Virginia State Sen. Amanda Chase recently took to her Facebook page to blame women who have been raped for not carrying private firearms, stating “It’s those who are naïve and unprepared that end of [sic] raped.”
Chase, who represents Virginia’s 11th District, made the comments one day before she heralded herself a champion of women, stating that she believed every woman had a right “to protect themselves.”
Chase’s Facebook comments join a list of controversial statements the incumbent Republican has made about sexual violence. Yesterday, audio surfaced of Chase on the John Fredericks show stating, “I’m not blaming the rapers,” in a conversation about the 2nd amendment and sexual assault.
According to a review by American Ledger, Chase has also voted against enacting protections for women from sexual violence and domestic abuse during her tenure in the Virginia State Senate.
In January 2019, Chase voted against SJ 284, a bill to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, in the Virginia State Senate Privileges and Elections Committee, and again on the Senate floor.
In a press conference explaining her vote, Chase stated that she believed the Equal Rights Amendment would negatively impact the victims of domestic violence.
Experts argue that the Equal Rights Amendment does just the opposite.
The Equal Rights Amendment constitutionally guarantees that women are protected from discrimination, and mirrors the Violence Against Women Act to foster proactive legislation that enables survivors of sexual assault and domestic abuse to seek justice through private legal action against their perpetrators, even if the state has failed to prosecute.
“The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), a constitutional amendment, would lay a sturdy framework to guarantee women’s equality,” said Desiree Hoffman, then-Director of Advocacy and Policy for the Young Women’s Christian Association in 2014. “In particular, the ERA would go a long way in ensuring that survivors of domestic violence, stalking, and rape are adequately protected under the law.”
Chase is running for re-election to the Virginia State Senate this November.