{Political_Views} Pro-Rapist?

Click here to sign: Tell the House GOP: "Reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act now. No delays, no excuses, no restrictions." Sign the Petition!

31 Senate Republicans just voted to send the victims of abuse, assault, and even rape back to the arms of their attackers—and make it harder to send abusers to jail.¹

That's the real-world impact of voting against the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.

The act provides a lifeline for the victims of domestic abuse, through shelters, hotlines, and a better promise of prosecution for their abusers. Women in abusive relationships are often unable to leave because they are kept socially isolated and financially dependent, or are trying to protect their children, so shelters are absolutely necessary in providing safe spaces for escape.

That's why the Violence Against Women Act has been a bi-partisan bill since its passage in 1994, and in both of its previous reauthorizations.² That's why every Republican woman in the Senate voted for it.³

But now House Republicans are threatening to block the reauthorization of the act.⁴ And if they aren't stopped, then millions of abused women will have no place to turn but back into the arms of their attackers and rapists. The media isn't reporting on this much yet, so in order to turn things around, we need a massive public outcry with a huge petition:

Reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act now. No delays, no excuses, no restrictions.

The horror of a physical attack, sexual assault, or rape is terrible enough. But imagine being trapped in a life of assault and rape. That's the reality for victims of domestic abuse. To really understand what it means not to have the Violence Against Women Act, consider this:

• Rape. 76% of women who report being raped since the age of 18 said it was an intimate partner, including husbands and cohabitating partners.⁵
  
• Assault. More than 60% of violent crimes, assaults, and aggravated assaults against women are committed by someone they know.⁶
  
• Murder. Everyday in the U.S., more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends.⁷
  
• Escape. Access to shelter services leads to a 60-70% reduction in incidence and severity of re-assault compared to women without access to the shelter.⁸

And here's one more compelling number: 74% of us personally know someone who is or has been the victim of domestic violence.⁹ That means the end of the Violence Against Women Act could end up hurting someone we know or love. Don't let that happen—sign the petition today:

Reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act now. No delays, no excuses, no restrictions.

Why the sudden opposition to help for victims of domestic violence? Because some Republicans don't want protections extended to rural and tribal populations, immigrant women, or LGBT victims of domestic violence.¹⁰ But no one deserves to be abused, regardless of their ethnicity, sexual orientation, or immigration status.

This is the latest affront in the GOP's war on women. Hundreds of thousands of MoveOn members acting together before have stopped them from defunding Planned Parenthood, redefining rape, and letting employers decide a woman's contraception coverage.¹¹

We need to act together again to stop this latest attack by signing the petition to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.

Thanks for all you do.

–Elena, Mark, Carrie, Victoria, and the rest of the team

P.S. Want to see the faces of the 31 senators who voted against protecting abuse victims?

Sources:

1. "Senate approves tougher penalties on domestic violence," The Hill, April 26, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=275000&id=40589-5544773-JKPcAix&t=7

2. "Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)," National Domestic Violence Hotline, accessed March 15, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=272756&id=40589-5544773-JKPcAix&t=8

3. "Senate approves tougher penalties on domestic violence," The Hill, April 26, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=275000&id=40589-5544773-JKPcAix&t=9

4. "GOP Sets Up A Showdown On Violence Against Women Act," Talking Points Meme, April 26, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=275001&id=40589-5544773-JKPcAix&t=10

5. "Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey," U.S. Department of Justice, November 1998
www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/172837.pdf

6. "Erratta: Criminal Victimization, 2005," U.S. Department of Justice, June 16, 2011
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv05.pdf

7. "Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2001," U.S. Bureau of Justice, February 2003
bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/ipv01.pdf

8. "Domestic Violence Statistics," Domestic Violence Resource Center, accessed March 30, 2012
http://www.dvrc-or.org/domestic/violence/resources/C61/#dom

9. "Domestic Violence," Allstate Foundation, accessed March 30, 2012
http://www.allstatefoundation.org/about-domestic-violence

10. "Women Figure Anew in Senate's Latest Battle," The New York Times, March 14, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=272758&id=40589-5544773-JKPcAix&t=11

"Violence Against Women Act Becomes Partisan Issue," The Huffington Post, February 14, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=272759&id=40589-5544773-JKPcAix&t=12

11. "Komen Reverses Decision on Funding Planned Parenthood," Bloomberg, February 14, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=273018&id=40589-5544773-JKPcAix&t=13

"House GOP Caves On Redefining Rape Bill," Mother Jones, February 3, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=272762&id=40589-5544773-JKPcAix&t=14

"Obama to Announce Contraception Rule 'Accommodation' for Religious Organizations," ABC News, February 10, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=271214&id=40589-5544773-JKPcAix&t=15

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