WASHINGTON, D.C. – In recent weeks, Senate Republicans and Democrats reached a compromise on the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) legislation. The legislation, which had been stalled since 2018 over policy disagreements, is designed to help women victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence.
There is no doubt that VAWA has helped many survivors and raised awareness about these serious issues since the legislation was first passed in 1994. The majority of these victims are women, as the title of the legislation would suggest. Yet, in the latest version of VAWA, Democrats are refusing to refer to victims as “women,” instead choosing to replace “women” with the term “individuals.”
Andrea Bottner, senior advisor to Independent Women’s Voice (IWV), issued the following statement:
“The Violence Against Women Act will be brought to the Senate floor in the coming days. It shouldn’t be. This VAWA has sacrificed the well-being of women in pursuit of a liberal policy agenda. Not only are women being ignored by being removed from the bill’s text; but their security and privacy is at risk in this bill.”
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