Those of us immersed in the fight against domestic violence know how critical political decisions are in protecting women. When the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was passed in 1994, on the heels of the O.J. Simpson trial, women across this country won a major victory that shifted the tide toward prevention and signaled that domestic violence was everyone’s fight, not just one for victims, survivors, and the organizations struggling to help them.

But VAWA, arguably one of the most important pieces of legislation on women’s rights in decades, is now under attack. The House of Representatives has proposed massive cuts to VAWA, continuing a downward trend of support for domestic-violence programs. Previously set at $795.8-million a year, the proposed bill calls for  $136.5-million in cuts. Among the proposed changes are those eroding protections for immigrant women and men, gay a…

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