Un_Convention

Ratification of the UN Convention for Disabled People This past December the United States Senate lobbied against the UN treaty convention on the Rights of Person with Disabilities (C.R.P.D.) which protects the rights of the of people with disabilities. This promoted disappointment from the White House over what it looks was a Republican blockage of the treaty. The results of the voting were 61-38 in favor of the C.R.P.D., however even though it won by the number to get ratify it needed to get two thirds majority. The big surprise is that this treaty would not change anything in the current US law. The signature of the United States President Barack Obama's could of have made the US the 127th country to ratify the convention, this treaty was created on December 13, 2006 by the UN General Assembly. This treaty was mostly symbolic for the US because the international law already includes most of the items under the Americans for Disabilities Act (ADA) which was created in 1990. White House press secretary Jay Carney commented the following: "We are disappointed that the overwhelming majority of Senate Republicans today blocked the convention... which would enshrine American standards that have been developed through decades of bipartisan cooperation. We hope the Senate will reconsider this treaty soon in the next Congress." Republican lawmakers that opposed the treaty stated that they have several reasons from infringement on US sovereignty or allow the state to dictate the actions of families with children with disabilities. Some as like soon to retire Senator Jon Kyl objected because of "disability diplomacy" on show with the treaty, saying that the country with the world's best record on disability rights to sign a pact that would have no impact on US law and was "not enforceable." Others such as Senator John Kerry (D), who is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told AFP he was "of course" very disappointed with the results. And added that; "It doesn't require any changes to American law, zero." People like Republican John McCain tried to convince wavering Republicans that the treaty would have no legal effect on the United States stating that; "This has no tying of the hands of America; there isn't one law of the United States that would be negatively affected. This will push, it will leverage, it will require other countries by their commitments to be held accountable to the standards that we have set, and take our gold standard and extend it to the rest of the world." Even the attendance of former senator Bob Dole, who is a disabled World War II veteran and a 1996 Republican presidential nominee was not enough to overcome Republican opposition. The United Nations have reported that there are more than 600 million people with disabilities in the world. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid stated; "It is a sad day when we cannot pass a treaty that simply brings the world up to the American standard for protecting people with disabilities because the Republican party is in thrall to extremists and ideologues," Other Rights groups also expressed their disappointment as well. Including Antonio Ginatta, who is the US advocacy director at the Human Rights Watch. "US leadership has been influential in putting disability rights issues on the international agenda, but the Senate vote is a big step backward, This ratification would have provided the framework to advance and promote the rights of people with disabilities globally."