/PRNewswire/ -- Domestic Violence experts are criticizing President Obama's pre-election unveiling of a new domestic violence initiative, saying the effort represents a concoction of unproven strategies that betray the needs of women.
The Obama plan will promote wider use of restraining orders -- but research shows such orders are flatly ineffective in preventing future violence: http://www.saveservices.org/downloads/Why-DV-Programs-Fail-to-Stop-Abuse
The Independent Women's Forum has said such orders "lull women into a false sense of security," since a piece of paper is unlikely to deter a batterer intent on maiming a victim. Former Judge Milton Raphaelson of Massachusetts notes, "Few lives, if any, have been saved, but much harm, and possibly loss of lives, has come from the issuance of restraining orders and the arrests and conflicts ensuing therefrom."
According to a report issued Tuesday by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, lesbian and gay persons are nearly twice as likely to experience domestic violence as persons in heterosexual relationships. The report also documents cases of discriminatory practices and "verbal and sexual harassment of shelter staff towards lesbian clients:" http://www.avp.org/documents/2009DV-IPVREPORTFINAL2.pdf
"American women and men who face the grim reality of domestic violence in their daily lives are unlikely to be impressed by President Obama's plan," according to SAVE spokesperson Teri Stoddard. "Domestic violence programs should be based on solid evidence and research, and not consist of a series of disjointed efforts cobbled together on Election Eve."
An increase in female-initiated abuse has been documented in government surveys, but Obama's initiative is insensitive to a woman's request for counseling and treatment, or the needs of male victims. According to a 2007 Centers for Disease Control study, women commit 7 out of 10 acts of one-way partner violence.
Last week, former Playboy Playmate Angela Dorian took a handgun and shot her boyfriend in their Hollywood apartment. The 66-year-old Dorian was arrested Saturday night. Bail was set at $1,000,000.
Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) has developed a Domestic Violence Fact Sheet: http://saveservices.org/pdf/Seven-Facts-Every-American-Should-Know-About-DV.pdf
Stop Abusive and Violent Environments -- SAVE -- is a national 501c3 organization dedicated to ending intimate partner violence through public awareness, training, and evidence-based policy: www.saveservices.org
Showing posts with label women. Show all posts
Showing posts with label women. Show all posts
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Pelosi Statement on Women's Equality Day
/PRNewswire/ -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today on Women's Equality Day:
"Women's Equality Day offers us the opportunity to honor the brave American suffragettes who reached for the ballot, demanded their civil rights, and altered the course of history. These pioneers challenged the status quo so women today can pull the lever for progress, and they forced open the doors of equality and justice so all could walk through them.
"This year, America's women have made great strides on the path to true equality. The Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act - now the law of the land - will ensure that women and all workers subject to pay discrimination have the right to seek justice in our courts. The confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor as our first Latina Supreme Court justice adds the voice of a passionate, principled jurist to our nation's highest court.
"Women hold positions of leadership in the President's cabinet and on Congressional committees. In our last election, women voted in record numbers, paving the road to change and leading the way to a brighter future. And today, the voices of mothers and grandmothers everywhere are driving our push for quality, affordable, accessible health care for all Americans.
"Though there is much to celebrate in the fight for women's rights, our struggle is far from over. Women still earn 78 cents for every dollar men make, violating the fundamental value of equal pay for equal work. Women hold just 17 percent of the seats in the U.S. Senate and under 17 percent in the House of Representatives - a sign that our goal of equality in representation requires our continued focus and energy. Around the world, women are denied the right to vote, mothers are not allowed to work, and young girls are shut out of the classroom.
"Gaining the right to vote was only the first step in the battle for equality. We must continue to speak out and act on behalf of women across the country and around the world, working until the dream of true equality and civil rights becomes a reality for all women."
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Political News You Can Use
"Women's Equality Day offers us the opportunity to honor the brave American suffragettes who reached for the ballot, demanded their civil rights, and altered the course of history. These pioneers challenged the status quo so women today can pull the lever for progress, and they forced open the doors of equality and justice so all could walk through them.
"This year, America's women have made great strides on the path to true equality. The Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act - now the law of the land - will ensure that women and all workers subject to pay discrimination have the right to seek justice in our courts. The confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor as our first Latina Supreme Court justice adds the voice of a passionate, principled jurist to our nation's highest court.
"Women hold positions of leadership in the President's cabinet and on Congressional committees. In our last election, women voted in record numbers, paving the road to change and leading the way to a brighter future. And today, the voices of mothers and grandmothers everywhere are driving our push for quality, affordable, accessible health care for all Americans.
"Though there is much to celebrate in the fight for women's rights, our struggle is far from over. Women still earn 78 cents for every dollar men make, violating the fundamental value of equal pay for equal work. Women hold just 17 percent of the seats in the U.S. Senate and under 17 percent in the House of Representatives - a sign that our goal of equality in representation requires our continued focus and energy. Around the world, women are denied the right to vote, mothers are not allowed to work, and young girls are shut out of the classroom.
"Gaining the right to vote was only the first step in the battle for equality. We must continue to speak out and act on behalf of women across the country and around the world, working until the dream of true equality and civil rights becomes a reality for all women."
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www.politicalpotluck.com
Political News You Can Use
Friday, July 3, 2009
Republicans on Senate Committee Push to Exclude Abortion Services from Health Care Reform
/PRNewswire / -- Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee are pushing for language in health care reform legislation that would eliminate coverage for abortion services. If this happens, many women could lose coverage for abortion services that their private insurance currently includes. Plus, millions of uninsured women will still lack a basic health care service despite having been promised a better quality of life.
If these senators are allowed to deny coverage of abortion services, the burden will inevitably fall on low-income women and widen the huge gap in health status and access to health care services that reforms are meant to remedy. Compared to their higher-income counterparts, low-income women are four times as likely to have an unintended pregnancy and five times as likely to have an unintended birth.
As people of faith, we believe that health care reform should expand coverage to provide for the basic services that every human being deserves; it should not deny essential services to half of the population and aggravate the troubling disparities in health care affecting minorities and low-income individuals. For example, compared to her higher-income counterpart, a low-income woman is four times as likely to have an unintended pregnancy and five times as likely to have an unintended birth.
Let there be no mistake, basic health care includes abortion services. According to the Guttmacher Institute, one in three American women will have an abortion by age 45.
Reproductive health care, including abortion services, is an essential component of women's health. Women must get a fair shake in the final health care reform bill.
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www.politicalpotluck.com
Political News You Can Use
If these senators are allowed to deny coverage of abortion services, the burden will inevitably fall on low-income women and widen the huge gap in health status and access to health care services that reforms are meant to remedy. Compared to their higher-income counterparts, low-income women are four times as likely to have an unintended pregnancy and five times as likely to have an unintended birth.
As people of faith, we believe that health care reform should expand coverage to provide for the basic services that every human being deserves; it should not deny essential services to half of the population and aggravate the troubling disparities in health care affecting minorities and low-income individuals. For example, compared to her higher-income counterpart, a low-income woman is four times as likely to have an unintended pregnancy and five times as likely to have an unintended birth.
Let there be no mistake, basic health care includes abortion services. According to the Guttmacher Institute, one in three American women will have an abortion by age 45.
Reproductive health care, including abortion services, is an essential component of women's health. Women must get a fair shake in the final health care reform bill.
-----
www.politicalpotluck.com
Political News You Can Use
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