The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2011 (VAWA) was voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning on a party-line vote of 10-8. All Democrats voted to move the bill to the Senate floor for a vote and all Republicans voted no. Although Republican Judiciary Committee Members voted against sending the bill to the full Senate, Republican Senators Scott Brown (MA), Michael Crapo (UT) and Lisa Murkowski (AK) have signed on as cosponsors of the bill.
Despite intense opposition from Ranking Republican Senator Charles Grassley (IA), the bill introduced by Democratic Committee Chair Patrick Leahy’s (VT) was voted out almost intact. Grassley’s substitute bill, which failed to pass, included closing the Office of Violence Against Women in the U.S Department of Justice.
The Iowa Republican, however, was successful in gaining sufficient votes to amend the Leahy bill. One amendment that passed includes mandatory minimum sentences of five years for aggravated sexual assaults. This provision was opposed by sexual assault victim advocates who are concerned that it will deter victims from reporting incidents to the police.
“The fact that not a single Republican member of the Judiciary Committee voted to send VAWA to the floor is an outrage. It is clear that the war on women has no boundaries” said Norma Gattsek, Director of Government Relations for the Feminist Majority after today’s vote.
5 comments
Bill says:
Feb 3, 2012
I think Republicans are stupid, sexist, and totally disconnected from the American Woman. Does not one of them understand that the greatest source of violence in the world is the abuse of power? I am a man, and continue to wonder, what is wrong with men?
John says:
Feb 3, 2012
VAWA is discriminatory by placing women above men. Equality for all means exactly that.
bmmg39 says:
Feb 4, 2012
The Violence Against Women Act needs to be replaced by the Partner Violence Reduction Act, to ensure that ALL victims, including the approximate half of victims who happen to be male, are protected. Straight men, as well as gays and lesbians, are abused at astonishing rates, and are ill-served when we continually define DV as “male-on-female.”
Stop Abuse for EVERYONE: http://www.safe4all.org
The Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men and Women: http://www.dahmw.org
Robert says:
Feb 10, 2012
I think this is great, VAWA needs to be changed, it opens the flood gates to False Accusers of rape and creates just another weapon in putting more and more people into prison. We need a way to prevent violence agains PEOPLE, not violence against women. I am speaking from a point of view of a male who was beaten mercilessly by a wife, put in a hospital over and over, and no one to turn to, not even the police. So I know exactly how perverse a bill focused on women is and how it does nothing to protect anyone. NOW needs to really re-asses its focus and see if they are inadvertently doing harm. As to the first poster, if you are indeed a man, then you should man UP and see that we are just as much victimized by violence as anyone, in various dimensions.
Jane says:
Mar 16, 2012
VAWA Hurts women. Just ask the tens of millions of step-mothers, paternal grandmothers, paternal aunts, and other females who lose access to their children when false allegations are made that are bolstered by such a low definition of violence. Your attempts to make this a female issue is dangerous given the amount of females in paternal families this affects. Find a bill that addresses ALL violence, including female initiated violence instead of focusing on the feminist agenda of making all men bad, and you will have partisan support.
Jane,
Paternal Grandmother