It is morally permissible to use deadly force as deliberate response to repeated domestic violence.

I apologize that i am not a professional debater, so I will just respond to my opponent's arguments by point. I apologize if my debate format is not the same as my opponent's, but it should be, nonetheless, easy to follow. I would like to point out that while the premise leaves open the possibility to show examples of where deadly force can be morally permissible, my opponent seems to be trying to box the premise into "every" situation of domestic violence. It is impossible to argue something so general in an "every case" type framework, and so my argument will show cases where deadly force IS morally permissible as a response to repeated domestic violence. My opponent has presented his value as justice- the quality of being just, right, and fair(ness). My opponent argues that because the resolution is dealing what is morally right, he will argue what is the most just action. This ignores the aspects of what is right, and fair, but I will also show that using deadly force as a deliberate response to domestic violence can be just. My opponent presents his value criterion as "due punishment," and much of his argument is based on this value criterion. I contend that using deadly force as a response to repeated domestic violence is not punishment, rather self defense. My value criterion is just that- self defense. In fact, "defense" can stand on it's own, as deadly force may come in the form of a mother defending a child, a child defending a parent, or a sibling defending another sibling. If the value is justice, preservation of justice in many cases of domestic violence is preserved only through self defense- not "due punishment" which does not adequately address the premise. Con Contention 1: Killing cannot be considered due punishment in all or any cases of domestic violence. - My response to this contention is that the topic is not about killing- it is about the use of deadly force as a response to repeated domestic violence. No all cases of domestic violence are repeated, nor to the same degree so let's stick to cases where the use of deadly force can be rationally conceived of, to begin with, and we can judge the morality of the deadly force used in such cases. Sub point A: Domestic violence shouldn't be subjected to a universal punishment when domestic violence isn't universal. - Though I concede sub point A, I will remind the readers I believe I have already effectively re-framed the value criterion to "self defense," and so arguing against a rejected notion is merely being done to express certain other points. In conceding sub point A, I will also present the fact that my opponent is attempting to bypass the issue of self defense by, again, putting all cases of domestic violence in the same context and category. We cannot rationally expect a wife of an emotionally and economically oppressive man to use deadly force as a response to non-physical abuse. We can, however, rationally expect a woman who repeatedly sees her children beaten bloody, her daughter raped, and herself beat to the point of having broken bones, stitches, bruises, etc. to respond with deadly force. In many cases this isn't only a rational response, but a socially expected response, ie. most who hear the story would respond with "Hey, I would have done the same thing"! Or "It's about time"! The point is also invalid because it presupposes the argument that all cases of domestic violence should be resolved with deadly force, which is not the premise at all. Sub point B: Killing isn't comparable to domestic violence because life is our greatest right. - Again, my opponent presents a presupposed counterpoint. The use of deadly force =/= killing. I will show that the use of deadly force is not only a rational response, but in some cases the only just response to cases of repeated domestic violence. My opponent goes on to use an excerpt from Joshua Dressler to support his point. The points made by Professor Dressler, however, do not address the myriad of situations that can arise from domestic violence, and Professor Dressler commits the same error my opponent commits- the use of deadly force =/= killing. Furthermore, Professor Dressler's entire premise presupposes equality in physical strength, and ability to proportionately respond to violence. It is ridiculous to use a comparison of a person shoving a finger into another man's chest in a debate about deadly force as a response to repeated domestic violence because it ignores completely the basic parameters of domestic violence: 1- The victims are weaker, and often significantly weaker physically and/or emotionally than the offender. 85% of intimate partner domestic violence victims are women (1). 50% of men who repeatedly abuse their intimate partner also abuse their children (2). 2- Though physical injuries heal, mental injuries almost never do. 21% of women report they have been raped at least once in their lifetime, and 76% of those women point to an intimate partner as the perpetrator (3). Almost one-third (31%) of all rape victims developed PTSD sometime during their lifetime; and more than one in ten rape victims (11%) still has PTSD today. 30% of rape victims had experienced at least one major depressive episode in their lifetimes. Rape victims are 4.1 times more likely than non-crime victims to have contemplated suicide. (4) 3- Domestic violence often ends with the murder of the victim(s). In 2000, 1,247 women were killed by an intimate partner. The same year, 440 men were killed by an intimate partner. Intimate partner homicides accounted for 30% of the murders of women and 5% percent of the murders of men.(3)(5) There is no way of knowing which cases of domestic violence will end in homicide, and I would take care to judge morally a victim of domestic violence who fears for her/his life, or the life of a loved one who responds with deadly force. Contention 2: Social norms regulate morality and discredit the resolution. - Again, my opponent argues the strawman. The resolution is not "those guilty of repeated domestic violence should be killed." Social norms don't dictate this notion, but they definitely side with victims of domestic violence in cases of self defense resulting in homicide. The best test of a social norm is the laws governing them. There are a few states that justify homicide in self defense where a threat to the life of the victim is imminent. (6)(7)(8) My opponent supports the notion of laws, and legal precedent establishing "social norms," but implies the laws and legal precedent are on the side of his argument. They are not. He claims "no state or national legislature would consider it one of the aggravating factors that justify capital punishment." To clarify- the use of deadly force as a "response" to "repeated" domestic violence not only clearly implies self defense, but does NOT imply murder, homicide, or capital punishment as my opponent suggests. My opponent ends his round by contradicting the premise, and again, attempting to re-frame the debate. The resolution implies self defense, not murder. (1) Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief, Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2001, February 2003 (2) Strauss, Murray A, Gelles, Richard J., and Smith, Christine. 1990. Physical Violence in American Families; Risk Factors and Adaptations to Violence in 8,145 Families. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers (3) The Commonwealth Fund, Health Concerns Across a Woman's Lifespan: 1998 Survey of Women's Health, 1999 (4) http://www.musc.edu... (5) Bureau of Justice Statistics, Intimate Partner Violence in the U.S. 1993-2004, 2006. (6) http://www.nytimes.com... (7) http://www.umich.edu... (8) http://abcnews.go.com...