Many Republicans are opposing the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) (S. 1925) which protects women and men from domestic and sexual violence. In fact, all 8 of the Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted against this law that has been in place since 1994.

Why? Because they oppose provisions that would protect Native Americans, LGBTQ individuals and immigrants.

The American Bar Association strongly supports the reauthorization of VAWA. The association states that: "VAWA has been the single most effective federal effort to respond to the epidemic of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking in this country."

Because of the scope of this problem, it cannot be ignored. Roughly 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men experience severe violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Nearly 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men have been raped at some point in their lives. (See www.americanbar.org and www.cdc.gov)

Still, Sen. Charles Grassley, (R-IOWA) says that he is opposed to some of the added protections because "If every group is a priority, no group is a priority." Clearly, the Senator does not prioritize "certain" women and men for protection from rape and physical violence.

This is outrageous. We must tell Congress that ALL women and men deserve protection from domestic and sexual violence.

For more information see:
​http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-kaufman/violence-against-women-act-2012_b_1339525.html
http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/uncategorized/GAO/2012jan31_vawaletters_l.authcheckdam.pdf