January/February LD Debate Resolved

Resolved: it is morally permissible for victims to use deadly force as a deliberate response to repeated domestic violence. Definitions: Victim- A person harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime, accident, or other event or action. (In this case crime) Deadly force- force with the full intent to cause death Deliberate response- an intentional or controlled reaction Repeated- more than once; long term Domestic violence- the cycle of abuse used to coerce or control an intimate partner Morally permissible- allowed in relation to the standards of good or bad conduct Value/criterion- Self-defense, it is defined as the protection of one's person against some injury attempted by another. According to the social contract, the one right mankind cannot completely sacrifice is the right of self-defense. Self-defense is an inalienable right as under the social contract, a person's right to live is only dependent upon another person recognizing that right. If a person's life is threatened they have the absolute, unwavering right to defend their life with any means available to them, as the aggressor has given up their right to live by threatening the life of another. Contention 1. Domestic abuse victims feel they are constantly in imminent danger a) Battered Person's Syndrome (BPS) This is a psychological and physiological condition classified as ICD-9 code 995.81. A person who is in a long-term abusive relationship will develop this syndrome. There are several recognizable symptoms, some of which are the same as the well known PTSD: re-experiencing the battering as if it were re-occurring even if it is not, attempts to avoid attempts to avoid the psychological impact of battering by avoiding activities, people, and emotions, hyperarousal or hypervigilance, disrupted interpersonal relationships, body image distortion or other somatic concerns, and sexuality and intimacy issues. Battered Person's Syndrome results in the following beliefs: the abused believes the violence was their fault, the abused has an inability to place the responsibility for the violence elsewhere, the abused fears for his/her life and/or the lives of his/her children (if present), the abused has a irrational belief their abuser is omnipresent and omniscient. (Omnipresent is defined as being everywhere; omniscient is defined as all-knowing). The abused also believes they cannot escape the abuse except through death, and therefore, are in constant fear. b) Domestic violence is a cycle In 1970, Lenore Walker identified the stages of domestic abuse. First, the tension building stage, this phase is prior to physical damage. During this phase the victim tries to change their behavior to avoid an outburst. Second, the acting-out phase, this is where the physical abuse begins. The abuser attempts to dominate the victim. Third, reconciliation/honeymoon phase, this phase is fairly obvious, the abuser tries to reconcile with their victim by apologizing, etc. Fourth, the calm phase, during this phase it is well calm, there is no violence. Repeated domestic violence goes through these stages several times and sustained periods of living in this cycle leads to development of battered person's syndrome. c) Domestic Abuse Victims feel they are in constant danger A woman who is in a long-term abusive relationship most likely WILL develop Battered Person's Syndrome and all of the symptoms and beliefs going along with it. The women therefore, believes they cannot escape, their abuser is omniscient, the abuse is constantly occurring in their mind, and as a result they are in constant fear of their abuser. Contention 2. Killing in self-defense is valid in this situation Self-defense has been defined as the protection of one's person against some injury attempted by another. I will present a hypothetical situation: a person has been kidnapped. Their kidnapper continuously rapes and beats this person for several years causing tremendous pain and suffering. As such, this person will develop BPS and the only escape is through killing their kidnapper. One day, the person somehow manages to kill their kidnapper and escapes. Was their action morally justified? I say yes, simply because their only means of escape was through killing their kidnapper. How is this situation any different than an account of domestic violence? It is not. An abuse victim is being physically attacked and raped. After a period of time, an abuse victim will develop BPS and all the symptoms attributed to it. Therefore, the woman believes they will NEVER be able to escape the abuse without killing themselves or their abuser. The only escape in a woman who has been in an abusive relationship for an extended period of time is death. Running away does not help their issues as an abuse victim believes their abuser to be omniscient, therefore, they will live constantly in fear. Running away does not change the fact that an abuse victim will constantly be "replaying" the abuse over and over again. In an abusive victims psyche they are CONSTANTLY in danger. They are CONSTANTLY being abused. As such, it is justified for a woman to kill their abuser because they believe that they are constantly being attacked and they constantly fear they will be killed. The only escape for an abuse victim is killing their abuser.