Depleted Uranium is considered to be the most effective anti-tank weapon ever devised. It is made from nuclear waste left over from the production of nuclear weapons. The public first became aware the US military was using DU weapons during the Persian Gulf War in 1991.
Iraq has been a dumping ground of depleted uranium from the US Army for many years now. The results have been catastrophic for both Iraq’s children and American veterans. From The Guardian:
For years, medical doctors in Iraq have reported "a high level of birth defects." Other peer-reviewed studies have documented a dramatic increase in infant mortality, cancer and leukaemia in the aftermath of US military bombardment. In Fallujah, doctors are witnessing a "massive unprecedented number" of heart defects, and an increase in the number of nervous system defects. Analysis of pre-2003 data compared to now showed that "the rate of congenital heart defects was 95 per 1,000 births - 13 times the rate found in Europe."
Enter Hillary Clinton. In 2004, as Senator, Hillary advocated for American soldiers returning from Iraq to undergo health screening for depleted uranium contamination.
After learning of The News’ investigation, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) blasted Pentagon officials yesterday for not properly screening soldiers returning from Iraq. Clinton, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said she will write to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld demanding answers and soon will introduce legislation to require health screenings for all returning troops.
Clinton was then clearly aware that medical professionals had sounded the alarm about the potentially devastating health effects of the use of depleted uranium. The European Parliament has called for a moratorium on its use.
In October of 2012, when Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State, the UN took up the issue and scheduled a vote to ban the use of depleted uranium in war. A campaign spearheaded by the Womens International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), Veterans for Peace (VFP), Pax Christi US, Pax Christi International, Friends of the Earth US and ICBUW petitioned Secretary Clinton to support the UN motion to end the use of depleted uranium.
The US, the UK, France and Israel were the only countries in the world to vote against the resolution.
Secretary Clinton, knowing that these weapons have caused irreversible environmental and health damage to hundreds of thousands of children in Iraq as well as our veterans, voted against a resolution that would end their use.
I would post pictures of the Iraqi children deformities in Fallujah that are a result of the use of these weapons, but they are simply too horrific for me to post in good conscience without warning. For more information on the health crisis for Iraqi children related to DU, please read more here:
www.truth-out.org/…
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