Violence Against Women Act History
Evolution of Domestic Violence Law
1871 — Alabama is the first State to rescind the legal right of men to beat their wives. 1967 — One of the country’s first domestic violence shelters opens in Maine. 1972 — The Nation’s first emergency rape crisis line opens in Washington, D.C. 1975 — Pennsylvania establishes the first State coalition against sexual assault, the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape. 1976 — Pennsylvania establishes the first State coalition against domestic violence, the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and becomes the first State to pass legislation providing for orders of protection for battered women. La Casa de Las Madres in San…
