Posted on Lehigh Valley Live – Aug 06, 2021
Aug. 6 and 9 mark the days that the United States dropped nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki 76 years ago. Speculation abounds about the real reason for dropping the bombs since many acknowledge that Japan was already willing to surrender. The bombs were still dropped, and thousands of people were killed or died later from the effects of radiation. There was and is a solution.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which bans the use of nuclear weapons, was signed in January 2021 by 122 countries, was ratified by 50 nations and passed by the United Nations. This is thanks to the work of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). One of ICAN’s missions is to shift the disarmament debate to focus on the humanitarian threat posed by nuclear weapons.
The U.S. and eight other countries with nuclear weapons refused to join the treaty, and allies of the U.S. were also discouraged from joining. Our work in ending nuclear weapons in our time is just beginning.
We must keep nuclear disarmament in the public eye. Ask your school, church group or city to support to the treaty. Make sure your investments don’t include companies that support nuclear weapons. Go to ICAN’s website for more information.
Mimi Lang
Bethlehem