Roy Barnes 2010

(October 18, 2010) MARIETTA--Last week Roy 2010 released a new ad exposing Congressman Nathan Deal's attempt to gut Georgia's rape shield law and strip women of their basic protections.  Unfortunately, the rape shield isn't the only time Deal tried to impede the justice system for Georgia's women - on four separate occasions, he voted to oppose domestic violence bills.

In 1981, then-State Senator Roy Barnes authored legislation that allowed police to make an arrest, without warrant, of individuals suspected of committing violent acts against their spouses.

Nathan Deal fought against the bill.  His excuse?  He said it violated the "sanctity of the family." 

Several years later, Deal solidified his anti-women resume by casting the lone "nay" vote on a bill that strengthened domestic violence laws.  While every other member of the state legislature voted to strengthen domestic violence laws, Nathan Deal made a point of voting against the best interest of Georgia's women.

Downloads:

• Click here to read more about Deal's voting record.
• News articles about Deal's record on domestic violence can be found here.
• Deal's voting record on Barnes' 1988 Domestic Violence Bill can be found here and here.

"The Governor of Georgia is tasked with the important responsibility of ensuring that our citizens are safe," said spokeswoman Anna Ruth Williams.  "Time after time, Congressman Deal voted in the interest of the criminal - not the female victim. Thankfully, other members of the legislature - like Roy Barnes - fought Deal's attempts to hurt women.  But if he's elected governor - the safety of women could be jeopardized."

"After fighting against the Domestic Violence Act and trying to gut the rape shield law, Congressman Deal owes Georgia's women and the countless victims of physical and sexual assault across this state an apology.  You can tell a lot about the character of a man...you can also tell when that man shouldn't be your governor," Williams said.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, in 2009 there were 62,156 reported cases of family violence and over a quarter of those involved spouses.

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