Biden has long defined his political career on protecting women, but his accomplishments have a mixed legacy.
The Violence Against Women Act of 1994, which he shepherded through Congress, has since faced feminist scrutiny for treating domestic violence as a law enforcement issue, which may have ironically reduced reporting of abuse.
Reauthorization language for VAWA has also been criticized for watering down the definition of domestic violence and incentivizing romantic partners to lie. Feminist Wendy McElroy, who lost sight in one eye from domestic violence, warned that the language represents the “criminalization of normal life,” including common squabbles in relationships.
Joe Biden has claimed that President Obama specifically tasked him with devising policy on campus sexual misconduct before they were elected in 2008. As vice president, Biden compared supporters of due process for accused students to the “Nazis” who marched in the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally.
The White House issued an executive order March 8 directing Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to review its predecessor’s Title IX regulation “for consistency with governing law” by the end of April.
All “agency actions” must follow President Biden’s policy that “all students should be guaranteed an educational environment free from discrimination on the basis of sex,” including sexual harassment, the order said.
Hellbound and Down 