US Mission to the UN Concerned About Abortion in Beijing Platform
At the 48th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the US mission stated that it might not "reaffirm" the Beijing Platform because of the Bush Administration's concern about "abortion" language in the platform. Instead, the US mission will most likely state that the US "recalls and reiterates" the Beijing Platform.
Ambassador Ellen Sauerbrey, who leads the U. delegation to the CSW, stated that she is "excited about the rights that women are getting in [Iraq and Afghanistan]" and that women's political participation "is a burning issue" for her. Although Sauerbrey stated that "the United States heavily invests in bringing women into the political equation in post-conflict areas, where their voices and vision are critical", the US-backed 25-member Iraqi Governing Council includes only three women.
In response to a Canadian NGO representative who said about women in North America, "if we impose [equal participation] on the oppressed, we should impose it on ourselves," Sauerbrey said that the US tradition "is equality of opportunity." She described her philosophy as "women need to be equally educated on how to run for office"
6/18/2013 Supreme Court Strikes Down Proof of Citizenship Voter Requirements - On Monday, the United States Supreme Court struck down an Arizona law requiring voters to provide proof of citizenship before being allowed register to vote.
In an opinion written [PDF] by Justice Antonin Scalia, the Court ruled that the Arizona statute violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA, also known as the "Motor Voter Law") of 1993, which created a federal form that individuals can mail in to register to vote in federal elections. . . .
6/18/2013 Pakistani Women's University Bus, Hospital Bombed - A bus for a women's university in Pakistan and the hospital that treated victims from the blast were bombed on Saturday, killing 14 students and 24 others at the hospital.
The bus was transporting female students and teachers from Sardar Bahadur Khan Women's University in Quetta, located in the southwestern part of Pakistan. . . .
6/18/2013 Taliban Attack In Afghan Capital As NATO Transfers Power - Yesterday, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) transferred responsibility for the country's security forces to the Afghan government after a bomb blast targeting a political official left three civilians dead in Kabul. . . .
