Bob Dole has been pushing for a few years to get Congress to sign the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) at the United Nations. Sadly, America is one of ONLY three countries that haven’t ratified the treaty. You know it’s bad when Bob Dole has to publicly shame other Republicans to get them to do something that is obviously completely bipartisan and agreeable. Ironically, the treaty was modeled after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which Dole helped pass when he was a Senator. In addressing the issue, Dole said:
“It’s a shame the only countries who haven’t ratified that treaty are the Congo, Guyana and the United States of America, and we are the leader in disability issues and dealing with the problem. Hopefully this year we will be able to pass that treaty so that our UN representative, who is a wonderful person, Samantha Power, will have an opportunity to tell these other countries how much we’ve accomplished in America and hopefully they will do the same.”
President Obama signed the treaty in 2009. Unfortunately, due to Republican obstruction, and a general unwillingness to cooperate with any progress the United Nations is making, it fell FIVE VOTES short. All Republican. Even more ironic, one of the sponsors to get the treaty passed in Congress, Senator Jerry Moran, voted against it. What a shame for the millions of Americans who have disabilities.
Republicans have claimed that the treaty will limit American sovereignty, even though the treaty is modeled after the ADA. It’s obvious that they really don’t want the treaty to pass because the credit for passing international protocols like the CRPD tends to go to the president, and Republicans certainly don’t want the president making any progress internationally on behalf of individuals with disabilities. What a shame.
