If the U.S. Government and its people do not stand up for human rights. there is little prospect that nations whose governments are based on the denial of key rights will make even a minimal effort to comply with internationally recognized standards. including the right to religious freedom. We in the Congress have particularly emphasized the right to emigratethe lifesaving liberty of last resort. which is at the heart of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The JacksonVanik amendmentwith 72 cosponsorspassed the Senate as title IV of the Trade Act of 1974. The amendment supports the right to emigrate without regard to race. faith. or destination. It was designed in part to provide an escape route for Christians and Jews and others who can no longer tolerate. or are not tolerated by their own governments. Romania. Hungary. and the Peoples Republic of China have accepted the terms of the JacksonVanik initiative. It has been a factor in the successful emigration of thousands and thousands who felt obliged to leave their homelands. And in the case of the Soviet Union. which has not met the requirements of the law. the amendment is proving indispensable leverage in the ongoing bargaining for freer emigration. The struggle for elementary personal rights goes on. In this struggle. all Americans can play a part.
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