A NOTE ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

At a news conference this morning I heard President Obama refer to a Violence Against Women Act passed by congress on February 28th 2013. That is good news in as far as it goes, but it is too narrow if indeed the Act singles out violence against women.  The issue is domestic violence. Period.

I had an opportunity to speak to family physicians who told me that in their medical practices (spanning a combined total of more than 100 years) they encountered equal numbers of women being violent to their partners as men being violent to their women. Domestic violence of any sort must not be tolerated legally or socially.

We incorrectly may assume that a man being beaten and abused by his wife must be a wimp. Not true. I knew a man who was a powerful giant. He was the strongest man I've ever met, yet he was the victim of domestic violence. His alcoholic common-law partner was a mean drunk. When she was sober, she could be very charming but became violent toward him when she'd been drinking. He was so strong, he could have easily killed another human being and he knew it. That is why he would not allow himself to get drawn into the cycle of violence for fear that anger might escalate. He would walk away or submit to the assaults.

We must get beyond social policy motivated by the feminist misandry of the late 20th century. Domestic violence includes all spousal abuse, elder abuse and child abuse. It all must stop.

Mark