Spouses who kill in self-defense, You're opinion

My mum is watching this 5 Part BBC drama about this woman who stabbed her husband a number of times, because he was abusive physically and mentally. So i thought that this might make an interesting debate on here. What is you're opinion of someone who kills their spouse in defense?

I'm opinion?

I say its only good if the spouse is trying to kill them right then and there. Then use self defense.

She's obviously crazy if she went for the kill before contacting the authorities.

Maybe she just thought he should be dead and not be able to repeat his mistakes.

Not everybody thinks like that Karl. If you're in a state of panic and worried for the safety of yourself and your children you might do it so that they can't hurt you anymore. It's also technically self-defense.

Yeah, because he'd totally be able to physically abuse his wife in prison. Even if he were ever released, there's such a low chance they'd ever encounter each other again that it wouldn't even be worth considering the consequences. Hell of a lot better than being tried for murder yourself, in my opinion.

Not everybody thinks like that Karl. If you're in a state of panic and worried for the safety of yourself and your children you might do it so that they can't hurt you anymore. It's also technically self-defense.

Well maybe humanity should learn to control itself. >_>

If she was in a state of delusion I'm pretty sure it's no longer considered self-defense, because all of a sudden there's mania involved.

abuse doesn't put you away for long, and it's not hard to withhold information like that.

I think the only situation in which this would be justified is if the wife is clearly about to be killed. For example, if the drunk husband is coming at her with a weapon of some kind, then its understandable for her to stab him with a kitchen knife, otherwise she might have been killed. I see nothing wrong with this situation.

It's only wrong for the wife to kill him before that time, and before trying anything else(such as running, calling the police, etc).

Bah, I think it was just for her to kill him. If a husband is abusing his wife, more than a few times, then it is jsut for her to remove scum like that from the Earth. People who commit serious crimes forfeit their rights.

Yeah, because he'd totally be able to physically abuse his wife in prison. Even if he were ever released, there's such a low chance they'd ever encounter each other again that it wouldn't even be worth considering the consequences. Hell of a lot better than being tried for murder yourself, in my opinion.

Not everybody thinks like that Karl. If you're in a state of panic and worried for the safety of yourself and your children you might do it so that they can't hurt you anymore. It's also technically self-defense.

Well maybe humanity should learn to control itself. >_>

If she was in a state of delusion I'm pretty sure it's no longer considered self-defense, because all of a sudden there's mania involved.

best poast.

in the eyes of the law this is the most correct. you may beleive that it is right for the wife to kill her abusive husband but you must also realize that she has most likley done it to herself. dominion of the most powerful is how the world works, it was her own fault to not assert her rights sooner if it came to murder.

she was right in acting as she did for personal morals, but just because she has acted against the so called evil does not make her any more right

Well, I think striking down evil is always just.

what about this scenario, what if she had called the police and they did nothing but told her to put out a restraining order, yet still the husband comes and beats her repeatedly and harms the children with words of venom.

She contacts the police again and still they do nothing yet assure her that everything will be taken care of, yet again her husband comes and beats her again, in disregard to the restraining order. She attempts to reach the phone to call the police but figures they would only blow her off as they have done so many times before yet still she goes for the phone. The husband sees what she is trying to do and forcefully plows her to the ground. In an act of defense to protect one self, she stabs her violent husband as he is about to hit her. In her current state of fear and shock of her own actions, she stabs 4 more times to ensure that he won't attack again.

She didn't know what else to do, the police had been ineffective in stopping her husband from repeatedly beating her but now she had killed him.

So, what about that scenario, does it justify self defense, does it justify the action of killing someone in self defense?

Nice imagery.

why thank you, I try.....

Seems a little over the top.

I think him beating her more than once instantly justifies her stabbing him, even in cold blood.

Exactly, he has no right to beat her and she should be able to defend herself. But it's annoying how some women think it's ok to hit men, but it's not ok for men to retaliate.

It's really an issue of "when is it the right time to do something?", I think that when its clear thats he's going to beat you, then you should defend yourself.

I can agree with that.

I wonder what Eric Maurice has to say on this subject...lol. Something very sexist and hilarious im sure.