CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As a candidate for admission to the Ohio Bar who worked with survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking, I am sickened by J.D. Vance’s most recent act of victim shaming.
At Pacifica Christian High School, Vance accused divorce of making children unhappy and suggested that women should stay in unhappy and even dangerous relationships.
To the contrary, studies have shown that children who experience violence in the home are at a higher risk of poor mental and physical health outcomes even if the children themselves are not physically harmed by an abusive parent.
To justify his comments, Vance said “domestic violence has skyrocketed in recent years” because of the “decline” of the institution of heterosexual marriage. As someone who has studied domestic violence and advocated for survivors, this “skyrocketing” in cases is not because we progressives do not value the institution of marriage. Rather, it is because violence within the home was historically ignored and viewed as a private family matter until us feminists made it a public issue.
From my experiences working in the judicial system, marriage continues to work as a shield for those who live above the poverty line since the state will not look behind the veil of a relationship they continue to perceive as sacred and private.
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