US Senate revives UN disability treaty, fate uncertain

The United States has lagged behind other nations in ratifying a global disability-rights treaty, but the Senate may yet approve the international measure this year, defying conservative opponents.
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), adopted in 2006 by the United Nations, was signed by President Barack Obama in 2009. To date it has been ratified by 137 countries, including China, Pakistan, and most of Europe.
The convention sets fundamental rights for the disabled, including education and health care rights equal to those enjoyed by able-bodied people.
It also invokes freedom from employment discrimination and access to transport and public buildings, committing signatory nations to uphold such principles.

The CRPD fell six votes short in the 100-member Senate, where a two-thirds majority is required for passage of international treaties.
Some Republicans said it was a case of bad timing; the treaty's introduction violated a principle of not debating major measures just before inauguration of a new Congress in January.

Even though it was modeled on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) -- the landmark legislation which enshrined disability rights in the country and helped improve conditions around the world -- critics said the treaty would infringe on US sovereignty.
Senator Orrin Hatch went so far as to warn on the Senate floor in July that ratifying CRPD "would endorse an official ongoing role for the United Nations in evaluating virtually every aspect of American life."

But supporters said they sense renewed momentum, and one of the treaty's main Republican proponents, Senator John McCain, said some in his party who opposed it last year "are giving it consideration."
"We're talking to a lot of people about it," McCain told AFP yesterday. "We are working the issue."
The committee on Tuesday held the first of two hearings on the measure, with its Democratic chairman Senator Robert Menendez saying he hopes for a vote by year's end.
"It won't be easy, but if we can get the Senate to listen to the facts instead of the fear-mongering, I'm confident we can get there," Menendez told the hearing.

"We're making an all-out effort to try to achieve success this time."
He said ratification was a matter of maintaining US leadership on the issue.