Lacy Pessagno's letter to The Pilot on Nov. 6 tells us that we should look at the Convention on the Rights of the Child through different lenses. Might I suggest hers need cleaning?
To suggest that the 122 countries that have signed on to this treaty (including every UN member except for the United States and Somalia) have forfeited their sovereignty is absurd. And picking on the Dutch is ironic.
The Netherlands has the lowest rate of teen pregnancy in Western Europe. UNICEF rates the country No. 24. Guess who's No. 1 in teen births: the United States, with a rate more than nine times higher than the Dutch. I'm not sure we're in a position to give advice on that subject.
As to alcohol and drugs, Dutch parents are not at all permissive and are as alarmed by teenage drug use as American parents.This treaty has been around for several years. Have you yet to hear of a case involving the denial of any country's sovereignty? No, and you won't, because that's not what this is about. Ignorance is in no one's interest. Our children need facts to help them develop into functioning, secure adults. Age-appropriate sex education is vital if we are to keep them safe from sexual predators, sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies. The abject failure of abstinence education in this country should be a warning about education by fairytale. It's sad that so many Americans are afraid of new ideas. Take the time to learn about this treaty and see if you can find any threat to our country in it. And if you do, maybe you'd like to explain how all the other UN member nations (except Somalia) missed it.
Jim Heim
Vass
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