Equal Parental Rights: *Poll: Most Don't Want Violence Against Women Act*

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard****

Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org ****

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*Poll: Most Don’t Want Violence Against Women Act*

Washington, DC/March 27, 2012 -- The broader American public opposes
reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, according to a *U.S.
News and World Report* poll that shows Americans think the law is
ineffectual and unjust. Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) notes
the recent *U.S. News* “Debate Club” feature on VAWA has elicited an
overwhelmingly negative reaction to the law:
http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-the-violence-against-women-act-be-reauthorized
.****

The top vote-getter in the poll was a commentary by Janice Crouse of
Concerned Women for America, who argued the Violence Against Women Act
should “outrage decent people” because it “victimizes both women and
men.” Crouse’s statement beat opposing votes by a nearly five-to-one
margin. ****

Taking the other side of the debate was Deborah Tucker, Executive Director
of the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence, who argued the
“Violence
Against Women Act must be reauthorized because it is
working<http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-the-violence-against-women-act-be-reauthorized/violence-against-women-act-is-working>.”
But *U.S. News* readers disagreed with that claim by over a two-to-one
margin.****

While the *U.S. News* poll is not scientific, the sampling represents the
first wide-scale assessment of American voters on the subject of VAWA
reauthorization. Responses were in line with concerns about the bill
recently raised by commentators across the political spectrum. ****

*Atlantic* magazine contributor Wendy Kaminer deplored the myriad
arrogations of civil liberties in VAWA, insisting “the defense in a war on
women should not be a war on liberty.”
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/03/whats-wrong-with-the-violence-against-women-act/254678/
****

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Highlighting the problem of false allegations, *New York Post *columnist
Abby W. Schachter ridiculed the proposed VAWA reauthorization, titling the
law the “I lied to the police and got him thrown in jail” Act:
http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/capitol/the_lied_jail_the_police_and_got_s2zheEr5zwQ1CXY3cbgGCP
.****

Sharp critiques of VAWA have recently appeared other news outlets, as well,
some asserting VAWA presents a “totalitarian” path to violence-reduction*:
*http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.1083* *

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Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) has long advocated for victims
of domestic violence. Said spokesman Philip W. Cook, “VAWA is weakening the
core social institutions, chief among them the family, that can aid us in
the fight against domestic violence. For the sake of all victims of
domestic violence, VAWA must be reformed.”****

*Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization
working for evidence-based solutions to partner violence: **
www.saveservices.org* <http://www.saveservices.org>*.*