two victories

Last Friday, under virtually unanimous international pressure, the US dropped its politically motivated demand that a UN resolution to promote equality for women contain an anti-abortion-rights amendment.
Under intense global pressure, the United States on Friday dropped its demand to amend a declaration reaffirming the U.N. blueprint to achieve equality for women. . .

U.S. Ambassador Ellen Sauerbrey said the United States would join other nations in approving the declaration endorsing the 150-page platform for action adopted at the 1995 U.N. women's conference in Beijing.

The proposed U.S. amendment would have reaffirmed the Beijing platform and a declaration adopted with it — but only "while reaffirming that they do not create any new international human rights, and that they do not include the right to abortion."
But the United States found itself virtually alone, with nations from Africa, Europe, Latin America and Asia all opposed.

The attempt to amend the one-page declaration had overshadowed the start of a two-week review of the Beijing platform that began Monday, angering many of the 130 governments and 6,000 representatives of women's and human rights organizations. They had hoped to focus on obstacles to women's equality in the economy, the family, education and political life — not on the abortion issue.
But then, that assumes the United States government gives a shit about women's equality. Nope, it only cares about fetuses. Fetuses are the most important creatures on the planet. Fuller story here.

And yesterday, the Senate Environment Committee deadlocked 9-9 over Moron's so-called Clear Skies bill. (As Lewis Black says, It will clear the skies - of birds!) The bill will die in committee. Lincoln Chafee, Senator of Rhode Island, was the lone Republican to join one Independent and seven Democrats in voting against the bill. Chafee said: "It just seems a shame to me that Congress is the last bastion of denial when it comes to climate change."

This is a huge victory for everyone who breathes. The administration will keep trying to pass it - either to revive it in committee, or use a procedural trick to bring a vote on the Senate floor, or piggyback it on to some spending bill. Vigilance is important.

To read more about how this legislation threatens our health and environment, go here.

Also, today is National Appreciation Day for Abortion Providers. March 10 is the anniversary of the assassination of Dr. David Gunn, the first abortion provider to be murdered by anti-abortion terrorists. Today the reproductive rights movement remembers and honors Dr. Gunn and others who daily risk their lives to make reproductive choice possible.

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