That Ms. Moore has to stand before collegues and share such painful memories of being raped, just makes me sad for this country, sad, hurt, and angered by the facts that a portion of our nation’s leader want to wipe out decades of progress America has made in treating ALL AMERICANS with HUMANITY.

WIKI: The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) is a United States federal law. It was passed as Title IV, sec. 40001-40703 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, H.R. 3355, and signed as Pub.L. 103-322 by President Bill Clinton on September 13, 1994. It provided $1.6 billion to enhance investigation and prosecution of violent crimes perpetrated against women, imposed automatic and mandatory restitution on those convicted, and allowed civil redress in cases prosecutors chose to leave unprosecuted.

VAWA was drafted by then-U.S. Senator Joseph R. Biden’s office with support from a number of advocacy organizations including the National Network to End Domestic Violence, the Texas Council on Family Violence, Futures Without Violence, National Coalition Against Sexual Assault, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Legal Momentum and The National Organization for Women, which described the bill as “the greatest breakthrough in civil rights for women in nearly two decades.”[1]

VAWA was reauthorized by Congress in 2000, and again in December 2005.[2]

The Office on Violence Against Women was statutorily established within the United States Department of Justice following the passage of the reauthorization of VAWA in 2000. It has the authority to administer some the grants authorized under VAWA, as well as develop federal policy around issues relating to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The Office is led by a Director whose appointment has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate. VAWA also increased funding for direct services for victims of domestic violence through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

VAWA will be up for reauthorization in 2012.

There are three reasons some Republicans are trying to block the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act: Gays, immigrants, and Native Americans. READ ON