In the latest battle over health care, the committee of the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine has put together a list of preventive services for women that all new health plans must cover without deductibles or co-payments. While the list is not binding, for the first time many issues which have been ignored have been brought to the front. One such item is domestic violence counseling and care.

In a historic move, the council suggested free coverage of prescription birth control, breast-pump rentals, counseling for domestic violence, and annual wellness exams and HIV tests as a result of recommendations released Tuesday by an independent advisory panel of health experts.

Although these recommendations are far from becoming law, national recognition of the need to address domestic violence is a crucial first step. Only once the country is aware of how widespread this human rights violation is can we come together to fight it and to break the cycle of violence. Only through education and counseling can we see the repercussions of domestic violence in the household and work to change them, helping to prevent the next generation from suffering the same fate.