Louie Gohmert: “The bill that was entitled the Violence Against Women Act was passed in the House today, and I deeply regret it was not…”

“The bill that was entitled the Violence Against Women Act was passed in the House today, and I deeply regret it was not the kind of bipartisan bill that I feel like we should have had. I don't know anybody in this Chamber who supports violence against women or who does not want to do what we can to stop it. We battled this out verbally in the Judiciary Committee. It is so clear to me, having prosecuted sexual assaults of women who were battered and beat up badly by their husbands or partners, that it is such an egregious thing. I heard over and over as a felony judge in Texas about how traumatized the women were and potentially would be for the rest of their lives. I heard that, with counseling, they could work to avoid having the triggers that put them right back in the place where they were so badly abused. More recent literature indicates that women who have been sexually assaulted seem to have a much higher percent--a number of times, apparently--more post-traumatic stress disorder after having been sexually abused than even soldiers have after combat. One suggestion in a study indicates that because soldiers are trained for what they go through, perhaps that reduces the amount of PTSD. There is no adequate training to prepare a woman for the kind of abuse that so many have suffered.…”