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R.Hunter,

The statistics about the pervasiveness of violence against women make it clear that it continues to be a serious public health issue for this country -- and we need to do everything in our power to address it.

Tragically, 1 in 4 women have been victims of severe domestic violence. 1 in 5 have been raped in their lifetimes.

Since its initial passage 18 years ago, the landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has dramatically enhanced law enforcement's ability to investigate, prosecute, and prevent violent crimes against women.

Now VAWA is up for reauthorization, and without congressional action, many of its lifesaving programs could end later this year. We cannot let this happen.

On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will debate legislation that I've co-sponsored and aggressively supported to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, and I need your help to demonstrate the bill's broad grassroots support.

Click below to share your thoughts about why we must reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. Your stories and comments will be very helpful in Thursday's Judiciary Committee hearing:

http://tools.chriscoons.com/page/signup/stop-violence-against-women?source=em_20120131vawa

Our legislation builds upon the proven successes of existing programs and adds some important enhancements based on what we've learned about how to prevent and respond to violence against women. It increases funding for sexual assault programs and explicitly prevents VAWA grant recipients from discriminating against victims who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender -- a provision long overdue.

In this tough economy, where state and local governments have struggled to sufficiently fund enforcement of domestic violence laws and support programs for victims, VAWA has provided an important lifeline for some of our most vulnerable citizens. We simply cannot abandon them by letting these programs expire.

Help me make the case for reauthorizing the crucial Violence Against Women Act. Click below to share your thoughts with me before Thursday's hearing:

http://tools.chriscoons.com/page/signup/stop-violence-against-women?source=em_20120131vawa

We have made tremendous progress over the last 18 years -- crimes of domestic violence against women have dropped dramatically, saving countless lives. But so long as these crimes still exist, there's more that must be done.

Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

Chris Coons
U.S. Senator


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Paid for by Chris Coons for Delaware
P.O. Box 9900, Newark, DE 19714

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