This Valentine’s Day, Planned Parenthood affiliates and organizations across the country are sending a strong message to members of Congress: we must put an end to violence against women.
As part of the One Billion Rising campaign to rally one billion people around the world to stand up against violence against women, Planned Parenthood affiliates are asking supporters to send their members of Congress a special Valentine—asking them to support the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. And it’s not hard to understand why: from its enactment through 2010, the rate of intimate partner violence declined by 64%.
Around the country, Planned Parenthood affiliates are getting involved on the ground. Here’s just a taste of what’s happening:
At the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood (VLPP), volunteers have been excited to stand in solidarity with so many other Richmond organizations that care about ending violence against women worldwide.
In anticipation of the One Billion Rising RVA march and rally at the Richmond Coliseum on February 14, VLPP grassroots organizers and volunteers have been busy in the health center and at campus and community events, collecting petition signatures, which will be delivered in the form of valentines supporting the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act. In New York, Planned Parenthood of Nassau County will be engaging in the One Billion Rising campaign by producing and recording a rendition of “Break the Chain.”
Just yesterday, the Senate passed a reauthorization of VAWA in a bipartisan vote of 78-22. Every woman senator—Republican and Democrat—voted in favor of the bill.
Now it’s up to the House of Representatives to do everything they can to be sure that women are safe and healthy in their homes, schools, and workplaces by improving our nation’s response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. These protections have had a critical effect on the fight to end violence against women. That’s why we’ve been working to urge supporters to contact their representatives in Congress and ask them to support the reauthorization of VAWA. There’s no more time for setbacks.
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