Advocates call for broader protections as Congress considers Violence Against Women Act

The Senate took up a bill Monday to renew and expand the Violence Against  Women Act, which funded programs and services for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence for nearly two decades until Congress allowed it to expire last year. Senators voted down a Republican-backed version of the bill on Friday that would have stripped out added legal protections for people in same-sex relationships and Native American women. But some women’s rights and women’s health advocates say even the more inclusive legislation doesn’t meet the increasing demand for services across the US. In Washington, D.C., FSRN’s Alice Ollstein has more.