John Conyers: GOP's Violence Against Women Act Is A 'Flat-Out Attack On Women'

Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.)

Five minutes into a House Judiciary Committee mark-up of the GOP's Violence Against Women Act, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) called the bill a "flat-out attack on women" for eliminating protections for immigrant women, Native Americans and the LGBT community.

"This bill is a move backwards," Conyers told the committee. "I can assure you, you will not get the vote of the Democratic side of this committee because it is a step backwards and a flat-out attack on women."

The comment drew audible sighs and one "Come on!" from Conyer's Republican colleagues, who are tired of being accused of waging a "war on women."

The congressman went on to list the various key provisions that have been stripped from the bipartisan, Senate-approved bill, which protected several minority groups, including immigrants, LGBT victims and Native Americans. Namely, the GOP draft eliminates existing confidentiality protections for immigrant women who have been abused, blocks a pathway to citizenship for immigrant witnesses who cooperate with police on domestic violence cases, and strips the protections for LGBT and Native American victims included in the Senate version.

Conyers also noted that The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of more than 200 diverse civil rights groups, opposes the House GOP version of the bill for its lack of those provisions.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Rep. Sandy Adams (R-Fla.), the sponsors of the bill, defended their version, noting that it "enhances" immigration laws by preventing undocumented victims from faking domestic abuse in order to get citizenship.

"Fraud and abuse in the U.S. immigration system must be stopped," Smith said. "Immigrants who perpetuate fraud in order to get visas or U.S. citizenship devalue U.S. immigration laws and hurt legitimate victims who are the intended beneficiaries of the generous programs we have established."

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Comments

[Bear bee]

07:13 PM on 05/11/2012

John Conyers: please do address the big questions for us: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fiwsq_31s64 Men and children deserve the same protections that women do. Do you ever plan to have equal justice under the law here or are already totally bought and paid for...by the lovelies shown so well in this video?

[Bear bee]

07:06 PM on 05/11/2012

vsf

[VictoriaSethunya]

04:05 AM on 05/11/2012

It is ludicrous to bar legitimate victims of violence based on the exceptions who rig the system. The negative stereotype of immigrants needs to go. If President Ronald Reagen were to come back he would surely require a microscope to identify the GOP as it stands today.

Remove traffic laws because there are police who arrest those who drive while having foreign accents. How is that for a fake crime to legitimise scraping off traffic laws?

[Mama Bee]

05:50 PM on 05/09/2012

Sure I, an illegal woman, am going to get my boyfriend/husband/friend to beat me up, rape me, or abuse me in any other way the qualifies as domestic abuse. Then I'm going to call the police, have him/her/it arrested (possibly convicted) so that I can get asylum. Ok Rep Sandy Davis from Florida, you've convinced me.

[dclintn648]

12:21 PM on 05/09/2012

Republican men AND women think women should be paid less, be told what to do with their bodies, and now abused without protection if they're not "Americans".

Why would any woman want to live in the USA?

[dclintn648]

12:17 PM on 05/09/2012

Republicans are soulless perverts who support domestic abuse - there's no other way to interpret their actions!

[moogybaby]

09:52 AM on 05/09/2012

The VAWA is such a bad idea in general, if you're a fan of the Constitution.

It seems to legislate the idea that there are group rights, when all rights are individual ones.

Violence against women is no more heinous than violence against men or violence against LGBT people.

If someone is accused of a crime, you don't compromise their individual rights because they are being accused by a protected class.

It's horribly un-American, although the intent may be good.

[MJinCanada]

11:37 AM on 05/09/2012

The year the constitution was written, women couldn't vote and weren't persons. And a man could legally beat his wife with a stick as long as it was no thicker than his thumb. Nothing in the constitution protects anyone from domestic abuse.

The constitution is NOT a body of laws, otherwise the US could have ditched the whole mass of British common law that US laws are based on.

[howie G]

11:17 PM on 05/09/2012

The whole idea that men could legally beat his wife is a fallacy.
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2550/does-rule-of-thumb-refer-to-an-old-law-permitting-wife-beating

[Velocity88]

09:47 AM on 05/09/2012

It is extremely heartless to turn our backs on ANY woman who is in this country now, from violence abuse or attacks. It shouldn't and DOESN'T matter what racial, social background you are. Everyone should be able to breathe comfortably knowing that they are protected against this. Suggesting that LGBT victims and Native Americans or anyone else who is different to the Republican's standards, is alarming to say the least. This IS an attack against women!

[howie G]

11:23 PM on 05/09/2012

No one is turning their backs on women. They are already included in VAWA as protected by the laws of VAWA. All women are protected. However, I guess it is ok for the Democrats to exclude abused heterosexual men from the protections of VAWA law because their version of the bill does just that. So even though men are over half the victims of physical abuse, the Democrats are turning their backs on them by excluding them from legally being classified as victims as far as DV goes. (Yes, the White House publicly stated that they were appalled the Republicans wanted to allow heterosexual men to be protected from DV by this bill). And men are routinely turned away when seeking resources for help if they call in an abusive event. In fact if they dare call in an abusive event, they are more likely to be arrested than be helped.

