This week, we discuss the Violence Against Women Act. We cover the history of it, what it currently entails, and the ways in which it can be improved. We talk about the loopholes that leave some victims of sexual violence on the hook for medical bills from their rape kit and post-assault care, and mull over the ways that these loopholes can be fixed.

Sources

https://www.womenslaw.org/about-abuse/abuse-using-technology/all#node-68734

https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/issue-brief/out-of-pocket-charges-for-rape-kits-and-services-for-sexual-assault-survivors/

https://www.kff.org/about-us/

https://19thnews.org/2022/04/sexual-assault-survivor-bill-rape-kit/

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/07/10/739925186/years-after-sexual-assault-survivors-hounded-to-pay-bills-for-the-rape-kit-exam

https://nnedv.org/content/violence-against-women-act/

https://www.legalmomentum.org/history-vawa