Score another one for Joe Biden
At Tuesday night’s presidential debate, reproductive rights took center stage. While this topic is critical, it’s just one part of the larger issue of women’s health, safety, and dignity. Another part—combating gender-based violence—also deserves voters’ attention, and voters who care just got a reminder that the Biden-Harris administration does, too.
On Thursday, marking the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the administration unveiled meaningful new measures that strengthen protections for women and expand resources for survivors. As President Biden declared back in 1990, as a U.S. senator who wrote and advocated for the VAWA’s passage, “For too long, we have ignored the right of women to be free from the fear of attack based on their gender. For too long, we have kept silent about the obvious.”
According to a new White House fact sheet, annual domestic violence rates fell by 67% and the rate of rapes and sexual assaults dropped 56% between 1993 and 2022, as a result of the VAWA, which is considered the first comprehensive federal law of its kind. Building on this success, the Biden-Harris administration has announced additional funding, with a greater focus on addressing online harassment and abuse.
Further adapting to our times, the federal government is engaging directly with the private sector to take swift action against AI-generated deepfakes. The administration is also actively coordinating with state governments to keep guns away from domestic abusers, a “lethal combination” that makes it “five times more likely that a woman will die at the hands of her abuser.” You can read more about the Biden-Harris administration’s latest efforts here.
For years, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been committed to ending gender-based violence. As President, Harris, along with Vice President Tim Walz and a devoted cabinet, will continue this important work under her vision and leadership. Women’s health, safety, and dignity is on the ballot in many ways this November, and it’s up to voters to keep America moving forward.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month