[giftsthatpurr]

01:34 AM on 05/09/2012

Yes- the GOP is flat out attacking women: repealing fair wage laws, stalling on protective laws for those who would violate women, violating women with metal probes, getting rid of health care centers, regulating against family planning, making laws that state that a fertilized egg is a person, using tax payer money to fight against easy access to contraception, demeaning women who advocate for their rights, and sneaking around the Roe v Wade law so that abortion is restricted or inaccessible.

[Carla van der Meer]

12:19 AM on 05/09/2012

Did they run out of room to list others groups who should be excluded? I'm certain they'd love to add to the list of women who should have to be abused, and just have to put up with it. Why not just include all of us? They know they want to.

[howie G]

11:27 PM on 05/09/2012

Those groups are not excluded from VAWA. All women are protected from DV by VAWA laws. However, there is one group that is excluded and told to just put up with being abused- heterosexual males. That's the only group that is not allowed to be protected by DV laws in VAWA. I guess the Democrats feel men should have to be abused, since they make up over half of those that are physically abused. The White House publicly chided the Republicans for having the audacity of wanting to let heterosexual males be protected by VAWA laws. So look in the mirror at your own party before lashing out at others.

[oldandweird]

10:54 PM on 05/08/2012

The solution is for everyone who opposes the legislation proposed or passed in Congress or in their state to remove those legislators from office and putting in qualified, humanitarian, compassionate leaders. Join a group such as UniteWomen.org, a national grassroots movement with centers in every state working to say "enough is enough!" Register to vote, actually vote, and help others to get registered and vote. And just because a woman is a candidate does not make her the right person to represent you - I'm in Arizona, and just look at what the women legislators and governor have done for women - and men - here!!!

[J-Ho]

09:05 PM on 05/08/2012

This is not about undocumented immigrants. This is about American male citizens who beat their LEGALLY obtained immigrant status'd wife.

The wife, out of fear of retribution, is no longer to be protected through confidentiality - her husband will be told she filed a complaint - he leaves her, she gets deported.

She gets beaten and cannot go to authorities because she won't be granted an opportunity to get back on the path to citizenship because the visas won't be there.

So, if you squeal, you get shipped out. Gives Men carte blanche to treat immigrant wives without fear of them talking. Yes this is openly attacking women's rights; but since they aren't a full citizen yet who cares right?

I'm surprised Republicans didn't make punishing beaten immigrant wives having to keep their mouths shut mandatory in the Defense of Marriage Act... and why do people compare the Right's approach to women similar to the Taliban?

[BrannonD]

01:01 AM on 05/12/2012

You have this completely wrong. The immigration provisions that have been put forth in H.R. 4970 are not about taking away the rights of abused immigrant spouses. The provisions are adding anti-fraud protections for citizens and LPRs that marry immigrants. As it stands now, an immigrant spouse can make false allegations of abuse against the citizen spouse. The citizen cannot dispute or challenge those allegations. Even if the citizen has court documents that show no abuse occurred, the citizen cannot present them. Citizens are being arrested based on false allegations. Citizens are losing jobs because of this. Citizens are spending thousands of dollars in legal bills to defend themselves against false allegations. Citizens are losing their homes and access to their children! Is this fair?

Do you think I am talking only about American men here? No! Male foreign spouses are making these same claims against American women and getting away with it. No one should be able to make any kind of allegation against another person in secret proceedings. Where are the safeguards? What is to prevent an immigrant from lying about spousal abuse, when the only person that can dispute those claims is forbidden from doing so?

An immigrant spouse should have the right to file a self petition to remain in the US when abuse occurs, and that right remains in H.R. 4970. But, a citizen's rights should not be trampled in the process.

[Amanda McVey]

09:01 PM on 05/08/2012

There is no way on earth any Republican with a brain can honestly look at legislation passing or proposed by their party and say it is not taking away from women. We are losing our access to affordable birth control not requiring a man to wear it, abortion rights, equal pay as well as confidentiality to immigrant women seeking help from abusive men tantamount to human trafficking free passes.

If they wont wake up and quit stripping our protections away then by God we had better stop them by voting them out. I may not agree with every Democrat ideal I find their approach of not taxing the poor into bankruptcy while keeping the rich rich and letting women choose their own family planning more in line with my view of things. My lack of testicles should not render my decisions worthless to those who have them.

[slippery pete]

08:31 PM on 05/08/2012

The GOP would rather have 10 dead women than 1 illegal immigrant.

[Wholly Guacamole]

09:21 PM on 05/08/2012

Very well said, pete -- faved and fanned!

[giftsthatpurr]

01:22 AM on 05/09/2012

ff

[the real minority]

07:31 PM on 05/08/2012

still trying to sneak in amnesty for illegal immigrants.

FYI- We akready have laws that protect women and men from abuse. this was just more political BS from the Democrats

[Sophist FCD]

09:19 PM on 05/08/2012

There is a difference between having a law and having an EFFECTIVE law. If the current laws are not working, then it is only right that they be amended.

[the real minority]

10:09 PM on 05/08/2012

then it's a law enforcement issue