Taylor’s research into physical and emotional abuse spurred me to consider the effects of Peggy’s abusive marriage on her. In Peggy’s case, Jason references that “…husbands rape their wives.” However, Maureen expresses Peggy’s portrayal of the scenario as “The day he beat you and you made love to him afterwards.” According to the NYC rape laws:
“”Lack of consent" is defined in New York State's Penal Law as occurring in the following circumstances:
Forcible Compulsion:
Forcible Compulsion:
- actual physical force.
- the threat of physical force, expressed or implied, that puts the victim in fear of being physically harmed or of another person being physically harmed (e.g. one’s child).
- the threat to kidnap the victim or a third person.
or
“Some Factor Other Than Incapacity to Consent: Rape 3 and Criminal Sexual Act 3 have recently been modified with a "no means no" clause. In cases of intercourse only, if the victim expressed that he or she did not consent to the sex act in such a way that a reasonable person would have understood those words or acts as expressing lack of consent, this would be prosecutable as Rape in the third degree or Criminal Sexual Act in the third degree. This makes a case easier for the District Attorney to prosecute because it is based on a reasonable person standard, and not on the specific interpretation of a defendant.”
Peggy probably qualifies as a rape victim under both of these categories but she chooses to just leave her husband rather than prosecute. However, this does mean that she is a rape and physical abuse victim so what was already mentioned in Taylor’s blog about emotional and physical abuse still applies. I also looked up and attached some information regarding common effects of rape on the victim.
“The four major symptoms of Rape-related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are:
- Re-experiencing the trauma (uncontrollable intrusive thoughts about the rape)
- Social withdrawal
- Avoidance behaviors (a general tendency to avoid any thoughts, feelings, or cues)
- Irritability, hostility, rage and anger
and
According to NCPTSD: "Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a common reaction following sexual assault.
Symptoms of MDD can include a depressed mood, an inability to enjoy things, difficulty sleeping, changes in patterns of sleeping and eating, problems in concentration and decision-making, feelings of guilt, hopelessness, and decreased self-esteem."
"NVAWS strongly confirms the negative mental health and social costs of rape victimization. Of those raped since age 18, 33 percent of the female rape victims and 24.2 percent of the male victims said they received counseling from a mental health professional as a direct result of their most recent rape ... The survey found that 19.4 percent of the female victims and 9.7 percent of the male victims raped as adults said their victimization caused them to lose time from work." National Violence Against Women Survey”
As for the rest of the family I wonder if they’ve noticed a change in her or not? I wonder how noticeable the differences are and how long she’s been dealing with this abuse.
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