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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!nsc!amdahl!rtech!jeff
From: jeff@rtech.UUCP (Jeff Lichtman)
Newsgroups: net.nlang.india
Subject: Re: More thoughts on Dowry
Message-ID: <708@rtech.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 23-Oct-85 03:32:09 EDT
Article-I.D.: rtech.708
Posted: Wed Oct 23 03:32:09 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 25-Oct-85 02:50:05 EDT
References: <770@hou2d.UUCP> <1265@cornell.UUCP>
Organization: Relational Technology, Alameda CA
Lines: 32

I couldn't let this go by without comment.

> 
> (I personally find rape and wife-beating to be more severe crimes
> against women as they leave permanent scars, whether physical or mental, on the
> victim; at least in a dowry-death the agony does not last forever. But rape
> and wife-beating happen in almost all societies, not just in India! In fact
> the US constitution turns a blind eye to violence in the family under the garb
> of not intruding in the private lives of the citizens!!) 
>     Amitabh Shah ({decvax|ihnp4|uw-beaver|vax135|...}!cornell!shah)

A while back in net.women, a man suggested that rape is a worse crime than
murder, because rape leaves a woman with fears and other emotional pains for
the remainder of her life, while a murder victim at least doesn't have to
suffer after the comission of the crime.  Many women disagreed with this,
saying that they preferred to stay alive.  I don't remember any woman agreeing
with him, saying that she would rather be killed than raped.  Rape and other
types of violence against women are terrible crimes, but I don't think any
purpose is served by over-dramatizing this fact.

Also, it is not true that family violence is protected by the U.S. Constitution.
I challenge anyone to name or quote the section of the Constitution that
protects wife beaters.  In fact, the State of California (and every other state,
I believe) has laws against wife beating.  The fact that such laws are not
enforced very well has a lot to do with the U.S. being a male-dominated society,
and nothing to do with the Constitution.
-- 
Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.)
"Saints should always be judged guilty until they are proved innocent..."

{amdahl, sun}!rtech!jeff
{ucbvax, decvax}!mtxinu!rtech!jeff