Domestic Violence- A Tragic Epidemic

Once again our airwaves have been dominated by the disappearance and subsequent murder of a young mother. Each time one of these tragedies occur, we are all drawn in by the pleas of family members and scintillating analysis of crime scene investigators. More times than not, the outcome of these events end in murder. Months later, the story resumes at the trial of the individual if the authorities were fortunate enough to capture the responsible individual. Once again, after a series of tearful pleas from family members, a verdict is announced and the country moves on without missing a beat.

Startling statistics about domestic violence:

- A woman is beaten by her husband or partner every 15 seconds in the United State (source FBI, Uniform Crime Report)

- According to the American Journal of Public Health, the second leading cause of death pregnant women in the U.S. was homicide.

- On average, more than three women are murdered by their domestic partners every day. (source: Family Violence Prevention Fund)

- Thhe largest casue of death for pregnant women is homicide

Domestic violence is an epidemic of catastrophic proportion in our country today. In no country in the world is this type of violence so predominant.

Now that this mystery has apparently been solved, perhaps it is time to look into the greater problem- murder as the leading cause of death of pregnant women is an indictment of our country, ourselves and our families.