U.S. Capitol This Week August 5-9

White House

Kamala Harris picked Tim Walz as her running mate. Walz’s consistent support for “abortion rights” has drawn sharp criticism from pro-life advocates. He signed a piece of legislation that codifies abortion rights in Minnesota up to the point of 24 weeks of pregnancy. The Governor's vocal advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights has further widened the ideological chasm and signed legislation protecting “gender-affirming” health care.

Congress

The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing on the question of “gender apartheid.” Stefano Gennarini of C-Fam testified on the legal consequences of including the word “gender” in discussions of a new international treaty on crimes against humanity currently being discussed in the General Assembly. Officials, politicians, religious leaders, and other public figures who hold traditional views on sexuality could be accused of gender persecution. Gennarini said, “This puts a target on religious people around the world who believe in the complementarity of the sexes, including Catholics, Christians of all stripes, Muslims, and Hindus.”

Department of State

USAID launched its Digital Policy for 2024-2034 intending to reduce digital harm to “children, youth, women, and LGBTQI+ persons, as well as gender-diverse and gender-nonconforming individuals.” Critics say that initiatives such as the Misinformation Early Warning System (MEWS) which gathers and analyzes social media data to “detect” misinformations, could be used to suppress dissenting voices or controversial opinions.