Biden-Backed Violence Against Women Act Will Only Hurt Women in Its Current State
Any time a politician claims that their proposed legislation will improve people’s lives, it is typically safe to assume the opposite is true.
Sadly, in its most recent form, the Violence Against Women Act is no exception to this rule.
During his April 28 address to a joint session of Congress, President Joe Biden trotted out a revival of the act, urging legislators to pass a reauthorization and “save some lives!”
But this description of the VAWA is only accurate if it works as intended, directly helping women rather than advancing an unrelated political agenda. If today’s politicians have forgotten what that looks like, perhaps they should reference the original version of the act.
According to The Women’s Legal Defense and Education Fund, an organization dedicated to advancing women’s equality, the original VAWA was passed alongside the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.
In this version, the VAWA specifically sought to address domestic and sexual abuse of women by securing provisions for rape and battery prevention. The act also increased the availability of shelter and support services for those victims through a series of grant programs.
The 2000 and 2005 reauthorizations of the VAWA then expanded these protections to include women in minority and immigrant communities.
While the 2018 VAWA lapsed due to provisions over gun control and gender identity, provisions included in the 2021 VAWA further prioritize a transgender ideology over the interests and safety of biological women.
As The Daily Signal reported, the bill would allow men who identify as women to be housed in the same facilities that shelter women who have fled an abusive partner. There do not appear to be any concessions to ensure the men identifying as the opposite sex are not merely pretending to be transgender, leaving the door open for further abuse.
Another provision included in the 2021 VAWA would allow male prison inmates who identify as female to be transferred into women’s prisons. The consequences of such a provision have, sadly, already made themselves apparent at a Washington State prison.
An unnamed employee at the Washington Corrections Center for Women revealed to KIRO-FM in March that the prison allows men who identify as women to be housed with female cellmates.
The staff member shared an incident where a man with a “history of violence and sexual depravity” was transferred to the facility. The man claimed he identified as a woman, but not long after his arrival, he took advantage of the transfer and raped a female prisoner.
“He is a proven sexual predator, having committed multiple crimes against women, yet the State of Washington had no problem moving him into a women’s facility and housing him with the most vulnerable in our population (our mental health unit),” the employee wrote.
“Word of the incident has inevitably traveled throughout the facility, causing much concern amongst both inmates and staff.”
“It demonstrated the state’s willingness to put the most vulnerable of our population in harm’s way, by locking them in a cell with a proven predator, with zero accountability or repercussions for the perpetrator,” he added.
Given the potential dangers that the VAWA poses to women in its current form, it is clear that the act has strayed far from its once laudable aims.
As of now, the VAWA serves women in name only. Instead, the act is far more likely to benefit the careers of politicians who like to pretend they are working to resolve issues plaguing the fairer sex.
But, in reality, they are not doing much of anything, and women deserve far better than that.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
