The bumper sticker on my wife's car reads, "Well-behaved women seldom make history!" I believe proponents of CEDAW, the Women's Treaty, have been minding their manners a bit too much.  CEDAW is the most important international mechanism for women's equality, and provides a universal standard for women's human rights. The treaty is a basic framework for ending violence against women, ensuring girls access to education, and promoting economic opportunity and political participation for women.

US ratification is an opportunity for our nation to be a global leader in standing up for the rights of women and girls in countries around the world.  The United States is the world's only democracy and one of seven nations including Iran, Sudan, and Somalia that has not ratified the treaty. And until we do so, our country cannot credibly demand that others live up to their obligations under the treaty.