Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Violence Against Women

My daughters were commenting to me that they find it strange and wrong that in the State of South Carolina it is a felony to fight chickens, but only a misdemeanor to beat your wife.
{My daughters are passionately opposed to fighting chickens. In fact our family is wrestling with the violence against animals and how Jesus would respond to the slaughterhouses and even the farms that systematically abuse and torture the animals they should be caring for.}
It is good that athletes are called into account for abusing and killing animals. I pray that the result will be a drop in cruelty to animals throughout society.
Today I heard that one sports team had two of its athletes punch their wife/girlfriend. Unless the woman presses charges, nothing will happen. Unfortunately at times even if the woman presses charges, the man will hire an attorney and use everything that should be sacred to clear his name.
I can not explain to my daughters how this can be right and good. They genuinely feel that society cares less about them then it does about dogs or chickens. Or that violence in relationships is so frequent that it is not considered deviant.

(I did take time to talk with my daughters about the importance of guarding themselves against relationships with men who have a bent toward violence.)
I want to do something that moves our society to a place where we say that punching a woman is wrong - period. Under all of this is probably still some thinking, ideas, and feelings that have to change.