Supreme Gourt of the United States ‘Bastington, B. g. 20503 usmice sana bat GCONNOR eT) November 17, 2010 ‘The Honorable Richard J. Durbin United States Senate Senate Hart Building - SH309 Washington, DC 20510-1304 Dear Senator Durbin, Thank you for your letter of November 5, 2010, inviting me to provide my opinion on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against, Women (CEDAW) In my view, this is an important treaty, and it is appropriate that it be considered by the Senate. CEDAW currently has 186 countries which have ratified, including our closest allies. The United States is the only country to have signed, but not ratified, the Convention. Our non-ratification leaves us in the company of the few remaining non-party countries, including Iran and the Sudan. This is not company we normally keep, and this fact should inform the Senate's consideration of CEDAW. ‘The United States has made great strides in supporting women's rights. I support CEDAW not because I think it would require changes in women's rights within the United States. Rather, ratification of CEDAW would enhance the authority of the United States to advocate on behalf of women's rights in countries, including both CEDAW parties and non-parties, that do not respect women’s rights to the same extent that the United States does. The Senate's failure to ratify CEDAW gives other countries a retort when United States officials raise issues about the treatment of women, and thus our non- ratification may hamper the effectiveness of the United States in achieving increased protection for women worldwide. A number of countries have ratified CEDAW with reservations, understandings, and/or declarations. This number includes countries like Australia, which has a federal system similar in some ways to our own. It also includes France, Germany, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. To the extent that Senators have serious concerns about the substance of particular provisions of the Convention, perhaps their concerns could be addressed with a carefully crafted package of reservations, understandings, and declarations, I commend your subcommittee for its consideration of CEDAW. Sincerely, Sandra Day O'ConnorSandra Day O'Connor (Retired), Associate Justice, was born in El Paso, Texas, March 26, 1930. She received her B.A. and LL.B, from Stanford University. She served as Deputy County Attorney of San Mateo County, California from 1952-1953 and as a civilian attorney for Quartermaster Market Center, Frankfurt, Germany from 1954-1957. From 1958-1960, she practiced law in Maryvale, Arizona, and served as Assistant Attorney General of Arizona from 1965-1969. She was appointed to the Arizona State Senate in 1969 and was subsequently reelected to two two-year terms. In 1975 she was elected Judge of the Maricopa County Superior Court and served until 1979, when she was appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals. President Reagan nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and she took her seat September 25, 1981, Justice O'Connor retired from the Supreme Court on January 31, 2006.