration, EPA, or UN, could do NOTHING to stop it.

10. FreedomWorks

FreedomWorks opposes nearly all governmental action, on both the national and international levels, to create regulation to curb the effects of climate change. It calls the EPA's newly proposed regulations to curb greenhouse gas emmisions a "drastic overreach", and states that climate change ought not to be addressed. It also opposes the CRPD treaty, ludicrously claiming that it will "hurt families with disabled children."

What can you do?

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