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May 30, 2003
Responsibility
The Ohio Supreme Court is considering an appeal from a conviction of a woman for violating the protective order the lower court had entered against her husband.
The appeals court decision broke new ground, said Cheryl Hanna, an expert in domestic violence law who teaches at Vermont Law School.
"This is the first case," Professor Hanna said, "in which a court has held that it's allowable for the state to charge a woman with aiding and abetting her abuser in violating a restraining order."
Professor Hanna said the appeals court's decision reflected a larger debate about how best to keep the victims of domestic violence safe from their abusers.
From my limited experience in the field, this is a huge problem. And it's not just the women who allow their abuser to sweet-talk their way back...it's also the harpies that talk their "abuser" into dropping by, and then call the cops when he does.
There's nothing wrong with making people take responsibility for their actions, though...and that is just as applicable for women in these situations as men.
But that's just my opinion.
Posted by Rita at May 30, 2003 07:43 AM