The House’s violence against the Violence Against Women Act

When we think of the women that Republicans in Congress want to exclude from some protections in the Violence Against Women Act — undocumented immigrants, Native Americans, lesbians abused by female partners — we can't help but think of a speech attributed to the Civil War-era abolitionist Sojourner Truth in 1851:

"And ain't I a woman?"

To paraphrase another eloquent author, if undocumented immigrant women are beaten, do they not bruise? If Native American women are sexually assaulted by non-Native men, are they not traumatized? If lesbians are victims of domestic violence, do they not bleed?

Yet, last week, Republicans in the House of Representatives pushed through a version of VAWA that stripped many protections for these women who had been included in the version of the legislation passed by the Senate, 61-38, last month. (Every female Republican senator voted for it.)

The House bill would remove confidentiality protections for abused immigrant women — or men — who are married to American citizens or legal residents. (Even though women are the primary victims of domestic violence, VAWA protections apply to both sexes.)

In some cases, husbands of immigrant women keep them from seeking help by threatening to have them deported or denied green cards. Current law allows the abused women to confidentially petition for immigration status by contacting a special officer of the immigration service. In contrast, the House version would require the immigration office to inform the alleged abuser of the woman's petition. Supposedly this is to cut down on fraud, although people seeking refugee status based on domestic violence already must show substantial proof of being battered. This requirement would likely scare away many women from seeking help — and could endanger the lives of the ones who do. And aren't they women?

The Senate version of the bill contains protections against discrimination for gay and transgender victims of domestic violence who seek help from shelters — protections the House bill removes. The House version also cuts funding for 21 grant programs geared toward preventing domestic violence in same-sex relationships. And aren't they women?

The House bill also removes authority from Native American tribes to prosecute non-Native Americans accused of domestic violence against Native American women on tribal lands. Aren't they women, too?

Initially adopted in 1994, VAWA has helped revolutionize policies on domestic violence at all levels of government, saving untold lives. Two previous renewals and expansions of the legislation in Congress, in 2000 and 2005, passed without a fight in Congress.

But now the legislation is in limbo, with both parties claiming that the other is playing politics with women's safety. Only one of them is credible: A list of 325 organizations that oppose the House bill runs the gamut of the National Association of Evangelicals to the National Organization for Women Foundation, as well as a wide variety of law-enforcement, immigrant and religious groups. By contrast, its supporters include — no kidding — anti-immigrant groups and a mail-order-bride business.

As the two versions of the bill move toward a House-Senate conference, the National Coalition of Domestic Violence (ncadv.org) urges you to call, email or tweet your representative to support protections from abuse for everyone.