Assaulting our rights: how domestic violence laws curtail our fundamental freedoms

The Violence Against Women Act was enacted in the United States in 1994. Fifteen years later, it has become apparent that the law has given rise to numerous violations of fundamental civil rights. These rights include freedom of speech, protection from governmental intrusion, due process, freedom to marry and the right to privacy in family matters, right to parent one's own children, right to bear arms, right to be secure in their persons (probable‐cause for arrest), right to a fair trial, and equal treatment under the law. Each year, an estimated two million Americans have their civil liberties violated by domestic violence laws. This article, based on a report by SAVE (2010a), enumerates and documents these civil rights violations.