Prohibiting the First Use of Nuclear Weapons

Start: 2021-05-15 12:30:00 UTC Eastern Daylight Time (US & Canada) (GMT-04:00)

This is a virtual event

A nuclear exchange between the US and Russia would incinerate hundreds of millions of people immediately, and lead to a Nuclear Winter which would slaughter an estimated 7 billion of the Earth’s 7.7 billion people, mostly through starvation. Building back civilization would require over 1,000 years [Daniel Ellsberg talk, 12/13/2020]. A U.S. nuclear first-strike against China would result in a similar catastrophe.

These are the stakes. As a step toward reducing the danger of Nuclear War, a coalition of groups has called upon Congress to legislate – and the President to declare – that the United States will neither initiate nor threaten to initiate the first use of Nuclear Weapons.

Declaring and legislating a No First Use policy would be a major step to help avoid:

A US nuclear attack that escalates Russia or China attacking the US due to a false alarm
Violating the US Constitution by a first strike act of war US threats of a nuclear attack which amount to bullying and blackmailing other countries, and which carry unacceptable risk of starting a general nuclear war. With the support of a growing number of members of Congress, and President Biden’s 2019 statement that he has supported “No First Use” for twenty years, we have a real chance to take an important step toward reducing the risks of nuclear war in the next year by getting a No First Use policy declared and legislated into law!

Join us on May 15 at a conference to discuss and implement “Prohibiting the First Use of Nuclear Weapons.” Registration opens April 5.

Confirmed Speakers include: William Perry, Tom Collina, Kennette Benedict, Elaine Scarry, Ira Helfand, Zia Mian, Joe Cirincione, Joseph Gerson. Special greeting from Sen. Ed Markey

Cosponsors: Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security (CPDCS); Massachusetts Peace Action; Council for a Livable World; CodePINK; Chicago Area Peace Action; NY Peace Action; Maine Peace Action; Nuclear Age Peace Foundation; Greater Boston Physicians

Sponsored by