Treaty turnabout insults women Bush getting advice from Ashcroft on UN bill of rights

President Bush talks a lot about how the United States liberatedthe women of Afghanistan from the repression of the Taliban.

But he's not applying the same standard to other countries,including our own.

Seven months ago, the Bush administration endorsed the UnitedNations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of DiscriminationAgainst Women. Last winter, the Bush administration told the Senatethat this document was "generally desirable and should be approved."

But earlier this month, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell wrotethe Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the Bush administrationis concerned about the treaty's "vagueness" and "complexity" and hasasked for a review by the Justice Department.

It is most disappointing that Bush is seeking the advice ofAttorney General John Ashcroft on the international bill of rightsfor women. Throughout his public career, Ashcroft has been hostile tothe political empowerment of women.

During the late 1970s, when Ashcroft was Missouri attorneygeneral, he opposed the Equal Rights Amendment. He even filed afederal lawsuit against the National Organization for Women, claimingthat they didn't have the right to organize a boycott of states thathad not ratified the ERA.

Ashcroft's frivolous lawsuit was rejected by the U.S. DistrictCourt. This decision was upheld when Ashcroft went to the U.S. Courtof Appeals. He then went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which refused tohear his case.

Right-wing activist Phyllis Schlafly, who was aligned withAshcroft in his opposition to the ERA, is seeking to defeat thewomen's rights treaty.

Bush is pandering to his party's right wing in allowing Ashcroftto have input in the decisionmaking about this human rights treaty.Ashcroft is hostile to women's rights. As governor of Missouri, hetwice vetoed funding to help victims of domestic violence. He alsovetoed legislation that would have provided maternity leave to newmothers. Ashcroft also fought to restrict a woman's right toreproductive choice.

As a member of the U.S. Senate, before he was defeated for re-election two years ago, Ashcroft was opposed to the women's bill ofrights. It is insulting to women that Bush has asked Ashcroft toreview this treaty, which the administration previously supported.

Bush showed similar poor judgment in imposing a gag rule oninternational family planning programs.

As the only industrialized nation that has failed to sign theWomen's Convention, the United States has lost credibility as anadvocate for human rights. Afghanistan, Iran and Syria are among thenations that haven't ratified the treaty.

Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), the ranking Republican on the SenateForeign Relations Committee, blocked the treaty's ratification on theflimsy argument that "it is a terrible treaty negotiated by radicalfeminists with the intent of enshrining their radical anti-familyagenda into international law."

That's nonsense.

As Senators Joseph R. Biden (D-Del.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)have argued, the failure of the United States to ratify this treaty"undermines our credibility as a leader in international humanrights. How can we demand that India and Pakistan work harder to stopbride-burning and the so-called honor killing of women by theirfamilies?"

If Bush is truly committed to the political and economicempowerment of women, he should sign this treaty that has beenapproved by 169 nations.