Political Quotes

“I rise today to speak in opposition to the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. I understand it is a sensitive topic, one about which many of my constituents on both sides of the issue have strong feelings. Certainly most of us, if not all of us, have a family member or friend with a disability, and all of us live in a society that includes the disabled as highly valued members of our communities. I have heard from advocacy groups consisting of people who hope and believe that this treaty will protect disabled Americans as they travel abroad and as they go about their lives. But I have also heard from parents of disabled children who are concerned that this treaty, in adherence to the ``best interests of the child'' standard in article 7, will threaten their rights as a parent to determine the best education, treatment, and care for their disabled children. Proponents of this treaty will dismiss those concerns as myth, but I simply cannot support a treaty that threatens the right of parents to raise their children with the constant looming threat of State interference. If this vote and this treaty were in fact about protecting the rights of Americans with disabilities, then I might have a different position and the debate today would take on a very different tone.…”