Senator Joe Biden, who has long worked closely with the women’s movement, accepted the Democratic nomination for Vice President last night. Biden was introduced by a short video and remarks by his son, Beau Biden. Both highlighted Senator Biden’s work with the Violence Against Women Act.
Beau Biden said “When domestic violence was often a dark secret, Dad wrote the Violence Against Women Act, which gave countless women support, protection and a new chance at life.” Senator Biden’s long record of working with the women’s movement through many issues such as the Violence Against Women Act (see PDF), the Afghan Women’s Empowerment Act, multiple fair pay issues, and the promotion of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) will help put women’s issues in focus during this historic national campaign. These issues will undoubtedly be moved forward by the focus they are receiving as result of Biden’s nomination according to Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority, who also discussed Biden’s role in furthering women’s issues during his Senate career in an interview with AmericaBlog.