In March, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Edward Pincus sentenced Jian's husband to 5 years probation on a reduced manslaughter charge. After hearing the testimony of a Hunter College anthropologist, the judge concluded that Dong Lu Chen, a recent immigrant, was driven to violence by traditional Chinese values about adultery and loss of manhood. Asian and women's groups quickly banded together to challenge the ruling, saying it endangered women in general and immigrant women in particular. But in recent months that coalition has splintered, primarily because Asian activists are reluctant to torpedo the cultural defense. They say it is needed to protect immigrants in U.S. courtrooms.
Feminists call it an invitation to murder. . . .
Chang said it has always been hard to convince Asian immigrant women to endure the indignities and confusion involved with obtaining court orders of protection. Now, she said, the Chen case has convinced many women that the effort isn't worth it. There are no reliable statistics on the incidence of spousal abuse in New York's Asian community. The New York Asian Women's Center served about 200 women last year, most of them Chinese. But experts say that number represents only a fraction of the women who need help.