A reminder WHY Republicans let the Violence Against Women Act expire ...
As I quoted the New York Times in this post in February (when the Republicans failed to reauthorize the act, which has now died), Republicans rejected the Violence Against Women Act because:
The main sticking points seemed to be language in the bill to ensure that victims are not denied services because they are gay or transgender and a provision that would modestly expand the availability of special visas for undocumented immigrants who are victims of domestic violence — a necessary step to encourage those victims to come forward.
So think of this way: the Republicans decided it was better to protect NO women than to ALSO protect gay women, or transgender women, or undocumented women.
If we weren’t talking about the contemporary Republican Party, this would be impossible to believe. Now it’s only expected. And vile.
“And then there's the Violence Against Women Act, which was supposed to be one of the year's easy ones. It wasn't. Back in April, the Senate approved VAWA reauthorization fairly easily, with a 68 to 31 vote. The bill was co-written by a liberal Democrat (Vermont's Pat Leahy) and a conservative Republican (Idaho's Mike Crapo), and seemed on track to be reauthorized without much of a fuss, just as it was in 2000 and 2005. But House Republicans insisted the bill is too supportive of immigrants, the LGBT community, and Native Americans -- and they'd rather let the law expire than approve a slightly expanded proposal. Vice President Biden, who helped write the original law, tried to persuade House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) to keep the law alive, but the efforts didn't go anywhere. And so, for the first time since 1994, the Violence Against Women Act is no more.”
—House GOP blocks Violence Against Women Act - The Maddow Blog“It’s called a women’s act, but then they have men dressed up as women, they count that. Change-gender, or whatever. How is that — how is that a woman?”
—GOP lawmaker mocks the Violence Against Women ActObama signs Violence Against Women Act reauthorization
Flanked by Vice President Joe Biden, the original author of the 1994 Violence Against Women Act, President Barack Obama signed a reauthorization of the legislation Thursday.
The reauthorization, which includes expansion of protections to gay couples and Native American women, passed the House last month after over a year of partisan disagreement over its renewal.
Republicans against the Violence Against Women Act
So the Violence Against Women Act is up for renewal this year, and surprise of all surprises … not a single Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to reauthorize the act. Not a single one.
Why? Well, the editorial in the New York Times puts it this way:
The main sticking points seemed to be language in the bill to ensure that victims are not denied services because they are gay or transgender and a provision that would modestly expand the availability of special visas for undocumented immigrants who are victims of domestic violence — a necessary step to encourage those victims to come forward.
And there you are. We might have to treat gay, transgendered and/or undocumented women with dignity and respect if they are abused, assaulted and attacked. So, naturally, the Judiciary Committee’s Senate Republicans have decided we can’t have the law at all.
I am amazed any woman votes for the Republican Party, at least at the national level. Just amazed.
Violence Against Women Act
The Violence Against Women Act has been in existence since 1994 and provides funds for the enhanced prosecution and investigation of violent acts committed against women. The renewal of the bill is currently pending in the Senate, with some Republicans claiming that they cannot support the act because of some of the new revisions added by Democrats. These provisions include:
- Giving Native American authorities jurisdiction over non-Native American men accused of abuse against Native American women.
- Prohibiting social workers of domestic-violence shelters from discriminating against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered victims.
- Allowing illegal resident to report abuse without fear of deportation.
And here I was, thinking that it’s 2012.
Bonus: Desperate to get women voters on his side, Willard Mittens has said that he wishes the law would pass without turning into political football, and his spokesperson has declined to comment whether he would sign it into law if he were president.
(Source)
I should really blog about what's going on with the Violence Against Women Act in Congress right now
But honestly the fact that the only people to vote against it were 31 white Republican dudes make me so upset I want to cry.
The Republican women voted for it. All of them.
It’s not projected to pass the house. They have too many white dudes up in there apparently.
We’re really fighting over this shit.
We’re really fighting about whether or not the government should help stop violence against women.
Really.
Really.
