Today we celebrate 19 years of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) – bipartisan legislation that President Clinton signed into law in 1994. VAWA has stood as an example of what commonsense legislation with bipartisan support can do to make America a better place for women.
But, as we celebrate, we’d be remiss if we didn’t recall that Congresswoman Noem was one of ten female legislators to vote against the reauthorization of VAWA because the legislation included additional protections for Native American women & LGBT who are disproportionately affected by sexual violence. Noem put party politics ahead of some of her most vulnerable constituents. Luckily, her vote didn’t stop the reauthorization of VAWA, and women of all background will see the full protections of this legislation.
Happy birthday, VAWA, and thanks to all the Democrats & common sense Republicans who still believe our government has a role in protecting all Americans from sexual violence.
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