To many feminists, talk of vindictive, manipulative ex-wives smacks of misogyny. But to recognize that women may sometimes abuse the power they have is simply to recognize that women are human. And men, too, have misused restraining orders. In 1995, Stephen Gruning stormed into the home of ex-girlfriend Rhonda Stuart, shot and wounded her and killed her brother and her new boyfriend. He had earlier been granted two temporary restraining orders against Stuart.
Several studies suggest that restraining orders have little, if any, protective effect.
Indeed, a system bogged down in trivial pursuit may fail to single out cases of real danger. Change in the current law is badly needed. Charges of domestic violence, by women or men, must be taken seriously. But in the American system of justice, sensitivity to victims should never turn into a presumption of guilt. Reproduced courtesy of The Liberator , a publication of the Men's Defense Association .