On the recordNovember 27, 2012
I rise to discuss the importance of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. I wish to thank Senator Kerry and Senator Lugar for their outstanding leadership on this important treaty, as well as Senator Harkin, my neighbor to the south, for all he has done for people with disabilities. For many years I have served on the advisory board of Pacer, which is one of the Nation's greatest organizations for parents of kids with disabilities, and saw firsthand what so many families go through every day, the incredible courage and the love they show for their children and the inspiration so many people with disabilities bring to our country. To paraphrase Minnesota's own ``happy warrior,'' Hubert Humphrey, the moral test of a government isn't just how it treats the young, the healthy, and the able bodied, it is also how it treats the sick, the elderly, and the disabled--those in need of a little extra support. That may be the moral test of a government, but I believe it is also the moral test of a people and the moral test of a country. Today, I call on all my colleagues to vote to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for two simple reasons. First of all, ratifying this treaty is about protecting the rights of U.S. citizens who are living with disabilities overseas. Right now, thousands of Americans with disabilities, including our men and women in uniform, live, work, study, and travel abroad.…
