Over 250 people stood in line to enter the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law Hearing on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Chair of the Subcommittee, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) instructed an additional room to be opened to handle the overflow crowd. To emphasize the importance of CEDAW, leaders from many women’s organizations, including the Feminist Majority Foundation, NOW, YWCA USA, National Women’s Law Center, and Leadership Conference on Civil and Human rights, attended. Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor showed her strong support for the ratification of CEDAW in a letter to Senator Durbin. She wrote, “ratification of CEDAW would enhance the authority of the United States to advocate on behalf of women’s rights in countries, including both CEDAW parties and non-parties, that do not respect women’s rights to the same extent that the United States does.” Melanne Verveer, the United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, actor Geena Davis, who appeared in Beetlejuice, The Fly, and Thelma and Louise, and Marcia Greenberger of the National Women’s Law Center testified in support of ratifying CEDAW. The Heritage Foundation testified against CEDAW.
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