The Violence Against Woman Act - Time to Rejoice!

AMERICAN WOMAN SHOULD BE VERY PROUD OF THEIR VAGINA'S TODAY! 

Their vagina's, their President and their Congressional leaders. 

Today, March 7, 2013, marks the day that President Obama signed a law expanding protection for woman's rights, The Violence Against Woman Act (VAWA). This bill not only had the support of President Obama but also bipartisanship in Congress, meaning both Democrats and Republicans came together and supported this bill. THAT IS HUGE! 

This bill was originally written by our now Vice President and then Senator, Joe Biden WAYYY back in 1994 and today, it was renewed and rights were extended. This new bill extends coverage to woman of Native tribes, immigrants and gays & lesbians. I'm feeling the love here ladies! 

President Obama said at the signing ceremony, "All women deserve the right to live free from fear...that's what today is about". 

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SO WHAT DOES THIS NEW LAW DO?

This new law improved the criminal justice response to violence against women by: 

• holding rapists accountable for their crimes by strengthening federal penalties and creating a "rape shield act" to better represent the victim
• mandating that victims are not forced to bear the expense of their own rape exams or for protection
• keeping victims safe by requiring protection - this was extended to all state, tribal and territorial jurisdictions within the U.S. 
• increased rates of prosecution  conviction and sentencing of offenders by helping communities develop dedicated law enforcement and prosecution units and domestic violence dockets;
• ensuring that police respond to crisis calls and judges better understand the realities of domestic and sexual violence through training -- VAWA funds train over 500,000 law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, and other personnel every year 
• providing additional tools for protecting women in Indian country by creating a new federal habitual offender crime

This new law ensures that victims and their families have access to the services they need to achieve safety and rebuild their lives by: 

• responding to urgent calls for help by establishing the National Domestic violence Hotline -- this hotline answers over 3 million calls and receives over 22,000 calls for help EVERY MONTH! 
• improving safety and reducing recidivism by developing community responses that work together to prevent and respond to violence against women
• focusing attention to the needs of undeserved communities - this was extended to include immigrants and supporting tribal governments; American Indian and Alaska Natives

(All of this information was found at the White House website -- learn more by clicking the following link: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/vawa_factsheet.pdf

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I haven't been more proud to write a blog post than this one. I consider it an HONOR to be a female. We have fought for our rights in this great country time and time again. This is another milestone to add to the history books. 

Remember your self worth. We are strong. We are deserving of equal rights and protection. We are women & we won't back down! 

Guess I'll be putting those bras away I was going to burn :) 

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Oh & if you want to know the 22 Republican ASSHOLE men in the Senate that deserve hate mail for voting AGAINST the VAWA -- here is a picture below :) Send away ladies. You can find their e-mail addresses on their Congressional websites - just google. Most notable votes against the bill were Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) who has potential for running for President in 2016... Can you imagine.