U.S. Capitol This Week May 20-24

U.S. Congress

• Twenty-six congressmen sent a letter to the World Health Organization executive board, warning that entering into official relations with the pro-abortion law firm Center for Reproductive Rights would result in a loss of impartiality and the ability to meet the WHO's true objectives. The congressmen warned to push for defunding the WHO if such relations were pursued. Congressman Andy Biggs, who spearheaded the letter, said:" Promoting unrestricted access to abortion worldwide is highly unpopular with most Americans. Both the WHO and CRR have histories of undermining sovereignty to enforce their globalist agenda in various nations."

• Representatives and parliamentarians from over 15 countries convened on Capitol Hill for the Sovereignty Summit to share their concerns about the WHO’s upcoming Pandemic Agreement. More details on this story will be available next week.

Department of State

• Is the Biden administration meddling in foreign politics? Yes, C-Fam reports. The Department of State, USAID, and the White House have all stated their opposition against a law of the country of Georgia, even though the U.S. itself has similar legislation. The law, which the Georgian parliament approved in the final reading last week, would require media and NGOs to register as "foreign agents" if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad, and has sparked mass protests amid fears the law could threaten press freedom and opposition voices.

• USAID is starting a new project to reduce human trafficking in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Unfortunately, the project will place gender equality and social inclusion at the center of its approach. Also, the Department is pushing for constitutional reforms on human rights and equal access to justice in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, focusing on protecting human rights defenders (pro-abortion and LGBT advocates) to promote gender equality and combat gender-based violence.

  Terminology like “women and girls in all their diversity,” “gender equality,” and “social inclusion” should have no place in law because they are subjective and because they could lead to distract the funds and initiatives from women and girls towards a more diluted approach. This shift in focus risks undermining the specific needs and vulnerabilities of women and girls, who are disproportionately affected by human trafficking. By prioritizing vague and broad concepts, there is a danger that the tangible progress needed to protect these groups may be compromised.

• The State Department honored the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia, and Transphobia. "This year, like every year, we state unequivocally: LGBTQI+ persons deserve recognition of their universal human rights and human dignity." They also condemned the use of so-called normalization surgeries.However, they did not address the very damaging long-term effects that so-called gender-affirming therapy can cause on minors.

White House

The Human Rights Campaign, a pro-LGBT advocacy group, published a new list of initiatives Biden has done for the LGBT community. Most of what he has done is finalize rules for governmental agencies, like the Department of Education or foster care systems, on adding “gender” among the categories one cannot discriminate against. This would make a very “fluid” category, like gender, an imputable offense.

Additionally, the categories protected from discrimination in US law are usually so because of recognized human rights. Yet, international human rights law does not recognize the concept of “gender.” No single United Nations human rights treaty ever mentions the term “gender.” Nor is there any indication in the negotiating history and other preparatory materials of human rights treaties that the notion of “gender” as a legal concept separate from biological sexual identity was ever contemplated concerning human rights. As we pointed out in 2022, the danger of using “gender” in policymaking is that the ones who are forgotten are the least vulnerable, like women and girls.