Two progressive outside spending groups are pushing the House GOP to pass an extended version of the Violence Against Women Act that's currently stalled in Congress with a new, graphic television ad calling for viewers to demand action.
The ad, funded by MoveOn.org Political Action and Ultraviolet, a pro-women's-rights online community, shows a woman's face, seemingly after she has been beaten, slowly healing and then reverting back to her wounded state. A narration asserts that "three women die every day as a result of domestic violence."
"Earlier this year a bipartisan Senate expanded protections in the Violence Against Women Act. But John Boehner and House Republicans blocked it. They not only blocked it, they voted to take away protections women have had for years," the narration continues.
It will air for a week on CNN, MSNBC, Bravo, Lifetime and HGTV.
Ultraviolet has also launched a petition calling for passage of the bill, which currently has 50,000 signatures.
VAWA has historically been an uncontroversial bill, but Congress failed to pass an extension and let the last measure expire in September of 2011. At issue is the expansion of protections under the law to Native American women, illegal immigrants and LGBT individuals.
The Senate passed a bill earlier this year that expands protection to those three groups, while the House version, passed a month later, did not.
Vice President Biden and House Minority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) are reportedly at work on a compromise, hoping to pass the measure during the lame-duck session.
