Domestic violence affects one out of every four women and one in nine men in this country.
By Howard Fischer || Capitol Media Services
Gov. Katie Hobbs notched another four vetoes on Monday.
The governor rejected HB 2427, a proposal by Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, which would increase the maximum possible penalty for aggravated assault in a domestic violence situation if the assailant knew or had reason to know the victim was pregnant.
Gress said domestic violence affects one out of every four women and one in nine men in this country. That, he said, can include everything from stalking to physical violence.
“With pregnancy comes risk,” Gress said. “And many women report it’s actually when they become pregnant that abuse starts or becomes intensified.”
What HB 2427 does by allowing an additional five-years to be added to any penalty, he said, is ensure that “we will not allow two lives to be further threatened by unstable aggression of a partner.”
Gress acknowledged he had not spoken with domestic violence advocacy organizations – other than the anti-abortion Center for Arizona Policy. And Marilyn Rodriguez, a lobbyist representing the Arizona Coalition to End Domestic Violence, testified against it.
