Battered women live in pure fear. They spend their days consumed in a life where they are not allowed to make decisions for themselves, earn their own money or turn the doorknob to leave the house when they desire. They live a life without rights or choices. Most battered women, as worn down as their spirits and mental capacities become, know to leave their environment invites even greater risk. In fact, women who do leave are 75 percent more likely of being killed by their batterer than the victims that stay (Kub J.). Nicole Simpson couldn"t overcome these odds. Nicole left Simpson and then came back. She had finally left him again when she was murdered. .

             Whether the battered women stays or leaves, we know the potential for harm extends beyond the victim. Each year, more than 3 million children witness domestic violence and are at a higher risk of being abused themselves (Burgess). Children of these environments suffer not only dysfunctional childhoods but also an increased risk of delinquency and alcohol and drug abuse in the teenage years (Waller). Whether abused themselves or not, children who witness this kind of violence can, and many times do, grow up to continue the cycle of abuse in their own homes. The most tragic element of these children"s lives as well as the lives of the battered women is the silence that suffocates them. We seem to view and judge domestic abuse as a family"s dirty little secret. .

             It"s almost unconscionable how passive and ignorant we"ve been about crimes of domestic abuse. But on the other hand, we are also aggressively taking steps to right this wrong. The implications of domestic violence are forcing the medical community to address a whole new set of issues, from how to increase accurate diagnoses of abuse, how to counsel victims, and how to report injuries for criminal records. How we handle physical evidence and patient records may substantiate and support these women who chose to report or confront their batterer.