What Next | Daily News and Analysis Why Women Kill
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Mar 3, 2025 Rachel Louise Snyder, a journalist and author of "No Visible Bruises," dives into the troubling realities of women incarcerated for homicide. She discusses a striking statistic: 20% of these women killed their abusive partners. Snyder highlights the failures of self-defense laws in protecting victims and advocates for much-needed reforms. Through powerful anecdotes, she reveals the harrowing journey of women trapped in cycles of violence, ultimately calling for a justice system that truly understands and defends vulnerable women.
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Anita Ford's Story
- Anita Ford married young and suffered escalating abuse from her husband, Barry, after a few years.
- Barry's violence worsened with substance abuse, including strangulation and other physical assaults in front of their children.
Imminence in Self-Defense
- Self-defense laws, written with men in mind, often fail to protect abused women.
- The concept of "imminence" requires an immediate threat, disregarding the history of abuse and power imbalance.
Knife in the Kitchen
- A common scenario involves a woman grabbing a knife during a fight, only to be deemed as not acting in self-defense.
- The law often suggests she could have escaped, ignoring the complexities of domestic violence situations.
