The last thing victims of domestic violence should have to worry about is being denied insurance coverage when they are trying to rebuild their lives. Guess who doesn't care: big-name insurers in eight states and DC, where it is still legal to exclude victims of domestic violence from coverage.

One in four women will experience some form of domestic abuse in her lifetime, and 20 to 35 percent of emergency room visits are made by women as result of domestic violence. With unfortunate statistics like these, it's not hard to see why citing the injuries sustained through abuse as a "pre-existing condition" is a practice insurers are motivated to take part in to protect their bottom line--profits.

Since we first broke the news that domestic violence is classified a pre-existing condition in eight states and DC three weeks ago, the story has snowballed. Everyone from feminist bloggers to the first lady have weighed in on the issue, throwing their weight behind eliminating this despicable practice and creating a health care system that does not discriminate against women. News outlets like the Huffington Post and CNN have piggybacked these efforts to elevate awareness of the discriminatory provisions included in too many insurance companies' policies.

Over the course of just a few days, SEIU members and supporters wrote over 5,000 emails to Rep. Kucinich, chair of the Domestic Policy subcommittee, who held hearings with insurance company executives. Rep. Diane Watson, a member of the subcommittee, devoted both her opening statement and most of her question period to asking the executives about pre-existing conditions. In the weeks that followed, many other Congresswomen joined the cause, standing up for victims of domestic violence and women's right to equal access to healthcare.

Most recently, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took a firm stand on the issue. Tomorrow, eight female Senators will give back-to-back speeches on the Senate floor in support of women's health care. Update: Read about their powerful testimony here and watch highlights here:

People have taken notice of this very important issue, but our work is not over. We must give women the resources to get away from abusive men by passing a final health care reform bill that does not discriminate against women via a myriad of pre-existing conditions, including pregnancy, c-sections and domestic violence. Tell members of Congress this is unacceptable: no one should be denied health care coverage, least of all women who have already endured so much.