Hijacking the Agenda

'Hijacked. That's the best word to describe what happened at the U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, where women from around the world met to discuss common problems.

'Sadly, radical feminists and lesbians hijacked the non-government organization conference for their own selfish agenda. And they did the same at the U.N. conference.

'Instead of discussing real life problems -- like forced abortion in China, forced female circumcision (genital mutilation) in parts of Africa and in some Moslem countries, physical violence against women and girls, or equal employment and education opportunities for women throughout the world -- the conference deteriorated into a CESSPOOL of advocacy for lesbianism, legalized prostitution, male-bashing, and anti-religious bigotry.

'It's a shame that so many women from around the world came to Beijing with legitimate needs and hopes, only to see radical feminists take over. But I'm not surprised. From the very beginning, this conference was the pawn of the leftist, radical forces. So much so that when a delegate from Kenya stood up one day and spoke in defense of unborn children, she was booed and hissed into silence.

'What real women around the world need is a strong voice declaring that true liberation and equality comes from the inalienable rights granted to all beings by our Creator God. This conference would have served women better had it worked for REAL SOLUTIONS to the REAL PROBLEMS facing women, instead of letting a small minority of leftist radicals hijack the agenda.

'What's even more troubling is that the same feminists, such as Bella Abzug and Donna Shalala, pushed their MISGUIDED agenda at the official conference and received a warm welcome.

'Hillary and Bill Clinton sent a U.S. delegation packed with feminists who were out of touch with real American women. They were bent on cramming their strident rhetoric and anti- family agenda into the official U.N. platform document issued at the end of the conference. Shame on the President for allowing our delegation to be hijacked by such radical forces who do not represent traditional American family values.

'Meanwhile, many of the women at the conference, especially those from developing countries, returned home to a life of oppression and discrimination. And we lost a wonderful opportunity to encourage, support, and empower them. All because a fringe minority successfully hijacked the agenda in order to impose their anti-family, anti-woman, anti-religion, pro-abortion crusade.