Price of Life NYC

“Loving our neighbor not only means reaching out to those in need, but also means addressing systemic problems that harm those in need.”

Check out this CNN editorial by two prominent evangelical Christians, Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, which represents more than 45,000 local churches from over 40 different denominations, and Lynne Hybels, co-founder of Willow Creek Community Church in Illinois, which promotes efforts to raise awareness about human trafficking and exploitation.

Worth reading the whole thing, but here’s a key excerpt (emphasis added):

If the House proposal is enacted, thousands [of trafficking victims] could remain enslaved, too afraid to speak out because some of their most effective safeguards will have disappeared… .

Several provisions would leave immigrant victims of human trafficking and domestic abuse no legal way to break the cycle of violence in which they are trapped… . [T]he bill could validate an abuser’s threat that a call to police could result in deportation. Many women would keep quiet rather than risk immigration consequences.

The bill would also allow abusive partners in domestic violence cases to provide input as to whether their victim should qualify for immigration relief, stripping confidentiality provisions that currently protect victims. Abusive spouses, who are in a position to petition to adjust the status of their immigrant wives through marriage, can choose not to do so as a tool of abuse and fear. Abusers frequently deny guilt and falsely accuse victims of fraud or abuse.

We don’t want a bill that endangers some of the women and children it purports to help. Overall, this bill’s proposed changes to current law would discourage immigrant victims from escaping abuse and reporting crimes, and make all of us less safe… .

As evangelical Christians, we are committed to Jesus’ great commandment to love God and to love our neighbor, with a particular concern for those who are most vulnerable. Through local churches and ministries, we extend that love when we provide counseling and support for victims of human trafficking and domestic violence. In doing so, we point to the ultimate healing and restoration that we believe is found only in Jesus.

We also love our neighbor by speaking up when laws are proposed that could cause harm, intentionally or not. Loving our neighbor not only means reaching out to those in need, but also means addressing systemic problems that harm those in need.

That’s why we’re asking Speaker John Boehner and the House leadership to make sure that the Violence Against Women Act continues to protect vulnerable immigrant women who are victims of human trafficking or domestic violence. They need our protection.