[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 28 (Thursday, March 10, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H1271]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

  (Mrs. CAPPS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Lifetime's Stop 
the Violence Week and highlight the epidemic of domestic violence in 
our Nation; 85 percent of the victims are women. But only half of them 
report an injury. And of these, only a few percent even seek out 
medical assistance.
  Domestic violence is a serious health concern but for too long has 
been treated solely as a criminal issue. So I will soon reintroduce the 
Domestic Violence Screening Treatment and Prevention Act. This bill 
would train health professionals to assess victims for signs of abuse 
and prepare them for intervention if needed.
  Routine screening by a physician or a nurse could unlock options for 
thousands of women. Mr. Speaker, Congress must ensure domestic violence 
screening is common medical practice, in every doctor's office in every 
State.
  Routine screening will enable early detection of domestic violence 
before it becomes life threatening. So I urge my colleagues not to 
ignore this nationwide epidemic. And let us work hard to institute a 
public health protocol for addressing this major epidemic in our 
society today.

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