Senate Revisits the 'Women's Treaty'

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, or CEDAW, is getting its third shot at ratification after lying dormant in U.S. Senate subcommittees for the past 30 years. With the Obama administration's support and a Democratic majority in the Senate, the timing for what's known as the Women's Treaty could be right. But even in the best of circumstances, CEDAW will still be up against tough odds.

"It's well known world-wide there's a tremendous amount of obstructionism going on in the U.S., and today, regrettably, this convention is not at the top of the list in the Senate," said Sen. Arlen Specter at a hearing on CEDAW last week before the Senate Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law. ...