It is permissible for victims to use deadly force as a response to repeated domestic abuse.

Domestic violence is a very controversial issue in America today. Some of us may try to bury it underground, and others shout it out to the whole world but the truth is that Domestic abuse will always be present. There must be a way for the poor victims to escape. Sometimes the law even denies the presence of the abuse, leaving the victim in solitude and without salvation. Therefore, I stand beside the resolution. Resolved: IT IS MORALLY PERMISSIBLE FOR VICTIMS TO USE DEADLY FORCE AS A DELIBERATE RESPONSE TO REPEATED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. The thesis of this case revolves around the fact that sometimes, the use of deadly force is needed because if the victim would not use deadly force, his or her life would be put in deaths way.Obsv. 1: Geoffrey Rapp, (Prof., Law, U. Toledo College of Law), GEORGIA LAW REVIEW, Fall 2010, 143.The privilege of self-defense is an ancient concept dating to the earliest moral teachings of Rabbinical law. Theprivilege has been recognized in Anglo-American law for more than 500 years.Contention 1: Repeated domestic abuse puts the victim or victims in immediate danger.A: Domestic violence is widespread and affects various victimsDomestic violence in a household directly places all the peoples living within that household in immediate danger. The abuser puts the lives of the victims in peril when he abuses just one of the victims. Domestic violence is also highly widespread in the United States. Nancy Wright, a professor of law at Santa Clara University of law(1) writes in 2009 that "According to the Kansas Supreme Court in State v. Hundley, the physical abuse of women is "extremely Widespread" with the court "estimating that it affects between four and forty million women.' In fact, the American Medical Association estimates that "one-fifth to one-third of all women will be physically assaulted by a partner or ex-partner during their lifetime." Moreover, according to the Wyoming Supreme Court in Witt v. State, battered women frequently suffer other forms of abuse as well, such as 'humiliation, denial of power, name calling, sexual abuse, threats of violence, and deprivation of food, sleep, heat, shelter and/or money.'" The abusers actions in this instance may have not only affected the Woman but the woman’s children or the woman’s other family members living within the house. By putting the victim under fire, the abuser may have affected the children and or the extended family in the household.B: Domestic violence is deadlyNancy Wright writes that "30% of domestic violence incidents involve the use of a weapon and the injuries that batteredwomen receive are at least as severe as those suffered in 90% of violent felonies. In fact, each year approximatelytwo million of these women suffer severe beatings at the hands of their spouses or partners. Unfortunately, overthree women every day are murdered by their husbands; frequently experiencing "prolonged, brutal deaths afteryears of violence."Contention 2: Many victims of Domestic abuse have to use deadly force in order to survive.A: The law Enforcement sometimes denies help to the victimNancy Wright writes that “Most battered women have sought help unsuccessfully from police or other protective agencies. One study ofwomen in Philadelphia, who died at the hands of their abusive spouses, estimated that 64% of the women wereknown by the police to have been physically abused before their deaths. This means that even if the law knows about a victim, they continue to ignore them until death. This puts the victim in even more danger because they are not being helped at all by the outside world. The victim in turn, is forced to use deadly force to dispatch the abuser. Sometimes, turning to the Police has worse consequences than denial. Myrna S. Raeder writes “that efforts such as calling the police simply increase the violence”B:Victims often find that there is no escape from the abusers.Nancy Wright states that “ Victims are often trapped by their abusers, who isolate them from family and friends who might otherwise providethem with assistance and support in leaving. They are frequently trapped by poverty, making retreat from theabusive situation a financial impossibility. And they are virtually always trapped by the unremitting violence, whichnot only batters them physically but emotionally as well, making leaving the abusive situation a psychologicallyunrealistic option. Faced with the inevitable prospect of escalating physical violence, often accompanied by sexualand psychological abuse, some of these women and children decide that the only escape from their imprisonmentis to kill their abusers.Contention 3:The victims use deadly force as a last resortA:The use of deadly force helps victims outlast their abusersThe wife in State v. Koss(2) not only suffered psychological damage when her husband repeatedly threatened tokill her but also suffered physical injuries when her husband actually tried to kill her. On one occasion her husbandtried to smother her with a pillow and on another, he put a radio in the bathtub while she was taking a bath.Ultimately, she killed him before he succeeded in killing her. The fact that she only killed him after she was threatened repeatedly proves that deadly force was used only as a last resort.In conclusion, I believe that it will always be morally permissible for a victim to dispatch his or her abuser if the abuse is extended. Therefore, I urge you to vote pro. Thank you.1)-http://law.scu.edu...2)-http://opd.ohio.gov...