Encyclopedia of Opinion
Question
Should women vote for Trump or Biden?
Position‹2 of 2
Women should vote for Biden
Argument‹6 of 6

Biden will end violence against women

The argument

In 1990, Biden spearheaded the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). At a time when few people in Washington cared about sexual violence, Biden pushed until the bill passed in 1994. VAWA created a national hotline for victims, and funded shelters and crisis centers. It trained law enforcement in communities across the United States so they were better prepared to investigate violence against women and support survivors of violence. The act changed the way Americans understand violence against women. Since then, Biden has lead efforts to ensure Congress passed legislation renewing and strengthening VAWA. VAWA also ensures that especially vulnerable communities, including LGBTQ+ and ethnic minority women are included in the Act. As President, Biden will build on this strong track record and make communities safer for all women.

Premises

[P1]Biden spearheaded the 1990 Violence Against Women Act, pushing until it passed in 1994 and creating a national hotline, funding shelters and crisis centres, and training law enforcement to support survivors. [P2] He has since led efforts to renew and strengthen VAWA—extending it to vulnerable LGBTQ+ and minority women—and as President would build on that record to make communities safer for women. [C] Therefore, proponents argue, women should vote for Biden, who will work to end violence against women.

Counter-arguments

Biden himself has been subject to accusations about sexual violence against women. Multiple women accused Biden of inappropriately touching them, including one Nevada politician who said the former vice president came up to her at a 2014 campaign stop and kissed the back of her head.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] A legislative record from the 1990s is evidence of past priorities rather than of future results, and the provisions listed — a hotline, shelters, police training — describe response to violence rather than its end, which is what the title claims. [Rejecting P2] Reauthorisations passed with support across both chambers and are not attributable to one figure, and the premise does not say what a president would do beyond continuing an existing statute; the counter raises a separate objection about the candidate's own conduct that the argument does not engage.