Women's rights are human rights

[2] A similar expression is used by her sister, Angelina Grimké Weld, in her speeches and personal letters.

[10][11] The U.S. State Department and the National Security Agency both tried to dissuade her on the grounds that it would irritate the Chinese.

[12] While President Bill Clinton had seen the speech in advance, his aides had not, and White House Chief of Staff Thomas McLarty was under the impression that it would not say anything new or controversial.

[12] Some vocal Catholic groups criticized the gathering as "anti-family" while some ideological conservatives said that Clinton was clearly going to push a "radical feminist agenda" while there.

[13] Targeting governments and organizations as well as individual females, she stated her belief that the issues facing women and girls are often either ignored or "silenced" and thus go unresolved.

"[10]She followed this by saying, "As long as discrimination and inequities remain so commonplace everywhere in the world, as long as girls and women are valued less, fed less, fed last, overworked, underpaid, not schooled, subjected to violence in and outside their homes—the potential of the human family to create a peaceful, prosperous world will not be realized.

[10] China's citizenry was not allowed to attend the speech, and it was blacked out on Chinese radio and television.

[15] NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw said, "In her own way, she made a direct hit on the Chinese," while that network's correspondent Andrea Mitchell said it was "highly unusual" for a U.S. first lady to engage in this kind of significant diplomatic activity.

[15] The New York Times said that Clinton spoke "more forcefully on human rights than any American dignitary has on Chinese soil.

[12] Not everyone was enamored with it: publicly visible lawyer Bruce Fein said: "She made one statement in Beijing that wasn't very profound — that women are human beings.