I recently watched an interesting news peice about abused women who killed their abusers, and were then subsequently tried and convicted of murder, and many times sentenced to life (this was before battered women's syndrome was allowed to be used in murder trials.)

I really don't get the double standard.  When an abused woman is murdered by her abuser, we say "what a sensless death" or "such a sad case."  Yet when the abused woman murders her abuser, almost always in the scencario that she's in a fight to the death and it's either her or her abuser, she's tried, and often times convicted of manslaughter or murder.  Why are the only 2 choices death or a long jail sentence? What ever happened to being allowed to defend yourself? 

Many people say get out, and then the women wouldn't be stuck with those two choices.  Only ignorant people say that.  Most abuse women do not have the financial freedom, or mental or emotional strength to get out.  many of them have nowhere to go, and their absuers know this.   Many of them have children.  Where is an abused mother supposed to run with her children if she doesn't know where the women's shelter is? If she has no money? 

Oftentimes, the forgotten victims are the children... children who witness their mother's abuse, sometimes even death, or the death of their abusive father, and are taken and thrown into a foster care system.   Even with our economy in shambles, we are still one of the richest countries in the world.  This can't be the best we can do for abused women and children.

http://www.sinbysilence.com/pressmaterials/cwaafacts.html