Article 25 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides (in outdated gendered language) that “[e]veryone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.” In 1993, the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights adopted by acclimation the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action stating that “poverty inhibits the full and effective enjoyment of human rights.” The United States is a signatory of the Universal Declaration and participated in the Vienna conference. Additionally, together with 192 other U.N. member states and 23 international organizations, the U.S. is pledged to help fulfill by 2015 eight U.N. Millennium Development Goals adopted in 2000, including the halving of extreme poverty, reducing child mortality rates, halting the spread of HIV/AIDS, and providing universal primary education. Yet, according to the September 2011 U.S.
