Battered Women’s Defense (why would she kill her husband? )

Speaking to a group of attorneys in Kansas City, forensic psychologist Dr. Lenore Walker explains the development of battered women’s syndrome as closely akin to the PTSD suffered by soldiers in battle. The effects of repeated trauma can create an overwhelming sense of threat and terror even when not in the throes of an immediate attack. This understanding can be used to defend women who kill their abusers, who have often been handed more severe sentences than those given men who kill the women they are abusing.

Today’s featured speaker is Psychologist and expert witness, Dr. Lenore Walker, author of “The Battered Woman Syndrome.”

Women’s International News Gathering Service (WINGS) has been covering the global women’s movement and related issues for community radio since 1986.


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