Wisconsin Senator William Proxmire has a prominent place in If the Whole Body Dies. He is highlighted here as he played a key role in persuading the United States to ratify the Treaty. Between 1967 and 1986, he gave 3,211 speeches arguing that the United States should sign the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. On February 19, 1986, the Convention was ratified by the Senate with bipartisan support. Implementation legislation, named the "Proxmire Act," was passed two years later and signed by President Ronald Reagan. Please click the link below to see a video with Wisconsin Representative Ron Kind discussing Proxmire's role and Senator Proxmire speaking on the Senate floor.