As one of the 20 million women and girls in America who have been sexually assaulted, I have learned that the way family and community react after an assault is crucial. So when I heard that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, as mayor and governor, had shown little care for those who have been sexually assaulted, I decided to investigate. What I learned disturbs me. When Palin was elected mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, she fired the police chief and hired her own police chief. The fired police chief had budgeted funds to pay for rape investigation kits. Palin’s new chief took this out of the budget and, thus, forced rape victims to pay for their own rape kits. Palin supported this action, and when she was governor was reluctant to pay for new anti-violence measures.
Palin’s record made me curious about John McCain’s. The Violence Against Women Act is the most important federal legislation to protect women from violence and to support victims. This law supports our local victim/witness programs, our women’s shelter programs and law enforcement programs that protect women against violence. McCain voted against the original funding for this legislation in 1994 and voted against funding in 2007.
To be fair, I researched the other candidates. I discovered that Sen. Joe Biden authored and led the Congressional passage of the Violence Against Women Act back in 1994. I also discovered that Sen. Barack Obama sponsored legislation in Illinois to support victims of assault and co-sponsored Biden’s legislation after being elected to the Senate.
Protecting women against violence has never been a partisan issue. Our own Republican state Sen. William Wampler has been the leading advocate for child advocacy centers throughout Virginia. So, this record of indifference to the fate of rape and violence victims makes me wonder how McCain/Palin will lead our country. Even if your family has never been affected by rape or violence, it might make you wonder, too.
Joan Boone
Bristol, Va.
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