Provides an introduction to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and examines the key issues of debate with respect to US ratification. This book explores many of the overarching themes that arise in the context of US consideration of the Convention, or any other international instrument for that matter.

Contributors; List of Abbreviations; PART I; Chapter 1: Overview, Jonathan Todres, Mark E. Wojcik & Cris R. Revaz; Chapter 2: An Introduction to the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, Cris R. Revaz; Chapter 3: Analyzing the Opposition to U.S. ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, Jonathan Todres; Chapter 4: The Effect of U.S. Ratification as a "Self-Executing" or as a "Non-Self-Executing" Treaty, Linda A. Malone; Chapter 5: The Family-Supportive Nature of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, Barbara Bennett Woodhouse; Chapter 6: The Changing Status of the Child, Barbara Bennett Woodhouse; Chapter 7: Beyond Other Treaties: The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Value of a "Dedicated Line", Merle H. Weiner; Chapter 8: U.S. Ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child: Federalism Issues, Cathy L. Nelson; PART II; Chapter 9: Anti-Discrimination Guarantees Under the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child-Issues and Impact for U.S. Ratification, Daniel L. Skoler; Chapter 10: Article 3(1): The Best Interests of the Child, Elizabeth Mason; Chapter 11: The Right of the Child to Be Heard, Christine M. Szaj; Chapter 12: Freedom of Expression, Martha Matthews; Chapter 13: Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion, Greg Lantier; Chapter 14: What the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child Says (and Doesn't Say) About Abortion and Family Planning, Jonathan Todres & Louise N. Howe; Chapter 15: Children's Right of Access to Information, Siyeon Lee; Chapter 16: Children's Rights to Freedom of Association, Assembly, and Privacy, Rebekah Tosado; Chapter 17: The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child and Corporal Punishment, Michael Pates; Chapter 18: Provisions for Alternative Care for Children Deprived of Their Family Environment, Maya Grosz; Chapter 19: The Right to Health under the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, Jonathan Todres; Chapter 20: Children's Right to an Adequate Standard of Living, Catherine S. Taylor; Chapter 21: State Education Law Compared to Rights under the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, Anna Dolinsky; Chapter 22: The Child's Right to Play, Rest, Recreation, and Cultural Activities, Lori Hall Armstrong; Chapter 23: Child Labor and the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, Elizabeth Mason; Chapter 24: Capital Punishment and Life Sentences for Juvenile Offenders, Evelynn Brown Remple & Mark E. Wojcik; Chapter 25: The Optional Protocols to the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Impact of U.S. Ratification, Cris R. Revaz & Jonathan Todres; Appendices; Index.