THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 21, 1994 TAG: 9407210015
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 33 lines
Columnist Don Feder's ``Statistics aren't backing up domestic-violence assertions'' (op-ed, July 13) hit a nerve. Smug and self-serving are the words that came to mind as I read it. He obviously has never been abused, nor feared for his life at the hands of a spouse.
Maybe the domestic-violence statistics don't add up; maybe it's because women don't report abuse as often as they should. Mr. Feder says, ``Feminists misrepresent (the numbers of abuse cases) by neglecting to mention that the numbers include pushing, shoving and grabbing, as well as serious acts of violence.''
Maybe Mr. Feder can clarify something that has bothered me for years. How do you classify it when your husband knocks you down, straddles your chest and threatens to kill you (because you want to go back to college)? He doesn't have a weapon and you end up with no visible bruises. Is this pushing, shoving, grabbing or a serious act of violence? I vote for all three.
Until our court system is more woman-friendly, and women can come forward without fear of reprisal, people will continue to believe that spouse abuse is not a problem.
NANCY J. McWILLIAMS
Virginia Beach, July 13, 1994 by CNB