Thirty-five years after deaths of Cleveland churchwomen in El Salvador, U.S. policy still devalues h
Thirty-five years after deaths of Cleveland churchwomen in El Salvador, U.S. policy still devalues human rights: Theresa Keeley (Opinion)
By Guest Columnist/cleveland.com
on November 29, 2015 at 8:54 AM
Thirty-five years ago in El Salvador, four U.S. missionaries were raped and murdered by members of the Salvadoran National Guard. Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford and Cleveland's Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel and lay missionary Jean Donovan were aiding Salvadorans who had fled their homes in the midst of civil war.
The women's deaths, on Dec. 2, 1980, sparked a debate about security and human rights in U.S. policy.
Today, another crisis, the flow of Central Americans, demands human rights play a greater role in U.S. policy.
Although 10,000 Salvadorans, including Blessed Óscar Romero, were murdered in 1980, it was the churchwomen who ignited U.S. outrage. Echoing Archbishop Romero, opponents called for an end to U.S. military aid to the Salvadoran government. Others, most notably U.S. Secretary of State Alexander Haig and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Jeanne Kirkpatrick, defended U.S. policy by insinuating the women were to blame for their own deaths.
More:
http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/11/thirty-five_years_after_deaths.html
