In 1995, Hillary Rodham Clinton led the U.S. delegation to the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. And she did so in the face of an onslaught of criticism from conservatives who viewed the conference as a "shindig by radical feminists."
Catholics denounced the conference as "anti-family." Human rights advocates charged that her attendance was an "endorsement of China's repressive system."
They said she was polarizing.
The New York Times wrote:
Speaking more forcefully on human rights than any American dignitary has on Chinese soil, Hillary Rodham Clinton cataloged a devastating litany of abuse that has afflicted women around the world today and criticized China for seeking to limit free and open discussion of women's issues here. . .
Continuing with references to domestic violence, genital mutilation, coercive abortions and sterilizations, Mrs. Clinton told the delegates from more than 180 countries, "If there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, let it be that human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights, once and for all."
Read Hillary's entire speech at The Feminist Majority Foundation.
Photo Credit: UN/DPI 051210 Yao Da Wei
First Lady Hillary Clinton Beijing China Women's Rights Feminist News Democratic Primary Gender Politics Misogyny
