House GOP Would Let Domestic Abusers Know Their Victims Called For Help

[Galraedia]

Source: ThinkProgress

The GOP-led House’s version of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) would not only strip away Senate-passed protections for undocumented, LGBT, and Native American victims, it also contains a dangerous provision that violates an undocumented victim’s confidentiality by allowing immigration officials to speak with, and ask for evidence from, his or her abuser.


Visas offered to undocumented victims of domestic violence are called “U Visas” and the Senate version of the bill expanded the number of U Visas offered to victims. The House bill not only strips out the additional visas, it also contains a new provision enabling government officials to inform “the accused” that their victim blew the whistle on their abuse:

During the adjudication of each petition under this paragraph, an investigative officer from a local service center of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services shall conduct an in-person interview of the alien who filed the petition. The investigative officer may also gather other evidence and interview other witnesses, including the accused United States citizen or lawful permanent resident, if they consent to be interviewed.

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/05/04/478442/house-gop-would-let-domestic-abusers-know-their-victims-called-for-help/

[freshwest]

1. Just goes to prove the GOP War On Women is totally bogus!

Bastards, every last one of them.

[CenaW]

2. Yes.

That old 7 letter word that begins with b is too kind.
I like to think of them as the double half word with the first letters M. F. ers

[ProfessionalLeftist]

3. So he can kill her next time. n/t

[LeftyMom]

4. Holy hell, that's just fucking evil.

Who dreams that sort of shit up, and how do they sleep at night?

[Stargazer09]

7. I don't understand it, either

Are they getting paid based on how many stupid laws they pass?

It makes me wonder if they are acting this way because they honestly believe women are not human beings.

[SunSeeker]

5. Immigrant women's lives are worthless to Repukes.

How else can you explain letting an ICE agent inform the abuser that their victim blew the whistle on their abuse? Just sickening.

It just blows my mind that the Repukes think they're Christians.

[ladywnch]

13. hell, ALL women's lives are worthless to rethugs! n/t

[SunSeeker]

15. So true. They value an undivided cell more than a woman's life!

[sofa king]

6. I did not expect the War on Women to be their Stalingrad.

But those doofuses apparently cannot help stepping right back in it whenever they can.

Originally I assumed that a wide array of populist issues would be lined up against the GOP, but now I'm wondering if this one is all the Democrats are going to need to flip the House and hold the Senate.

It has already guaranteed President Obama's reelection.

So just like the Germans at Stalingrad, the GOP appears to be determined to hold an untenable position, counting on their aggressiveness to win the day. For which they will be ground to dust.

[Posteritatis]

8. Throwing a bone to the xenophobes and the "men's rights advocates" at the same time. Impressive. nt

[lunasun]

19. yes my thought too - a doubleplay

[wellstone dem]

9. If this provision remains in the bill and becomes law women will die

I work for an organization that serves victims of domestic violence. One woman contacted a victim service person and asked if what she said would be confidential. When told no, because the victim service person was a mandatory reporter of child abuse, the victim asked who she could talk to confidentially. Fortunately, that victim had a legal aid lawyer, who would have attorney client privilege. The victim told the attorney that her partner was beating her,in violation of a no contact order, but she told the lawyer she could not report because if she reported, the abuser would kill her. The lawyer came up with a plan, whereby a sympathetic neighbor called the lawyer on her cell phone, the lawyer facilitated a report to law enforcement, and the abuser was arrested. Victims recognize that reporting things to abuser threatens their lives. If this provision passes, women will not report or if they do report, they will sometimes be risking death.

[Smilo]

10. All I can think of is

that if they are so intent on lowering the standards of the VAWA then they must be the protagonists.

[LASlibinSC]

11. GOP:Group Of Perpetrators

This is evil. Pure evil. Bastards.

[ladywnch]

12. thank god there's no war on women!

otherwise, we'd be in REAL trouble!

Thank god we have the GOP to 'protect' women and 'help' women.......without them what would become of us?!........oh yeah, protection from barbarians and neanderthals and freedom to direct our own lives and bodies.

[JoePhilly]

14. How else can the abusers "stand their ground"????

[SunSeeker]

16. That would be even funnier if it weren't so true.

Brilliant observation though.

[XanaDUer]

17. God I hate these people. nt

[gtar100]

18. GOP is a Party of Reprobates

I can only imagine being in the room when they were deciding this stuff. Anyone within earshot would be in danger of losing IQ points. Stupid feeding on stupid.

It's crap like this that should bring home the point that we *must not let them win*. They only win if we are complacent and we do not get our message out. Worse, we give it away when we do not get ourselves out to vote.

[greiner3]

20. With kudos to Don Hendley;

"People love it when you lose..

...Kick them when they're up,
Kick them when they're down,
Kick em all around...

...It's interesting when people die...

Kick them when they're stiff..

We love to cut you down to size...

It's interesting when people die

We all know that Crap is king
Give us you're Dirty Laundry."


I love that song, and now it's more relevant than ever before!

[BanTheGOP]

21. Republicans need to be destroyed. Period. N/t